Now's the time to capitalise on Cup

As the final whistle brings a close to the World Cup and the world's attention shifts to the next major event elsewhere, our country is already vigorously debating the "legacy" of the tournament.

Although both the sporting-related and non-sporting-related infrastructure created for the event is not insignificant, research suggests that the co-ordinated and ongoing investments, strategies and hard work in the coming years will be significantly more important than what will remain behind when the football family leaves.

Many have lauded the successes of Barcelona's hosting of the 1992 Summer Olympics, often pointing to its investments in urban infrastructure before the event and the large numbers of foreign tourists and broadcast viewers that put it on the map as a major tourist destination.

Last year, the minister of human settlements, Tokyo Sexwale, confirmed our country's intention to "create a legacy that is similar to what Barcelona did ... we want tourists to remember Brand South Africa after the tournament."

A closer analysis of "what Barcelona did", however, finds evidence that the Olympic Games were merely the trigger for a sustained period of investment that delivered economic and social returns over the following 10 years, not 10 months.

Hotel accommodation is a case in point. Although Barcelona increased its capacity of hotel beds by 35% in the build-up to the Olympics, a further 47% expansion occurred between 1992 and 2002. Occupancy rates climbed from 64% in 1992 to an average of over 80% between 1998 and 2001. It would be easy to ascribe this increase to the Olympics, but that would ignore the major efforts undertaken after the event, including specific tourism promotions, a "Barcelona Sport" programme, and a set of progressive business visitor initiatives.

After the Olympics, Barcelona's tourism policy shifted from generic promotion of the city to specific promotions aimed at different market segments, taking into account the demands of specific interest groups with a potential interest in Barcelona.

The city took advantage of the large numbers of North American visitors and broadcast viewers to tailor follow-up marketing efforts to that market, almost tripling the percentage of overnight stays by tourists from the US by 2000. Barcelona's conversion from "Spain's Manchester" into the "Copacabana of the Mediterranean" also saw the percentage of holidaymakers climb from 23% to 63%.

Much has been, and will continue to be, debated about the utilisation of our sporting-related infrastructure, particularly the new stadiums in smaller parts of our country.

Barcelona's approach may be instructive. Although it shared a similar longing for mega-events and is now seeking to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, it was its creation and pursuit of an extensive number of international and annual minor events that took advantage of its new infrastructure, including the Barcelona Marathon, Spanish F1 Grand Prix, International Polo Tournament, and Freixenet Regatta.

Another example of Barcelona not just sitting back was its active positioning as the chosen location for new vehicle model launches. Over 127 automobile sector events were attracted to the city between 1993 and 2001, with 74 taking place between 1995 and 1997 alone. About 10000 delegates per event were attracted by the launches of the new Opel Corsa, Fiat Stylo, and Renault Megane.

President Jacob Zuma alluded to the job ahead when he spoke of the World Cup being "the biggest turning point in the marketing of our country". We have successfully delivered a world-class event for hundreds of thousands of visitors and billions of television fans. We are left with impressive sporting facilities and enhanced transport and telecommunications infrastructure.

What we should inherit is the national experience of achieving the improbable, while stepping forward in the coming weeks with renewed energy, focus and partnership to create a real legacy every day. Ke nako (it is time) may be more relevant to us as we work together in the coming years, than it has been during the past months.

Goldman is a senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science