"Our tourism sector has some learning to do ? to please the soccer tourist," said Gillian Saunders, director of Grant Thornton's tourism division.

A soccer tourist was different from a leisure and shopping tourist, she said. "I don't expect a soccer tourist to go to a wildlife resort or on safari, they would be here to watch soccer ? and for nightlife."

The environmental affairs and tourism department is working on creating five transfrontier parks ? linking South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe ? in time for the influx of visitors expected for the soccer event.

But Saunders said tourism officials should focus their energies on developing cities and nightlife. She felt the current number of nightspots was inadequate to satisfy overseas soccer fans. "The pubs are enough, (as) most stadiums have pubs, but something needs to be done in the city about nightlife."

Saunders dismissed claims that the country's hotel and accommodation industry would not be able absorb the huge volumes of visitors. "Our hotels have a very low occupancy rate; I think they can absorb a lot more."

She said the average South African hotel occupancy rate was 66 percent, against the rest of the world's 63 percent.

There are 11,061 established and accredited accommodation units, according Grant Thornton's latest statistics. These include caravan and camping, hotel rooms, guesthouses and farms, and other forms of accommodation.

Source: Sunday Times