Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Sport tourism events have been recognised as a very important niche market offering great opportunities for countries worldwide. Because of their ability to provide urban, regional and national developments, every country around the globe is increasingly battling to host these events. This study focuses on the tourism impacts of major sport events in the African developing context, the aim being to close the gap currently existing in the literature regarding the subject. The main objective of the study was to determine the tourism impacts of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Gabon”. The study adopted a quantitative research approach (descriptive design) to obtain data and findings. Questionnaires were split according to the two match venues (Libreville and Franceville) and administered to visitors. Respondents were remoulded during the course of the event. Despite some negative impacts highlighted and others aspects investigated; the most important finding of the study revealed that Gabon successfully hosted the event which turned out to be good for local communities and contributed to their development. Conclusively, the study confirms that major sport events such as the Africa Cup of Nations have indeed the potential to develop tourism, provide new business opportunities and benefit residents of local communities.

Thesis (MBA) -- Stellenbosch University, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa has been granted a unique opportunity in being nominated as the first African nation to host the FIFA World Cup, and one of the first developing nations to host a global mega sporting event. The successful hosting of this event could provide the country with a global platform to promote the richness, diversity, and vast economic opportunities to the world stage. Economic development and significant global events taking place in South Africa may further contribute to leadership in the continent, and bring increased business and consumer confidence into prominence, as well as increase the leverage of private capital. The South African business and investment environment is in transition from a primary focus on construction, mining, manufacturing in the automotive, timber and steel sectors, to a knowledge economy focusing on sector development of skills training, education , IT and teleccmmunications, and property development. Infrastructure capacity, service delivery and skills shortages and the high rate of structural unemployment impose significant supply-side constraints with regard to the impact on the rate of real GDP growth and how growth is translated into employment opportunities and socio-economic development for the Western Cape and South Africa. Cape Town's position as co-host to selected events in 2009 and 2010 provides the critical window of opportunity to expand infrastructure investment to ensure a truly global destination of choice for investors and tourists. This event offers Cape Town the opportunity to ensure sustainable legacies, especially in terms of transport systems, the creation of a green lung in the midst of the city, improved service delivery and a world class multi purpose facility. All these contribute to the accelerated and shared economic growth of the City of Cape Town and the Province of the Western Cape. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika se nominasie as die eerste land in Afrika om as gasheer vir die FIFA Wereldbeker 2010 op te tree, is 'n unieke geleentheid. Suid-Afrika is ook een van die eerste ontwikkelende lande wat toegewys is om hierdie sport geleentheid aan te bied. Die suksesvolle aanbieding van hierdie geleentheid, kan Suid-Afrika die geleentheid bied om die unieke diversiteite en ryke ekonomiese geleenthede van die land aan die wereld ten toon te stel. Ekonomiese ontwikkeling en hierdie besondere gebeurtenis in Suid-Afrika, mag verder bydra tot die bevordering van leierskap op die kontinent en 'n verhoogde vlak van sake- en verbruikersvertroue wat die verhoging van privaat kapitaalbesteding kan aanmoedig. Die Suid-Afrikaanse sake en investeringsomgewing is in transformasie vanaf 'n primere fokus op konstruksie, myne, en die vervaardigingsbedryf, veral die motor, hout en staal sektore, na 'n kennis gedrewe ekonomie met 'n klemverskuiwing na ontwikkeling binne die sektore, van vaardigheidsopleiding. informasie tegnologie, telekommunikasie en eiendomsontwikkeling. 'n Tekort aan voldoende infrastruktuur-en dienslewering kapasiteit, 'n tekort aan vaardighede, sowel as die hoe koers van strukturele werkloosheid, veroorsaak beperkinge met betrekking tot die impak op die greei van die Bruto Binnelandse Preduk, en hoe hierdie greei snel omgeskakel kan word in werksgeleenthede en sosio-ekonomiese ontwikkeling vir die Wes-Kaap en Suid-Afrika. Kaapstad se gedeelde posisie as gasheer van spesifieke geleenthede in 2009 en 2010, verskaf die geleentheid om deur middel van die uitbreiding van infrastruktuur investering te verseker dat investeerders en toeriste, Kaapslad as 'n volwaardige globale bestemming beskou. Hierdie gebeurtenis bied ook aan Kaapstad die geleentheid om op 'n volhoubare ontwikkelingswyse 'n besondere nalatenskap te verseker, veral met betrekking tot die vervoerstelsel, die skepping van 'n green long in die middestad, verskerpte dienslewering en 'n wereldklas veeldoelige fasiliteit, wat in totaal bydra tot die versnelde en gedeelde ekonomiese greei van die Stad Kaapstad en die Provinsie Wes-Kaap.

This document is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree: Masters of Urban Design, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016 / Six years after the 2010 FIFA World Cup was hosted by South Africa many researchers are still contemplating the so-called positive spin-offs that was propagated (Bond & Cottle, 2012: 1) leading up to this mega-event. Massive capital over-spending, increased public debt and severe under utilisation of these newly constructed iconic stadia and surrounding infrastructure are reported which is representative of the sobering realisation that mega-events, contrary to popular belief, may not be the ‘begin all, end all’ catalyst for urban development – a critique that has been noted in many countries of the north (Haferburg, 2011: 334). Now that the sound of cheering crowds have faded along with visual images honouring the mega-event (Young, 2015), we are faced with the stark realisation that cities need to maintain these expensive facilities and actively seek to attract large events to ensure a relatively stable stream of much required revenue. Santos (2014) questions the amount of rationality applied when such investment decisions are made and points to the generally accepted and portrayed idea that these new iconic stadia will somehow translate into other socio-economic benefits, but argues that due to the rather inflexible use of these facilities, it is very seldom that positive spin-offs are actually realisable. Therefore public investment and expenditure decisions by government have a more significant impact on the inhabitants of an area as they themselves suffer the burden of budgetary deficits, severely increased public debt (Hoiris, 2012), and most importantly, the spatial and resulting socio-economic consequences of ill-advised development. This mammoth of a task (of maintaining facilities) is even further complicated by various degrees of local detachment, socially and functionally, and therefore interventions will need to seek alternative ways to facilitate a sort of ‘re-integration’ into the existing urban fabric by a process of land use redefinition and spatial reconfiguration. Such an issue and approach is no different to the Peter Makoba Stadium in Polokwane and therefore this research will utilise the site as a case study in an attempt to discover whether and how urban design can re-integrate such facilities into cities by developing a new image, use and meaning in order for it to more appropriately fit into the local context. The study firstly explored how and why mega-events has been utilised for urban development globally and what the collective experiences have been. A precedent study was then conducted to determine how other cities have dealt with these challenges and to what extent it has been deemed successful. A process of design approach formulation and interpretation was undertaken that ultimately influenced and informed the proposed urban design interventions for the Peter Makoba Sports Precinct. The proposed urban design interventions is however further aligned to the City of Polokwane’s long term development vision and therefore gives spatial expression to forward planning policies in a more coherent and systematic manner. Finally conclusions are drawn from the study that can serve as a guideline for the future design and development of such facilities. This study therefore explores how a new social and economic meaning can be created and attached to and around the stadium and move towards newer, desirable forms of urbanity that can in return feed back into the city itself. / MT2017