Durban 2010 site costs R6.5m

Johannesburg, 11 Jun 2009

Durban has spent R6.5 million on its official 2010 Web site, which will showcase the city's Fifa World Cup developments to the country and visitors.

Head of Durban's strategic projects unit, Julie-May Ellingson, says the Web site will initially serve as an information portal for residents and visitors looking for information on the city.

While the price for the Web site may be high, she says it will be a “platform to showcase the city and its 2010 developments to the rest of the world” and falls within the city's budget.

“It is important that the Web site provides a productive, memorable and frustration-free experience for our visitors. We wanted to create a Web site that would be a source of useful information for tourists who want to visit the city, as well as showcase Durban as being a technically savvy city,” she notes.

The Web site - www.fifaworldcup.durban.gov.za - will have features such as a live Webcam of the Moses Mabhida stadium, the city's host venue. Interactive postcards and image galleries also feature in an attempt to make the Web site user-friendly, adds Ellingson.

The site will also post links or content on Facebook and Twitter, as a way of taking advantage of the popularity of the large networking sites.

Ellingson says content will be updated on a regular basis and the Web site's functions will be expanded over time. Initially, the site will be available in English and Zulu, and will later be made available in Fifa's three official languages - Spanish, German and French.

Updates only

While other host cities have pages on their Web sites with information on 2010, Durban is the first city to create a site entirely dedicated to the soccer tournament.

The City of Johannesburg says its priorities are to update content to its Web page to keep residents and international visitors updated on its progress. The city adds that any new interactive features would be added closer to the event in June next year.

The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality adds that it will also expand the features on its Web site. The current site has an interactive route planner for visitors and links to both Facebook and Twitter, which allows visitors to follow the city's progress on the popular social networking sites.

Other host cities, Rustenburg, Mangaung and Cape Town, have Web pages for information on 2010, but add there no plans to create dedicated 2010 Web sites, or introduce any new and costly features.