The South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup: A Look Back: Perceptions of its Impact on Tourism in South Africa

Africa’s first FIFA World Cup sparked a series of scholarly work mostly conducted prior to this event. This phenomena is still relevant today with many unanswered questions. This research therefore investigates and examines literature on how the 2010 FIFA World Cup is perceived almost a decade later. A qualitative approach was adopted based on secondary data sources and grey literature. Contextual information was gathered from popular data bases that include Science direct, Ebsco host, Emerald and Google scholar. A total of 20 studies on both tourism in South Africa and the 2010 FIFA World Cup published between 2004 and 2019 were examined and systematically presented and discussed. Recurring trends based on review of literature were identified. The destination image theory and the destination concept were used to comprehend international visitors’ attitudes and their interpretation of South Africa as a travel destination. One of key findings was that the crime in South Africa, before, during after the World Cup ranks highest in terms of tourism deterrence. However, the event was generally perceived positive as a fairly positive success with room for socio-economic improvement. Implications were provided and possible areas of further were suggested with additional questions presented.


INTRODUCTION
Almost a decade has passed since Africa's first FIFA World Cup was held in South Africa. Numerous studies were conducted prior, during and post this phenomenal event. The FIFA World Cup is considered to be the biggest international sports event in the world (Baloyi and Bekker, 2011). This has led to the rise of numerous questions from scholars Pillay and Bass (2008) who questioned the hype of this event prior to its happening cautioning that the South African government might have over-sold the event's poverty alleviation potential. Mega sporting events as a city-marketing tool are said to make the host cities more relevant and appealing in the international competition for foreign and domestic investments (Steinbrink et al., 2011). In their study, Steinbrink et al. (2011) postulated that infrastructural upgrades and fastitracking of urban development programmes are the proceeds that result from such mega event. These mega events would therefore potentially benefit sectors such as the tourism industry. Tourism is generally defined as the experiences occurring out of the trips and temporary stays of people travelling primarily for leisure or recreational purposes (Tinsley and Lynch, 2001). Tourism has shown significant growth progress and is estimated to reach 1.8 billion international travellers by 2030 (Chuchu, 2017;Law et al., 2016;World Tourism Organization, 2011). Sports and tourism are viewed as some of most pursued leisure experiences internationally Ritchie and Adair, 2002;Tassiopoulos and Haydam, 2008). This assertion also highlighted the importance sport tourism has on South Africa as a holiday and travel destination. Sports tourism is seen as a means to leverage on the growth and interest in non-competitive and competitive sport by combining sport, recreation and tourism professionals, and organisations (Tassiopoulos and Haydam, 2008). business and the quickest developing sector of the US$4.5 trillion international travel and tourism industry. Countries from around the globe have competed to host mega sport events because countries (and increasingly cities) view such events as possible re-imaging opportunities (Hiller, 2006;Smith, 2005;Walker et al., 2013). The 19 th FIFA World Cup held in June 11 July 11, 2010 was an opportunity for South Africa to not only achieve the home grown goals of social cohesion and economic progress, but also to advance African Continent's position international (Swart and Bob, 2007;Walker et al., 2013). The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa received much attention from scholarship possible due to its very nature of being the first sporting event of that magnitude to be held on the African continent. This presented numerous prospects for economic and social development both locally and internationally. As far as receiving attention from scholars some researchers most notably Simiyu (2013) went to the extent of even analysing the goals that were scored at the world cup and publishing that information as scholarly material. Hosting mega sporting events is a central aspect of the international political economy (Cornelissen, 2008). These events are perceived to be a means by which a country like South Africa can achieve various objectives for itself Cornelissen (2008;2010a).
In retrospect South Africa as a tourist destination leveraged from the winning team Spain as global media was given to both nations World Cup receives massive media coverage with much hype around the globe, the brand knowledge enhancement of the country as a destination is remarkable. This assertion is supported by Nicolau and Sharma (2018) who confirmed that the winning team of the 2010 FIFA World Cup -Spain benefited greatly in terms of its tourism industry. Bob and Swart, 2009 anticipated that the 2010 FIFA World Cup would afford South Africa an opportunity to further the nation's objectives of using sporting events to signal international recognition and stimulate socio-economic development. However, like most studies conducted prior to the actually even are largely predictive based on assumptions and hypotheses that may later be confirmed or disproved? This remains true as far as the 2010 FIFA World Cup is concerned as only time will tell if all predictions surround its economic impact mainly tourism effect would be fully realised.
This therefore led to the motivation for this study conducting an in-depth investigation of how tourism in South Africa has been impacted by the World Cup comparing studies conducted prior to the event to studies conducted after the event. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate factors associated with international tourists' perceptions of South Africa as a travel and holiday destination. Furthermore, this research also sort out to identify issues that impact South Africa as a tourist attraction. The justification and motivation for the present research is presented in the following section.

