World Cup: 73% of rooms booked

Johannesburg - Nearly three-quarters of the hotel rooms marketed by Fifa for the World Cup in South Africa have been booked, organisers said on Thursday.

Match, which provides accommodation services for FIFA, says 73% of their rooms have been reserved, with just over 100 days until the competition, said Irvin Khoza, chairperson of the local organising committee.

"The report we received from Match is satisfying," Khoza told a news conference.

Match reached deals with hotels across South Africa to market 48 000 rooms during the World Cup, which runs June 11 to July 11.

Many bed and breakfasts and some large hotel chains like Hyatt decided not to work with Match, because they did not want to have to set aside big blocks if rooms months before the tournament.

South Africa, which has poured R33bn into the event, hopes to welcome 450 000 foreign visitors during the tournament.

FIFA has recently said that the actual number of arrivals would likely be lower, but did not provide an estimate.

"Whenever you play the tournament far away from Europe, it's a challenge for some fans to come - a financial challenge, an organisational challenge," FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said Thursday.

- Sapa