Larry Claasen

Moeketsi Mosola might just get his way. The CEO of SA Tourism is so fed up with Match that he resigned in protest from the advisory board of the accommodation and ticketing partner of world soccer body Fifa at the beginning of the month.

Mosola alleges poor treatment of bed & breakfast (B&B) establishments and other small operators in the build-up to the 2010 soccer World Cup.

Match controls accommodation and ticketing for the tournament and if any B&B wants to be an official provider of accommodation, it has to go through the Zurich-based company.

The tussle is over the terms Match is offering B&Bs and other small operators it wants them to offer rates based on 2007 prices, plus 16% allowing for inflation. Mosola argues that these rates are unfavourable.

Mosola’s resignation seems to have succeeded in highlighting the plight of B&Bs, as a meeting involving himself, Match and environmental affairs & tourism minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk was hastily arranged this week. Mosola agreed to suspend his resignation from the advisory board until the conclusion of the meeting.

The dispute caught Fifa by surprise. Spokesman Delia Fischer says SA Tourism never brought up the matter at Match’s advisory board meetings the first the board heard of it was when Mosola resigned.

In theory, B&Bs are well placed to benefit from the tournament as there are not enough hotel rooms. Fifa needs 55000 rooms, but had signed up just 35000 by the end of May.

Fischer is confident Match will meet the target and points out that it has held more than 50 workshops with the local tourism industry, informing operators what is required to partner Match.

The complexity of Match’s contracts has been given as a reason for the slow take-up, in addition to payment models, the lack of a guarantee that rooms will be occupied and anecdotal stories from countries that hosted previous World Cups.

The tourism industry hopes for a quick resolution. Says Mmatsatsi Marobe, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of SA (TBCSA): “We cannot ignore these stories, whether factual or otherwise, as they influence the actions of some of our industry role players.”

TBCSA represents businesses in the tourism sector, while SA Tourism is a government agency that promotes SA as a destination for foreign visitors.

Part of the problem seems to be the small size of the operators involved, says TBCSA spokesman Rey Thakhuli. This is the biggest opportunity yet presented to many B&Bs, but some fear a repetition of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, when many owners redeveloped properties, only to be hurt by lower than expected occupancy.

Marobe hopes the dispute will not tarnish SA’s reputation. “The World Cup is the biggest marketing opportunity coming our way as a country and we need to put our best foot forward and ensure that we are ready to welcome the world.”

Source: Financial Mail