Research Motivation
South Africa is increasingly becoming a popular travel destination internationally prompting the need to research it. However, challenges that the county faces have to be examined so as to determine its viability as a tourist attraction. Destinations are central to travel and tourism, but are one of the most difficult products to manage and market (Chuchu, 2017;Stankovic and Dukic, 2009). The promotion of South Africa as a travel destination internationally has been a difficult undertaking, due various obstacles to tourism growth, such as visa and other immigration regulations, airlift, and safety and security (South Africa Tourism Review, 2015). In addition, tourism in South African from a local perspective has not received sufficient attention in terms of development and allocation of resources (South Africa Tourism Review, 2015). Crime is not a new phenomenon it is necessary to investigate it as it impacts tourism (Ferreira and Harmse, 2000;George and Swart, 2012). Similar to the present study Suzuki (2014) investigated the potential legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, however the research raised questions of the whether gains of the tournament would be sustainable in the long-term? This research therefore builds on (Suzuki, 2014) by reviewing and evaluating scholarship surrounding the event so as to establish the perceptions of World Cup gains for South Africa as well as state questions if any? The present study conducted a retrospect of the event from a tourism perspective.

Research Problem and Gap
The present research investigates perceptions toward the potential impact that the 2010 FIFA World Cup has had on tourism in South Africa. An important question to ask is "To what extent has the World Cup impacted visits to South Africa?" The majority of research focused primary on the pre-2010 FIFA World Cup aspects (George and Swart, 2012;Pillay and Bass, 2008).This research is one of the few that reviews how tourism in South Africa might have been impacted by the 2010 FIFA World Cup. That being said this research becomes the first to adopt a content systematic analysis of studies on the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa from a tourism perspective. Furthermore this research also pioneers comparison of the post and pre-2010 FIFA World Cup qualitatively.

THEORETICAL UNDERPINNING
The research was grounded in the destination image theory. This theory aided in explaining how tourists' decision making regarding destinations that they visit for example whether they would wish to re-visit or recommend a destination. Destination image theory has received wide reaching attention in tourism and marketing scholarship (Cherifi et al., 2014;Fu et al., 2016;Stepchenkova and Li, 2013;Sun et al., 2015;Stylidis et al., 2017). The theory of destination image is well established research field in both tourism marketing and travel (Hyun and O'Keefe, 2012). Destination Image in tourism represents the effects of beliefs, notions, and impressions that a traveller holds destination (Elliot and Papadopoulos, 2016). Destination image has a notable impact traveller intention Chen and Tsai, 2007;Chuchu, 2020. Image in tourism research is a concept that was introduced in the early 70s (Frías et al., 2012). Destination image constructs include cognitive or affective, and combination of both constructs (cognitive and affective) is generally used to describe and interpret the image a tourist has of a place or destination (Tan and Wu, 2016). Destination image holds a significant role in tourists' behaviour (Chuchu et al., 2018). A destination is viewed as an idea or concept-consists of functional features relating to the more tangible characteristics of a destination, and psychological appearances, concerning the more intangible characteristics (Sonnleitner, 2011). The research context was focused on examining literature specific to tourists who visited South Africa and their perceptions of the country as a travel and holiday destination. A review of literature on the abovementioned statement is provided in the following section. Thereafter, the study's research methodology is explored.

