Every four years, the world convenes on a chosen city to witness one of the most celebrated and popular events: the World Cup. This summer I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa to witness this momentous occasion that brings people together, nations closer, and the world on the heels of its feet. As the world descended upon South Africa, the social and economic implications proved to be very important for a country that is trying to prove its progress since its deplorable past of Apartheid. Although many view the World Cup as an exciting event in which nations just compete for soccer superiority, its importance lies in the fact that it has the power to bring people from all over the world together and that it can significantly bolster a nation’s economy.
Tourism can often serve as the best form of foreign relations. As the excerpt “The Ugly American” states regarding Franco-American relations Post World War II, “ tourist-class airfare inspired optimism for the future of U.S. relations with the Western Europe” (The Ugly American 1). Just as tourism between France and America was important for Franco-American relations, tourism between South Africa and the world helped people to unite to bring different nationalities together. Thirty-two nations compete in the World Cup, but over thirty-two different cultures and nationalities traveled to South Africa. Walking in Cape Town, it is not hard to notice the different ethnicities walking on the streets. Spaniards, Germans, Britons, Americans, Indians, Chinese, Dutch, and an eclectic mix of people take over Cape Town and invade its restaurants, shops, and hotels. The World Cup has the power to unite people from all over the world over one common similarity: their love for soccer. It is incumbent for one to always remain respectful of other nationalities, because you never know who you are sharing an elevator ride with, you never know who is sitting by table adjacent to yours, and you never know when a mob of a certain team marches by. One event that best exemplifies this notion of unification among many different people is when the Dutch beat Uruguay during the semi-finals in Cape Town. After the Dutch won, the city had exploded and all you could hear were loud vuvuzelas and Dutch victory chants. After the game, my brother and I had meandered to the waterside to observe the festivities. Once we had arrived, I not only saw the Dutch celebrate their win, but I saw South Africans, Britons, Americans, and other Europeans join in their celebration. It seemed that all of Cape Town had come together in order to not revel in Holland’s victory, but to celebrate the World Cup itself. It was events like these that contributed to my belief that the World Cup may be the best form of foreign relations.
The World Cup not only shows us how tourism can lead to social respect and harmony, but it also shows us how tourism can significantly impact a nation’s economy. According to the novel Hosts and Guests, “The major stimulus for the development of tourism is economic” (Hosts and Guests 6). The World Cup serves as an effective tool to increase tourism, which benefits the economy by being a “valuable foreign exchange”, in which people can buy goods and other services and by benefitting “local businesses that are not tourism related” (Hosts and Guests 6). It did not take an economic researcher to realize the positive effects the World Cup was having on South Africa’s economy: all the flights coming into South Africa were booked, all hotels were full, shops were always busy, and the flow of foreigners into businesses districts and market places never stopped. Not only did the World Cup trigger an economic stimulus in the form of tourists, but it also created a great deal of jobs and expedited government investment in infrastructure: new airports were built, soccer stadiums were constructed from barren land, and a host of other building projects were initiated.
Tourism can lead to many different positive impacts for a country. This summer’s World Cup proved to be a powerful medium in combining social harmony and economic growth. Tourism offers a useful outlet in which people from different backgrounds can meet each other and bond over a common theme. In this case, soccer proved to be a useful tool in bringing people together as it was ordinary to see sights such as a Dutch man hung someone who is Japanese after Holland’s semi-finals victory or to see a fan from a different country rejoice in another country’s triumph. The most powerful impact of tourism, however, is its ability to rejuvenate a nation’s economy, and through the World Cup, South Africa’s economy greatly benefitted through the capital spent by tourists and the government.
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