World Cup Pushes High Car Hire Demand in South Africa
Car rentals in South Africa have recorded a bumper start to 2010 with significant bookings over the winter holiday season for Christmas and New Year and excellent forward bookings in anticipation of the FIFA World Cup in the summer.
Domestic holiday travel within the country was up by 12 per cent over Christmas, leading to an increase in car hire across the country. As foreign tourism also increased, particularly in coastal areas such as Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, car hire companies received a substantial increase in request for rented vehicles.
In some of the most popular areas in South Africa, car rental companies became so stretched that they ran out of vehicles, a marked improvement on the travel situation a year ago when many fleets had to be downsized after world tourism markets dropped.
As with hotels in South Africa and holiday bookings, the World Cup has brought a wealth of business to the country’s car hire firms. With record numbers of holidaymakers expected to descend on the country from around the globe for football’s premier event, pressure is already building on companies to provide adequate services for tourists travelling around the country.
Much has been made of South Africa’s public transport system, and despite the government’s best efforts, resources are likely to be extremely stretched over the course of the competition. With the reliability of public services questioned, holidaymakers travelling to South Africa for the World Cup are keen to book a car for their trip.
A number of car hire firms, including Europcar South Africa have promised to add to their fleets to help alleviate the supply demand problem over the summer.
Car Hire News posted by Geoff Hillingdon on 25 January 2010
South Africa, World Cup, 2010, car hire, car rental, holiday
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