The US, traditionally not a soccer country, has apparently seen a surge in interest from Americans keen to visit South Africa next year for the Fifa World Cup.

Tour d’Afrique, a destination management company (DMC) working with Destination Southern Africa in the US, has noticed a definite spike in bookings over the period.

“Even Fifa has been surprised at the number of tickets sold in the first draft in the USA,” says director of Tour d'Afrique, Craig van Rooyen. “Outside of South Africa, the USA has purchased the most tickets (73 441) to attend the Soccer World Cup.” Meanwhile, Destination Southern Africa, which is one of the official suppliers of Fifa packages, has already booked in excess of 700 visitors.

Van Rooyen expects this number to increase significantly once the official draw has taken place, to between 1 500 and 2 000 visitors, excluding accommodation-only requests.

The DMC has seen a range of bookings right across the spectrum, from clientele requesting high-end packages including tickets to quarter-final, semi-final and final matches to families booking for the early stages of the tournament.

“The success of Destination Southern Africa’s sales has been that we have tailor-made packages to suit the demands of the client,” says van Rooyen. He also notes that 85% of all trips booked have included a safari. However, due to the number of tickets sold directly in the USA market, many accommodation-only packages have also been sold.