Andre van Wyk
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille made the announcement and
attributed the change in plan - which aimed to have the club market the country
in conjunction with SA Tourism - to financial concerns, saying: "In the
current economic climate, the use of public funds must be carefully considered
and for any department to fulfil its mandate, it must be done in a cost effective
way, exploring multiple options and with due consideration for all priorities.
Billed at U.S.$56 million (R1 billion), the deal's initial
announcement was met with controversy over its high cost. It would have seen a
logo printed on the sleeves jerseys worn
by top players including Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, and would have carried
the slogan "Visit South Africa".
Minister De Lille offered assurance that other avenues would
be explored in order to promote South Africa as a preferred tourist destination.
"I will also continue engaging SA Tourism and the department in more
detail on the Department's budget to ensure that we fulfil our mandate of
growing visitor numbers to South Africa, providing the necessary support to
enable growth, increase job creation and increase the sector's contribution to
the economy," she said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment