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This article was originally published on Make Travel Fair.

The world’s biggest sporting event will kick off in Johannesburg, South Africa on 11 June 2010. The FIFA World Cup will attract international travellers from all around the globe to the Rainbow Nation. The boom in tourism will be huge over this period but numbers will inevitably dry up once the floodlights are turned off and the country exits the international stage.

Horse riding in Lesotho / Photo by Alex Beadle

Innovative development project

Fortunately an innovative project by WHL Consulting and the African regional office of whl.travel, a global online travel-booking network of local tour operators, will ensure that small accommodation providers in Mpumalanga, Southern Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal are all marketed internationally and domestically well beyond the hype of this event.

Room nights in exchange for market access services

This is a pilot project for a newly created concept called the Tourism Development Bank, where following a market readiness assessment, small accommodation owners will be able to use room nights as currency to purchase a set of services designed to increase their online exposure:

• A selection of professionally taken photos of their property, including photos for use in ‘immersive tours’ where travellers can take a virtual tour of a venue.
• A professionally drafted travel write-up highlighting the venue’s appeal to experiential and mindful travellers.
• A unique e-commerce website linked to the whl.travel global network.
• Access to a local whl.travel tourism market training seminar.

Creation of local experience packages

Eligible participants for this project will be required to pay a registration fee of R300 and donate 18 room nights. The room nights will be used later by whl.travel in affordable package holidays that combine accommodation with local tours and activities like river rafting, abseiling, horse-riding and hiking so boosting local tourism.

150 accommodations will benefit over 18 months

The 4.5 million rand project is being partly funded by the Shared Growth Challenge Fund, a Business Trust project which aims to stimulate pro-poor innovation and growth from the private sector. Over 18 months the project will aim to get 150 accommodation providers online and sustainably positioned with enhanced exposure and bookable websites.

“The project aims to get bums in the beds of small and medium tourism accommodation venues by setting up unique websites for accommodation providers, as well as offering affordable package holidays that combine accommodation and fun activities for visitors.”

- Zachary Rozga, WHL Consulting

Local partners positive about the project

Local partners of the whl.travel network involved in the project are Raw Africa, Induna Adventures and Roc ‘n’ Rope. All are extremely positive about the project and bright future it aims to provide.

“Up until now a large number of SME accommodation and activity providers have not been able to participate effectively on the internet, and this project will integrate them in a professional online e-marketing and booking service.”

- Darron Raw, Raw Africa

whl.travel local partners involved in this project

• www.mpumalangahighlands.travel run by Roc ‘n’ Rope.
• www.kzn.travel run by Raw Africa.
• www.panorama-tours.travel & www.krugersafaris.travel run by Induna Adventures.