Fifa, UN team up to promote Africa
13 April 2007
The 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa will be about more than football, with the global soccer authority and the United Nations entering into a partnership to promote the African continent as a tourism destination in the lead-up to the tournament.
The partnership - between Fifa, the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the UNWTO's Sustainable Tourism-Eliminating Poverty Foundation - sees tourism as a means of combating poverty and boosting development on the continent.
According to the UNWTO, the 2010 Fifa World Cup will be held under the slogan "Win in Africa with Africa".
"The World Cup constitutes an opportunity that the countries of the region can seize in order to obtain the maximum socio-economic, promotional and cultural benefits," UN World Tourism Organisation secretary-general Francesco Frangialli said on Tuesday.
"It should also contribute to strengthening the image of Africa."
Earlier this year, the African Union (AU) nominated 2007 as the International Year of African Football, an initiative that was welcomed by the UN as part of its global drive to link sport with development.
South African, for its part, hopes to derive long-term benefits from hosting the world's biggest sporting tournament through the implementation of legacy projects.
By improving the country's infrastructure in the run-up to the tournament, the government hopes to lay the foundation for improved facilities and services for years after the World cup has passed.
Source: BuaNews