Tourism Impact on South Africa
Tourism makes a significant contribution to the local South African economy, jobs, and foreign exchange earnings (South Africa Tourism Review, 2015). Tourism could be viewed as one of the key factors necessary to combat socio-economic challenges that South Africa faces a country (Ferreira and Harmse, 2000). A megaevent can be a catalyst for long-term benefits for its host locality or country and such events are thus of mounting importance in the world economy (Rogerson, 2009). The post-independent the South African government made an effort to make tourism one of the nation's prime sectors in the creation of employment and the generation of forex (Tassiopoulos and Haydam, 2008;World Travel and Tourism Council, 2002). The effects that crime has on a tourist's decision-making experience whilst on holiday, and their post decision-making behaviour means that it is a crucialrisk factor to explore (Barker et al., 2002;George and Swart, 2012). Tourists' behaviours are influenced by their evaluations specific situations (Çelik and Yilmaz, 2011;Gumpo et al., 2020). Tourism market segments such as sport is assumed to boost repeat visitations from tourists as they allow destination marketers to accurately determine the needs and expectations of targeted tourists, develop more effective marketing (Tassiopoulos and Haydam, 2008).
As far developing nations such as South Africa are concerned, mega-events can be integral to redefining a country's global status and socio-political composition (Cornelissen, 2008;Walker et al., 2013). Cape Town, a tourist destination in South Africa was the location of a study by Bob and Swart (2009) which highlighted positive views of hosting the event. Respondents stated that they believed hosting the world cup would bring them an exciting/ lifetime event, aid in improving soccer in the area and contribute to sport development while creating job opportunities to boost the local economy. While scholars have assessed pre-and postevent impacts (Bob and Swart, 2009;Collins et al., 2009;Kim et al., 2006;Kim and Morrison, 2005), the findings remain inconclusive concerning positive and lasting societal yields for the host communities . The implications from the negative mega events and tourism outcomes can (potentially) be across-the-board for the destination and/or host nation or city . For instance, disruptive activities, increased crime, congestion, crowding, parking, and forced removals, administrative challenges, security, and overcommercialisation (Bull and Lovell, 2007;Gursoy and Kendall 2006;Jones, 2001;Owen, 2005;Kaplanidou et al., 2013). Megaevent that are conducted for a short duration, such as the Olympic Games, World Expos or the FIFA World Cup, are all the time more significant phenomena in this era of globalisation (Hall, 2006;Getz, 2008;Kaplanidou et al., 2013). South Africa's bid for the 2010 FIFA World Cup included a strong developmental agenda, which emphasised that the event would spark an advancement in the life conditions of groups historically disadvantaged communities (Cornelissen, 2007;Bass and Pillay, 2008;Nadvi, 2008;Newton, 2008;Pillay and Bass, 2008). However, this assertion remains challenged and caution is suggested as only time will determine if indeed local community members' conditions were improved by the tournament? (Bohlmann and Van Heerden, 2008;Cornelissen, 2010b;Suzuki, 2014). Event leveraging for mega-tournaments such as 2010 FIFA World Cup includes activities intended to capitalise tourist spending, use local supply chains and build new markets (Chalip, 2004;Cornelissen and Swart, 2006)

