Car Rental South Africa - World Cup 2010

Avis up-beat about 2010 soccer demand

With just over two months to go, the picture for the demand over the Soccer World Cup period is looking clearer the closer we get to kick off day.

Demand for the larger vehicles (9 seat Microbuses, SUVs and Luxury Cars) is under greatest pressure and these cars will sell first, if not already sold out in certain categories.  The bulk of the car rental fleets however sit in the smaller car groups (A, B, C and D) and it is here that one can still reserve vehicles for the event.  Avis will extend the operating hours of all its major rental centres to cater for the extra demand and service requirements, with extra staff on hand and interpreters for language difference challenges.  Peace of mind is also provided through our experienced 24-Hour “Careline” Call Centre, the first 24 hour car rental call centre in South Africa.

Clearly, the pressure for fleet and transportation will be greatest around the big match days and in the larger cities.  Gauteng has the highest demand for our fleet as most of the media groups and support teams will be based inland.

An interesting development of late is that airlines and hotels are releasing capacity and lower rates in areas, cities and dates which not affected by the games and in this regard, we see huge opportunities for the local corporate traveller to still be able to travel at rates which we believe may be even lower than the norm, right throughout the event.

Avis has the largest car rental fleet in the country and will be maintaining a limited fleet reserved for their corporate traveller and urges them to book in advance to avoid disappointment, however, travelling outside the big match days and cities should not be a problem.  All contracted rates have remained unchanged as committed to our corporate and tour operator customer base, with only a limited SWC fee to manage logistics during the event.  

From where we sit, Avis anticipates a tremendous event with the future tourism demand to South Africa growing for years to come as a result of our country being able to parade our wares on the “World Stage” like never before.

Wayne Duvenage
CE - Avis Rent a Car