INDABA 2009 kicks off South African Tourism’s 2010 FIFA World Cup welcoming campaign
08. May, 2009
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INDABA 2009 will see South African tourism dish up a feast of activities and activations designed to get South Africa and the world dancing to the 2010 beat. The INDABA travel trade show, one of the top three in the world, opened officially in Durban today with the launch of host South African Tourism’s diski dance television and film commercial that leverages the country’s status as 2010 FIFA World CupTM host nation.
The 60 second commercial takes its inspiration from South Africa’s uniquely flamboyant football style-diski. Diski football becomes a dance that almost anyone, anywhere can learn and will, as the multi-million rand global campaign rolls out, become the definitive hallmark of the first African World Cup. It will be screened on major global television networks (BBC World, CNN International, Sky, EuroSport, Fox) and will reach more than 600 million consumers between now and kick-off. It represents a multi-million rand investment by South African Tourism.
The campaign will also be run in South Africa. Thanks to a partnership between South African Tourism and the International Marketing Council (IMC), the commercial will be screened on each of the SABC television channels.
“This will take the dance and welcoming spirit of 2010 to millions of South Africans. It will also give the campaign the domestic traction that it needs if South Africans are to truly welcome the world to this great celebration,” says Sugen Pillay, South African Tourism’s Head of Marketing for 2010.
INDABA will also see the launch of South African Tourism’s 2010 Campaign Website, as well as a specifically designed INDABA 2010 mobisite. These will be hosted and displayed at the 2010 Stand and go live on 9 May just after the Opening Ceremony. Both sites can be accessed via South African Tourism’s newly designed Website www.southafrica.net.
Pillay says both the commercial and the dance give evidence of South African’s sense of fun and inclusiveness whilst demonstrating to both ourselves and the world how committed we are as a nation to global sport spectacular.
After the launch of the campaign at the INDABA Opening Ceremony, the famous INDABA Beach Party will be given over to bringing the diski dance to life in the form of dance demonstrations and lessons from a company of specially trained Diski Dancers.
The IMC and South African Tourism will host a media briefing at INDABA on 11 May to launch the campaign domestically.
“This campaign is for the people of South Africa. This is our World Cup and we invite all to learn the Diski Dance and heartily welcome the world to the great party that this Word Cup is going to be,” says Pillay.
My name is Muzi Mohale a full-time travel blogger, your host at Travelwires.com responsible for all editorial on this blog. I blog about the travel and tourism industry in Africa. Apart from blogging about tourism, I also run 
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