'Cresta business fell 13 percent during World Cup'

Far from being the money-spinner the travel and tourism sector had expected, the World Cup was an anti-climax for local businesses that registered depressed revenues and tourist arrivals.

However, Cresta's interim results released yesterday provide the first numerical assessment of the impact of the World Cup on the local hospitality industry. According to the interims, the hotel group's occupancies or rooms occupied as a percentage of the total available fell by 6.8 during the year, impacting on overall revenues. A commentary accompanying the interims reads: "The fall in occupancies compared to the prior year was mainly due to occupancies shrinkage in June/July 2010 due to the World Cup in RSA. Most travellers did not travel during the period and stayed home to watch the games. On quantifying the estimated impact, occupancies for the month of July 2010 were down 13 percent compared to prior year."