A GROUP of 54 journalists from the world’s largest media agencies and foreign football team representatives were impressed with Nelson Mandela Bay’s facilities and readiness for next year’s Fifa World Cup.

The journalists were on a two-day visit to the city to ascertain technical and staff deployment needs during the World Cup, and were accompanied by officials from the Fifa local organising committee (LOC) and South African Tourism.

“They were very impressed with the stadium,” said Bay 2010 executive director Errol Heynes.

“The questions they asked focused mainly on accommodation and transport.

“The group was amazed at our friendly Nelson Mandela Bay welcome.”

Bay Deputy Mayor Nancy Sihlwayi told the journalists yesterday the city was ready to be a great host during the World Cup.

“We are ready, not only as South Africa but especially Nelson Mandela Bay.

“It is now up to you to take the good news back to your countries.”

The foreign media’s concerns regarding a lack of accommodation for the tournament were laid to rest by Andrew Jordaan, a representative of Fifa-accredited Match Events Services (the company contracted by Fifa to manage accommodation for 2010), saying the host city met the stringent Fifa requirements.

Jordaan indicated 15818 beds were available in the Bay in addition to about 18 000 beds within a 150km radius and a one-hour flight out of the city.

A cruise ship will dock in Port Elizabeth every second day during the tournament. The ship will accommodate more than 1000 visitors.

It will also travel between Cape Town and Durban.

Tourism specialist Peter Myles said there was confidence accommodation would not be a problem.

“It seems as though the Tourism Board has done its homework. With some of the surrounding towns accommodating visitors it appears there will not be any problems with beds.”

Bay Tourism chief executive Fezekile Tshiwula said transport would not be organised by the city or Tourism Board for visitors staying outside of Port Elizabeth.

With the teams and matches having been allocated to the host cities, much of the interest lies in where the national teams will be based.

Eastern Cape Tourism chief executive Zola Tshefu said no teams had confirmed Eastern Cape towns as base camps, but said the board was working hard at lobbying some of the participating countries.

“We had a team of officials from Italy who came to assess the region, and we will probably be hearing from them soon.

“We are strongly lobbying Ghana, Mexico, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. We will also have a delegation who will be going to Cameroon to negotiate.

“No team has signed up yet,” said Tshefu.

Provincial tourism chairman Vuyo Zitumane concluded the Eastern Cape would be getting huge global exposure before, during and after the World Cup.

“There are developments we would not have seen without the World Cup,” said Zitumane.

“We can compete with the rest of the world in a number of aspects. We will not fail.

“We will deliver beyond expectations. We are very ready,” she said.

Municipal spokesman Kupido Baron indicated locals and tourists who had an interest in visiting the stadium could do so through the office of the 2010 directorate.

“There is a system that allows the public to go and view our stadium, but their requests have to go through the directorate.”