The South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup
In May of 2004 South Africa secured the bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first time an African nation had been chosen to host such a high-status sport mega-event (Rogerson, 2009). Hosting the FIFA World Cup yields an assortment of benefits on both the host region and FIFA as the event manager . This then begs the question, was this the case for South Africa when it hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup? Pillay and Bass (2008) argued that the general notion that mega-events will benefit impoverished communities is based on the assumption of a "trickle-down" effect which might not necessarily be the case with the South Africa 2010 FIFA World cup. This then highlighted concerns around large events that are built up to supposedly boot tourism and an entire countries economy. However Pillay and Bass (2008) cautioned the debate of the 2010 FIFA World Cup would still be left open for discussion and further interrogation. However, other authors postulated that the host destination, tourism, infrastructure, and economic benefits are the most notable obvious results of hosting such an enormous sporting event (Bohlmann and Van Heerden, 2008;Kim and Morrison, 2005;Ritchie, 1984;Walker et al., 2013), while the social and cultural impacts of the event are also evident (Kim and Petrick, 2005;Walker et al., 2013). A political motive became the main driver of South Africa's bids to host the World Cup from the outset, this gave immense pressure on the authorities to deliver on their promises (Cornelissen, 2010b). However, this was contrary to the justification for hosting the tournament that it would advance the domestic populations' socio-cultural attachment to the game of football (Cornelissen, 2010b). Nicolau (2012) and Nicolau and Sharma (2018) stated that victory of the Spain's national soccer team in the South Africa 2010 FIFAWorld Cup gave rise to a higher tourism market value for Spain. It can thus be insinuated that the same effect would be realised for the host nation South Africa. However, it can be argued that in a snap shot of South African tourism illustrated in Figure 1, Tourism in South African actually declined in the 2016/7 August calenda as indicated by the country's most recent official tourist traffic as of 2019. These assumptions should thus be made with caution since a number of factors could have affected tourism traffic in that country. None the less employment opportunities were provide for the country and the future will tell whether macro-economic benefits will be realised as anticipated by (Bohlmann and Van Heerden, 2008). Residents in Cape Town, South Africa voiced their excitement in the 2010 FIFA World Cup by mentioning it would grant them a rare once in a life-time opportunity to watch matches live (Bob and Swart, 2009). Baloyi and Bekker (2011) suggested that poor skills levels' associated with construction of the 2010 FIFA World Cup could impact on site supervision, not to mention salient factors such as language and cultural differences. In as much as much the World Cup held cup was a great success opening on schedule the planning did face three non-fatal deadlines in the build-up to the event (Baloyi and Bekker, 2011). In literature the 2010 FIFA World Cup has been measured by numerous constructs that include psychic income, social capital, collective action, trust and safety, social connections, tolerance of diversity, value of life (Gibson et al., 2014).

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DATA
A qualitative approach was adopted based on secondary data sources and grey literature. Contextual information on adventure tourism was gathered from established academic data bases that include Science direct, Ebsco host, Emerald and Google scholar. The majority of articles used were extracted from Journals comprehensive databases such as Scopus and the international bibliography of social sciences (IBSS). A total of 20 studies on tourism in south paying special attention to international tourists' perceptions of the country. This research was published between 2000 and 2019 which was then examined and systematically presented and discussed. Selected publications were reviewed and critiqued for their suitability, relevance and contribution.
In order to obtain the most relevant research key words were entered in search engines mainly "2010 FIFA World Cup" and "Tourism in South Africa". In effort to identify recurring themes and trends each article was evaluated based on the methodology, objectives and findings. Based on the abovementioned research method this study generated its own unique findings and conclusions. The following test reviews study's on adventure tourism. Each of the 20 studies was analysed using the following criteria; author(s) were identified, main objectives presented and the methodology provided. Last, the finding was presented and most importantly the potential of future research was then left open for discussion based on the finding (Table 1).

