Gauteng has invested heavily in positioning itself as an attractive sports tourism destination with world-class infrastructure and a comprehensive sports offering. However, tour operators suggest the efforts have been in vain as sports tourists continue to bypass Johannesburg and Pretoria, while Gauteng’s golf tourism potential remains untapped.

“There is no other province on the continent that is better positioned as a world-class sporting destination in terms of infrastructure,” says spokesperson for Gauteng Tourism, Barba Gaoganediwe.

He says the province positioned itself as a number-one destination during the FIFA World Cup in 2010, and is now reaping the rewards. “Johannesburg is one of the only cities in the world to have hosted both the Rugby World Cup and the FIFA World Cup. The only other city to have achieved this is Paris.”

Gaoganediwe says Gauteng Tourism is encouraging tour operators to offer five-day packages for ‘event’ tourists. “We suggest they include shopping, World Heritage Sites and trendsetting places within Johannesburg as part of the province’s ‘Stay Another Day’ campaign.”

He says the province is attracting sports tourism events in all disciplines. These include soccer, rugby, cycling, horse racing and cricket.

Soweto Derby

The Soweto Derby is a soccer tournament involving Soweto-based teams Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Moroka Swallows and usually attracts huge crowds. Over the years it has become a ‘weekend experience’.

Gaoganediwe says this year the Soweto Derby attracted over 90 000 spectators from all over the SADC. “The main source countries were Lesotho, Botswana and Mozambique but the event also drew visitors from the Middle East and Europe.”

2023 Rugby World Cup

Gauteng is looking at bidding for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Gaoganediwe says the province’s strategy is to put forward the townships as the ideal place to hold the World Cup. “This way we will be able to showcase the true transformation of South Africa,” he says.

94.7 Cycle Challenge

The popular 94.7 Cycle Challenge is the world's second-largest timed cycle race, after the Cape Argus Cycle Race. It is held annually in Johannesburg and welcomes between 20 000 and 30 000 participants. According to Gaoganediwe, the event doesn’t only attract locals any more. International tourists, especially from Europe, also flock to Gauteng to participate, he says. “Cycling is the fastest growing sport of the moment, and has even replaced golf in popularity.”

Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup

The Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup is Johannesburg’s oldest and most respected first-grade thoroughbred horse racing event. It is hosted annually at the lush Turffontein Racecourse. Gaoganediwe says this horse and fashion event appeals mainly to the African market, with numerous regional travellers attending.

Cricket

The England cricket team are scheduled to tour South Africa from December 15 to February 21, 2016. The tour consists of four test matches, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals. The Wanderers stadium in Gauteng will host one test match, one ODI and one Twenty20.

But is it working?

Despite a prestigious line-up of sporting events, Gauteng has still not managed to position itself as an attractive sports tourism destination, according to tour operators.

Bryan Coetzee, Director Sports Travel for Tourvest, says spectators will, without a doubt, head to Gauteng to visit the events that are held in the province but will quickly move out after the event is finished. He says Johannesburg is a challenge and a hard sell, as there is still a very strong perception of crime. Travellers will only go to Johannesburg if they have to because they want to attend an event but they treat it as a transient destination.

Says Coetzee: “Travellers will go to Johannesburg if they have to and spend one or two nights there. But, they don’t see it as a leisure destination. It’s still in the shadow of Cape Town from a leisure perspective.”

Steven Eatherington of The Howzat Travel Team in the UK, confirms this trend and says Gauteng is only interesting to UK customers because it hosts some of the South African cricket team’s international matches at the Wanderers stadium.

According to Ryan Mackie from South African Golfing and Safari Tours, the province and the country could do even more to market itself to the international sporting community. “This year is a typical example of what not to do,” he says, explaining that Cape Town and Durban are hosting the majority of the English cricket matches over the peak tourism period in December and January.  “Those games should have been hosted in Johannesburg and Pretoria, which would have boosted tourism to [the] region over [a] period where hotels normally sit empty because of the lack of business travel.”

Meanwhile, golf tourism also remains an untapped opportunity for the province, according to Mackie, as it could prove to be an interesting attraction for travellers. He says: “Jo'burg has lots of excellent golf courses that are world class but it is not seen as a leisure destination and that is partly because of its negative reputation, ie crime.”

Petro Coetzee, Marketing Manager Golf in South Africa, agrees and says, although Gauteng has the highest concentration of golf courses in South Africa, it doesn’t attract many international clients. If international travellers head to Johannesburg, they stay, at the most, three days before heading to other parts of the country. She adds that there are not many major golfing tournaments in Gauteng. The last big one was the SA Open at Glendower, however this event didn’t attract a lot of tourists but mostly the participants, she says. “Gauteng is, in my opinion, an untapped golf destination that needs to be better marketed. I think the major ‘attraction’ is going there for business and then adding a round of golf to close the deal.”

Bryan Coetzee says sports teams also visit the Highveld in Gauteng for high-altitude training. They visit the High Performance Centres in Pretoria or Potchefstroom. However, after they have concluded their training, they head for the Garden Route and Cape Town. “These teams typically stay in Pretoria for a couple of nights and play one or two fixtures. But, for the most part, 60% to 70% of the itinerary includes tourism components on the Garden Route and Cape Town.”