GEORGE NEWS - The Executive Mayor of George, Melvin Naik, welcomes the prospect of more multi-year agreements to attract events and tourists to George after successfully hosting the Guinness Pro 14 Rugby. The clash between the Southern Kings and Munster had great support from especially locals and fans from across the world.
He said the George Municipality has once again displayed its ability to host events of high international standard.
"We have outdone ourselves to be an excellent host for our visitors from Munster, Ireland, Port Elizabeth and across South Africa. I want to thank all our municipal departments that were involved and made the day a great success, especially the volunteers. You are our unsung heroes."
Manager of Local Economic Development at the municipality, Pedro Oliphant, said the commercial services sector, which includes tourism, is a key driver of economic development and creates opportunities for communities to be economically active.
"However, to fully reap the benefits of economic drivers, any event, festival, initiative or programme needs to be sustainable. Aside from the huge economic injection into the local economy, this growth in events serves to create much-needed jobs, that not only secure an income for the workers, but also provide them with invaluable experience and training.
"It is also about showcasing George as a world-class destination, and we think the benefits are huge," he said.
"We want our city to be the events capital of the Garden Route, and hosting the historic PRO 14 championship encounter in George is part of reaching that goal. The city would really like to conclude multi-year agreements for anchor sporting and other events to attract more visitors."
George Tourism Manager Joan Shaw said they are extremely happy with the support for this event, not only by the people of George, but by the hundreds of Munster fans who travelled from Ireland to support their players. "The supporters I spoke to had all spent some time in the region doing safaris and adventure activities, stayed over for a few nights and enjoyed the hospitality of our restaurants and bars.
"Most also visited Cape Town before or after the game. Both teams stayed over in George for three nights and spent a significant amount on accommodation, food and entertainment."
She said the players enjoyed the golf at our fantastic courses. The Irish, especially, were enthusiastic about sending more visitors here to enjoy our excellent tourism facilities, and many consider returning to explore the beautiful region.
Through the broadcasting of the game, George had 440 000 live TV viewers per round from countries all over the world, including the British Isles, North America, Europe and the East Block, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.
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