RESEARCH FINDINGS
The section of the research explores studies on tourism in South Africa with some not particularly solely focused on South Africa but with relevant and useful contributions for tourism in South Africa. Each study was analysed using the following criteria; author(s) were identified, main objectives presented and the methodology provided. Last, the finding was presented and most importantly the potential of future research was then left open for discussion based on the finding. This meant that a key objective of this research is then to analyse all these findings to see if there is potential for future research. After table to a discussion is provided.
In Table 1 a total of 20 studies were systematically presented and analysed. Most of the research was quantitative some solely focusing on the FIFA 2010 World Cup. Some of the studies were qualitative relying heavily on interviews from the South African government officials regarding the tournament which were interpreted and evaluated. Only a single study (Cotta et al., 2013) using an observation type methodology was reviewed in this article. The observation method by Cotta et al. (2013) involved analysis of the game play of the Spanish nation team from a spatiotemporal perspective. This meant that the researchers examined the behaviour of each and every one of the Spanish player's behaviour to different in-game situations.
However the other study were more grounded in broader tourism literature as this was necessary to contextualise the FIFA 2010 World Cup within the tourism space. The key contribution of this study was not necessarily to use the future research suggestions proposed by the authors of the 20 articles but to analyse the findings of those studies and establish what the potential future research entails? All the assumed future research possibilities are summarised and evaluated. An important notion brought forward was that of instilling the feeling of safety prior, during and after  (2000) To investigate the impact of crime on tourism in South African from an international tourists' perspective Qualitative interpretation of secondary data sources The most conducing environment for tourism success in South Africa is that void of crime with guaranteed safety for visitors Newton (2009)   This was achieved through a spatially based systematic sampling technique Statistically significant differences in most aspects between football tourists' perceptions prior to, and 6 years after, the 2010 FIFA World Cup. International football tourists' perceptions became favourable 6 years after the tournament Suzuki (2014) To investigate the lasting changes that the World Cup potentially brought to the development of sport in South Africa?
A multiple case study approach was adopted to examine if any sporting innovations were introduced by hosting the event and whether they were sustained after the event As far as the experience of non-governmental organisations is concerned, positive changes were apparent in relation to providing a more conducive climate for sport and development. However, only time will tell if this is sustainable? Cotta et al. (2013) To examine the network of passes among the players of the Spanish team during the FIFA World Cup 2010 in an attempt to explain the results obtained from the behaviour at the complex network level Observation method involving analysis of the game play from a spatiotemporal perspective The Spanish team's ability to restore their combinative game play. This approach then changed the focus of the game from defensive to offensive. As a result this approach tilted the balance in favour of the Spanish team during the matches the FIFA World Cup. This was mainly supported and emphasised by Walker et al. (2013) who add that tourists would not only appreciate safety but also social responsibility efforts from FIFA as this would influence their attitudes positively toward FIFA. The reviewed literature shows the extent of interested on the 2010 FIFA World Cup and in extreme cases the extent of excitement with this event. For example Simiyu (2013) conducted an academic study published in the United States solely based on analysing all the goals scored at the World Cup and provided insights on what the approach to scoring meant the athletes health as well as to the betterment of the sport. As for tourism in South this showed how much global attention the sporting event generated for the nation.
The implication is that numerous new visitors could have been exposed to South Africa because of this global event. Out of all the studies analysed only that by Richer et al. (2010) investigated the role of sex workers' influence on the political land scape in South Africa as far as the 2010 FIFA World Cup was concerned. Furthermore, Richer et al. (2010) suggested that in as much most of Sothern Africa and the rest of the world still consider sex work as a crime, the South African government should act more progressively on the matter of sex work at international sporting events. This implied that for the sack of the World Cup the South African government had to be more progressive and reconsider its view on sex work equating to a prosecutable offence.
In light with the study chief focus of examining and reviewing the FIFA 2010 World Cup it was deemed imperative to provide a snap shot of recent tourism statistics mainly from Statistics South Africa. The tourist traffic presented in Figure 1 presents

Qualitative approach involving interviews from South Africa government officials
Established that 2010 FIFA World Cup is a worthy reference for exploring the features and dynamics of mega-events in the host cities of the Global South Cornelissen and Swart (2006) To investigate FIFA 2010 Football World Cup as a political construct Literature review study complemented by secondary data analysis events are viewed as one mechanism to support the government's nation-building and an economic development catalysts Rogerson (2009) To addresses the way literature dealing with sport mega-events has ignored small tourism organisations

