Durban prepares for fierce rivalry match
Fifty-two thousand fans will witness the clash between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
AS the spotlight shines on Durban for the much anticipated MTN 8 Finals this Saturday, the host city is scoring big returns from being a sold out match within four hours of ticket release.
What is known to be the biggest and most fierce rivalry in soccer history between South Africa’s Greatest, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, is going to be witnessed live by 52 0000 ardent supporters at this nail biting match that kicks off at 8.15pm at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Phillip Sithole, Head of Durban Tourism, was ecstatic when the tickets were released, within 90 minutes, 30 000 tickets were sold and within the four hours, a sold out Game, including the sale of 4000 prime suite tickets. He added that the city was overjoyed when Durban became host city for the MTN 8 Finals.
“It’s an opportunity to showcase our passion, support and ultimate experiences when it comes to sports tourism. The iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium has also proven to be a
winning venue for both the Teams and the clubs. The city is also looking forward to the influential business leaders that will be descending on our shores for the big clash, making Durban the key spotlight this weekend,” he said.
The city is expecting an influx of visitors and fans arriving through the airport from Friday. The economic impact of the MTN 8 Finals is around R68 million and
direct spend is R5.5 million, with 22 per cent of the spectators coming from outside KZN and 38 per cent within KZN, with 40 per cent from Durban.
Tsogo Sun’s Director of Operations, Mike Jackson, said all their properties over this weekend in Durban had reached 100 per cent occupancy. This is largely due to the World Youth Chess Championships, Durban Business Fair and the MTN 8 Finals.
The MTN 8 Finals has allowed all tourism stakeholders, the city and the province to collectively work together to positively position the city of Durban and KZN, as a premier events destination. Durban Tourism officials acknowledge that hosting a game of this magnitude is in line with the city strategy of ensuring that Durban maintains
its reputation as Africa’s sports and events capital and to showcase to the world the exceptional world class facilities.
