Stakeholder reflections of the tourism and nation-branding legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup for South Africa

Over the past decade there has been a growing awareness of the significant impact that hosting mega sport events can have on a nation’s brand. This paper discusses the context of nation-branding as a tourism legacy and the role of mega sport events in generating a tourism and nation-branding legacy in relation to the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa. A nation brand is not owned or controlled by a single organisation, but rather jointly developed and delivered by a network of public and private sector organisations. A number of event and brand stakeholders play a role in co-creating the imagery portrayed during a mega sport event. The examination of stakeholder perceptions was therefore identified as an important research area. This paper discusses the findings from in-depth interviews conducted with 2010 event and destination stakeholders from national and regional South African Government departments that detail their perceptions, experiences and reflections of the tourism and branding legacies for the host nation. Stakeholders specialising in event management, tourism, operations and communications reflect on the branding and exposure for the nation achieved as a result of the event and the degree to which this was coordinated and co-created between various stakeholders. Insights are also given as to the degree to which the branding gains achieved during the event have been leveraged post 2010. The paper concludes with an assessment of the degree to which the branding opportunity translated into a tourism legacy for the nation