Review article based method
Enormous tasks confront the Tourism Enterprise Programme and the South African government if they are to achieve their ambitious objectives for the World Cup through shared success with small enterprises in tourism Kaplanidou et al. (2013) To explore the role of mega-event effect on perceived satisfaction with quality of life as well as support among South African residents prior to and post the 2010 FIFA World Cup Quantitative survey to measure antecedents of overall satisfaction and its influence on event support for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Data was analysed through MANCOVA and path analysis results It was established that significant variations in perceived impacts before and after the event were prevalent Baloyi and Bekker (2011) To investigate Causes of construction cost and time overruns regarding the 2010 FIFA World Cup Stadia A three-tier research approach providing a comprehensive literature review on the causes of cost overruns and time delays on construction-related projects. A quantitative survey was adopted for data collection The most notable contributors to cost overruns for the FIFA World Cup stadia were 'material cost and price fluctuations'. Further research is needed on skills level of South African and international construction labour and subsequent levels of productivity It is important for the event organisers (in this case the local World Cup organising committee) and the South African government to inform residents of communities close to stadia developments on their activities e.g. construction and disruptions Source: Author's own work  (2016) South Africa had a population of 54 979 000 suggesting that visitors to the country actually close to 16% of the country's resident population during the same time period reflected in Figure 2 2017 August). In comparison of the number of travellers entering South Africa's boarders it could be deduced that tourism actually had a noticeable impact on the country. Internally, in South Africa the tourism direct employment is presented below in Figure 2. It is necessary to present that the 2010 FIFA World Cup had an impact on employment in South Africa for the local population as well as an influx of migrant workers who came in at various levels ranging from domestic work during the event to highly qualified professionals such as engineers who worked in building stadia, transport infrastructure (e.g. Gautrain-a highspeed train introduced during the World Cup) and accommodation facilities. These opportunities of which some are supported empirically while some are assumptions receive support from Bohlmann and Van Heerden (2008) who stated prior to the World Cup that the immediate and obvious beneficiaries of the sporting event would be the accommodation, transport and construction industries. This being said, hence the illustration on the tourism impact on the South African work force in Figure 2 provided in the following section. Figure 2, shows that tourism direct employment in South Africa accounts about 4.4% for all of the country's workforce. Other notable employment sectors were community and social services accounting for 23% while trade was at 20% following by finance and manufacturing representing 14% and 11% respectively of the entire South African workforce. The abovementioned statistics highlight the relevance and importance of South Africa as a travel destination. The following sections explore the overall finding, implications for tourism practitioners and academics.

Key Trends and Recurring Themes
This identified trends and recurring theme from the review and analysis of literature. George and Swart (2012) who conducted a study on the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa emphasised that researching on crimes impact on tourism is a matter of importance and urgency therefore requiring exploration. Another central theme was that of safety which cannot be separated from crime. This was echoed by most of the scholarly work reviewed by this study. This remains true prior, during and after the event ultimately negatively impacting tourism in South Africa 10 years after the event. Another important theme identified was that the full potential of the gains of the 2010 FIFA World Cup have not been realised and how much value the tournament brought to socio-economic aspects of South African life are still yet to be determined? (Bohlmann and Van Heerden, 2008;Cornelissen, 2010b;Suzuki, 2014). The general trend was that most of the studies were evenly argued with both optimising and caution in managing expectations of the event. None of the studies reveal were absolute in terms of labelling the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a complete failure or as a complete success? Lastly, there was also a general consensus that the South African government could have over-stated the socio-economic impact of the 2010 FIFA World Cup as the macro economic benefits are still not yet fully realised a decade later.

