Media Release. Immediate. 3 February 2010. Mossel Bay Tourism

Mossel Bay Open For South Africans During World Cup

With all the hype about the hundreds of thousands of foreign soccer fans who are expected to stream into South Africa for the FIFA World Cup in June and July – what are South African holidaymakers going to do this winter? Especially since many of the country’s hotels and lodges are expecting to be fully booked, prices are skyrocketing in many destinations, and local schools will be enjoying a six-week-long mid-year break?

“They should come and visit us,” said Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm. “Mossel Bay will definitely be open for South Africans during the World Cup.

“The host cities around South Africa are going to be crowded, busy and bustling, and while the Garden Route and Klein Karoo regions certainly are expecting more visitors than usual, Mossel Bay is without a doubt going to be the place to be this winter – especially as most of our accommodation establishments are currently quoting very affordable winter season prices,” she said.

Ms. Holm said that the town’s tourism industry had always benefited from the area’s good weather. “We have 300 days of sunshine a year, and our weather in winter is particularly mild and pleasant, and is characterised by sunny, wind-free days – so it’s a fantastic time to take a holiday.”

She pointed out that wintertime was when the fynbos was flowering at its best, when the waves were at their finest, and when the beaches, the shops, and the roads were relatively quiet and uncrowded.

She said, too, that Mossel Bay was a good base from which to explore the region.

“The town has become known for our beaches – and we definitely have fantastic beaches – but Mossel Bay is also at the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains, which offer endless opportunities for exploration, and adventure, and which host some of our most sought-after accommodation establishments and camp sites.

“Over the past few years, a number of game farms and private nature reserves have opened up in our area, and winter is a very pleasant time of the year for game and bird watching. But it’s also the best time of the year for whale- and dolphin watching, because that’s when the migratory species (and especially the southern right whales) are most likely to come to the Bay to mate and calve,” she said.

“Also, within an hour or two’s drive of Mossel Bay, you have all the attractions of the Klein Karoo (the ostrich farms, the mountain passes, the Cango Caves, and so on) and all the attractions of the Garden Route – with its golf courses, it’s forests and its National Park.

“And if you really have to watch the games,” said Ms. Holm, “well, we have television too, you know!”

Mossel Bay Tourism chairman Neels Zietsman said that the town was looking forward to a very enjoyable winter period.

“By basing yourself in Mossel Bay during this year’s World Cup, you’ll be able to experience the kind of traditional, affordable South African holiday for which Mossel Bay has become famous,” he said.

ENDS 526 Words

IMAGE: Surfing at The Point, Mossel Bay. Photographer: Jason Feast.

Tags: holidays, mossel bay, South Africa, south africans, world cup