Cape Town - The focus is "the beautiful game", or soccer, but the South African wine industry could be a major beneficiary of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Armin Goering has special knowledge about combining wine and soccer because as director of the German Wine Industry he successfully used the massive drawcard of the 2006 Fifa World Cup, hosted by Germany, to promote the country's wine offerings.
Goering, currently in South Africa to attend the Wine Tourism Conference, said soccer fans from across the world would flock to the 2010 Fifa World Cup despite the credit and economic crises. The event would be a receptive audience for the marketing of South African wines, he said.
"During all matches, the German stadiums are packed to capacity," said Goering. "More money than ever before is made at soccer events. Soccer fans are willing to sacrifice a lot as long as they can attend a major event," he said. An estimated 400 000 long-haul visitors are expected in South Africa for the 2010 soccer extravaganza.
Using Germany as an example, Goering said that a huge percentage of these visitors would extend their stay for one or two weeks after the tournament.
In 2006, about 16% of World Cup visitors combined the event with a holiday; 50% were first-time visitors to Germany, and more than 10 million people viewed matches at public viewing spaces.
After the tournament, more than 90% recommended Germany as a tourism destination to their family and friends.
Promotion, promotion, promotion
The German wine industry used every possible opportunity to promote its product. This was done by ensuring there were licensed labelled bottles of wine at stadium events (including VIP lounges), while wine product launches were held in soccer stadiums in areas where Fifa matches were to be played. Tourism journalists were taken to wine regions.
Although there is scepticism about loud-mouthed, beer-swilling football fans morphing into wine drinkers, research shows that while this image holds true for regional matches, there is an increase in more discerning fans during international events. This makes them perfect targets for the wine industry, he said.
Regarding licensing issues, Goering said that there is no copyright on using soccer balls on promotional material as long as it is not the licensed image. There is also no copyright on the numbers 2010.
Marketing incentives led to the sale of 100 000 cases of licensed labelled cases of wine. "Many cases were bought by people who are not traditional wine drinkers or buyers," Goering said. He urged the South African wine industry to link its products to 2010 in any way it could.
Rick Taylor, CEO of the Business Tourism Company and a board member of La Maison de la France/Air France, told Fin24.com that a large part of 2010 will revolve around the "experience economy".
It is therefore important for the visitor to be assured of the best possible service. This includes fair pricing of goods, including wine, in order to "prevent the visitor feeling he is being ripped off", Goering said.
- Fin24.com