Implications for Tourism Organisations
The research proposes recommendation for tourism operators, government and policy makers as well as researchers. Tourism organisations, most relevant being South Africa Tourism -the official marketing agency of the South African government. This organisation stands to benefit from the case brought forward by this research of high crimes impact on the country and its effect on foreign tourists from a scientific academic perspective. It could be said that the 2010 FIFA World cup had impact on how South Africa was viewed globally and the notation that the country is  (2019) generally not safe should be tackled head-on by tourism officials in conjunction with the relevant stake holders and support from the government. Failure to guarantee safety at such major events could yield catastrophic events for the country. This implies that not only visible re-enforcement of security at events and generally throughout the country should be made but tourism organisation such as South African Tourism should put more effort in emphasising that tourists will be safe when they do their marketing promotions internationally.

CONCLUSION
The present research sort-out to investigate perceptions of how the 2010 FIFA World Cup could have impacted tourism in South Africa almost a decade after the event was hosted. It is evident with an over-whelming amount of literature that this megaevent received great interest from scholarship approached from multiple angles for example heavily quantitative studies to purely qualitative research. The question that still remains to be answered is that did it permanently increase tourist traffic into the country or tourist traffic was just high for that event? Many questions will continue to be raised about Africa's first FIFA World Cup. This research acknowledged two important factors; the first being that tourism was a key product at South Africa's disposal from both an international and a local perspective. This was because of the influx of visitors the country receives as well as supporting a substantial workforce from the county. The second factor was that crime, in as much it is a global problem it directly negatively impacts tourism in South Africa. This has been the case for almost 20 years now since Ferreira and Harmse (2000) was published highlighting crime as a deterrent of successful tourism. This is re-enforced by findings from an online survey by Crime Stats SA (2019) which stated that 35% of a sample of 102 032 respondents mentioned that they had been a victim (or someone close to them had been a victim) of crime in from January to June of 2019.

Contribution of the Research to Knowledge and Practice
This research added to the comprehension of the South African tourism landscape from an international tourists' perspective. Key themes such as the crime rate in the country were highlighted as a red flag from prospective visitors to the nation. The contribution to research on the FIFA World Cup is that studies prior to 2010 were all predictors of what the event would entail and post-World Cup the studies did not make an effort to compare what was predicted to what is actually happening at present in South Africa. This research therefore becomes the first to conduct a comparative assessment of pre-FIFA 2010 World Cup and post-FIFA 2010 World Cup most importantly from a tourism perspective. This is because Tourism is considered a key driver for socio-economic development in South Africa as well as a key political topic in the nation.

Recommendations and Suggestions for Further Research
Most of the tourism specific research to South Africa pertaining to the 2010 FIFA World Cup remains very descriptive thus urging research that provided much needed rigour into reviewing a substantial amount of published literature on the topic from numerous angles. South African Tourism should therefore be cognisant of these perceptions not only from the government/ industry research they conduct but also from a peer-reviewed objective perspective. The same recommendation given to South African Tourism remains true for South African policy makers and the governments as these elements of the nation's administration work together. Academics and researchers mainly in the tourism field benefit from this research as it was an indepth review and analysis of literature on tourism in South Africa focusing on international visitor's experiences and perceptions of the country. This would then possibly lead to the rise of more research conducted in this space. Probably future research could involve conducting a quantitative empirical study in which tourists who have at least spent the night conduct a short survey of their perceptions of crime in the country. This is because people visiting a place for leisure purposes might not be willing to complete a long survey when only one key factor (crime) needs to be investigated. Future researchers could consider examining both local and international tourists' perceptions of South Africa regarding the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The focus on international tourists' perceptions the event's impact on the country could have brought in an element of researcher bias. Possibly locals might have a very different view from the foreign tourists who might be basing their judgements of an entire nation/destination on a few unfortunate or fortunate experiences. It is probable that stronger insights of the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup may emerge from a study that solely focuses of the economy of the country as a whole prior and post 2010 instead of just the tourism sector as was the case in this research. The legacy of Africa's first World Cup will possible continue to raise more questions for scholarship and inspire different opinions and arguments surrounding the topic.