Cape Town blooms for final draw

Designer David Davidson (famous for the Kirstenbosch South Africa gold award-winning stands at the Chelsea Flower Show) works with Cape Craft and Design Institute (CCDI) market access manager Vuyisile Mshudulu and CCDI executive director Erica Elk on a flower installation for the Final Draw.

click to enlarge

Today's visitors bring an estimated R126.8 million (calculated on an average stay of five days) to the city, a forerunner of what can be expected next year.

“It is Cape Town and the Western Cape's time to shine and showcase our organisational capacity and confidence, infrastructure readiness, friendliness, tourism diversity and scenic beauty," says Alan Winde, Western Cape minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism.

"This makes it the perfect time to roll out our 2010 tourism marketing campaign, 'Beyond the 90 Minutes', inspiring 2010 visitors and locals to experience Cape Town and the Western Cape's eclectic travel mix, beyond the 90 minutes of the football match. We encourage visitors to follow one or more of six funky, football-themed travel itineraries in the Western Cape's tourism regions," says Itumeleng Pooe, Cape Town Routes Unlimited's executive manager: Domestic & International Marketing, responsible for 2010.

The face of Charlize Theron, tonight's co-presenter, hit the Cape Town streets early today, as Sarie released its January 2010 issue with Theron as front cover and inside exclusive interview.

Waste-full flowers

Nearly 1000 blooms, handmade from cool drink cans, felt, wire, buttons, shells and waste, have been produced by a dozen craft producers for tonight's event. The decorations, contributed by the City of Cape Town and the CCDI, will be installed on the red carpet area outside the Convention Centre and are sure to catch the attention of passing VIP guests. Designer David Davidson (famous for the Kirstenbosch South Africa gold award-winning stands at the Chelsea Flower Show) worked with Cape Craft and Design Institute (CCDI) market access manager Vuyisile Mshudulu and CCDI executive director Erica Elk on the flower installations.

Ticket to ride

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele inspected the R408 million transformation of Cape Town Station earlier this week, accompanied by Deputy Transport Minister Jeremy Cronin. They experienced a ride on one of the 2000 refurbished trains from Newlands Station. The upgrade is emerging as a significant catalyst in the renewal of the Cape Town Central Business District (CBD).

The newly branded Translux busses also debuted this week - they will be used to transport VIP guest and soccer fans for 2010. Following the event, the 570 newly acquired buses will replace Autopax's entire existing fleet.

Mobile goals

Goal.com and Handmark announced the launch of Goal.com Mobile for BlackBerry smartphones yesterday, Thursday 3 December to ensure that fans will have access to tonight's information. The new mobile application delivers instant, real-time access to breaking Goal.com football news, including the most extensive coverage of the FIFA World Cup Draw. Articles can be shared or saved via social bookmarking, email and social networking sites. The application also features a customizable ‘My Feeds' tab where users can access their own favourite news feeds or team-specific information.