Finally it’s happening

                                                                                         

How many words in how many articles in how many news papers, magazines and TV programs? Have you any idea, well I don’t. So…what does it mean to you and I anyway, a little more overcrowding at airports, longer queues in what is already an over crowded inefficient people handling system.

With the press as the harbingers of doom, if we listened to them and a few politicians it would appear more likely that the soccer games will be played on the street as the infrastructure and management of the preparation process seems to be slated by anyone who needs a little publicity.

Oh yes….perhaps more traffic on the way to work in the morning, more busses, more taxi’s stopping and starting oblivious to the rules of the road and common courtesy. It’s all bad isn’t it, after all Bafana Bafana have less chance of winning anything than a snowball surviving in a Pizza oven, in fact the way we have been playing the only reason we are included in the line up is because we happen to be the host country.

Whoa! Stop! Let’s first think a little, is it all bad. As most of us will appreciate, marketing a small business is hugely expensive, marketing a brand is costly, difficult and full of risk…our country will, thanks to the Soccer world Cup in 2010, be marketed firstly during the tournament by every single news paper in the world, will be on television news at least three times per day on every single television news broadcast, will have matches watched live on television in every corner of the world, every day for weeks. Now that’s marketing!

Not only during the actual tournament but for the build up, already started and which will continue during the next two years and certainly for an overflow period after the event.

It doesn’t get better than that, marketing that is. Our country will be marketed directly to almost every single potential tourist in the world! That is an awesome opportunity for us to benefit…who is “us”….us is every single South African. It doesn’t matter if the benefit is direct or indirect, the tourism industry is already one of the biggest (if not the biggest) employment provider in the country. If we, through the world cup, can grow this industry it has the potential of creating thousands and thousands of jobs for the unemployed. This has obvious economic benefits, not only to those directly employed but in every industry, with suppliers of goods, the construction industry, retail sector, all benefiting from the infrastructural growth potential of a successful tourism industry.

Those of us fortunate enough to have travelled almost anywhere in the world will attest to the mass tourist queuing at every attraction, wouldn’t it be great to see the queue outside the Cape Town aquarium as long as those in Orlando, the queue at Robben Island waiting for as many boats as are available to visit Alcatraz in San Francisco or even the Vatican museums or the London Eye.
How do we get there? How do we benefit or prepare ourselves as an industry? Forget the actual few weeks of the tournament, anyone can get their occupancy up for that, a little like selling food to a ravenous child…it’s more about the sustainability of the industry, We are getting an opportunity to show the world, to prove to this potential mass of tourists that we are a destination like no other, the best kept tourism secret in the world.

Let’s face it; South Africa is a stunning destination, offering attractions for each and every need, at a price more than half of any other destinations. But, and here’s the rub, it’s all about marketing the promise and more importantly, delivering on that promise. From the apathetic welcome of the Customs Officers at QR Thambo, to the powdered scrambled eggs and day old muffins at your local Bed and Breakfast, this is where we fail dismally, in one word …. service … delivering on an internationally expected standard, from the cashier at a supermarket to the pump attendant at your local fuel station, we all, and not only those in the accommodation industry, we all need a renewed focus on service. The subject certainly cannot be covered in one small article but here are a few ideas as to how you can prepare for the 2010 soccer world cup.

• Market your business internationally. The simplest and best way, is through the low cost, high reward internet sites available, where establishments can list on-line at a low cost.

• Take a look at your service, pretend you are a customer of your own business, from the e-mail or telephone enquiry to saying good-bye, to put it simply, are you the best you can be?

• A smile. It says a thousand words and can never be underestimated. Teach your staff to smile, to build a pleasant interactive welcoming manner when dealing with clients.

• Greeting. Yes, it is obvious you might think but is sadly missing, a simple “Good morning M’am, have you had a good rest” goes a long way to ensuring guests enjoy the experience.

• Lastly training, a waitress who knows nothing about how to pour wine; a breakfast chef who cannot cook, bacon that breaks your dentures; a porter throwing your bags around. How well are your staff trained, do they come up to the standard expected by the international tourist?

About the author:
Alan Hawkins is the CEO of StaySA, http://www.staysa.co.za, The South Africa Accommodation Solution.

StaySA provides a directory of South African Accommodation, Bed and Breakfasts and Holiday Homes.

Partnering with South Africa’s newest accommodation portal:
http://www.holidayhomesa.co.za

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