Ramatsiyi Moholoa

For the first time in the history of the World Cup, non-hotel accommodation will also be used for the keenly-awaited 2010 edition.

The use of bed and breakfast facilities will ease the pressures on the hotels enlisted by Match, a Fifa accommodation and ticketing agency, for the tournament.

All the B&Bs should acquire grading status in order for their facilities to be used during the tournament. All the contracted properties will be listed on the Fifa website. The Tourism Grading Council of South Africa and Match will embark on roadshows between June and November in all the nine host cities.

The roadshows are aimed at addressing questions relating to the grading process. The roadshows will also include the signing of agreements between the accommodation provider and Match.

This will also allow non-graded SMMEs wanting to register as official World Cup accommodation providers but needing financial assistance to apply to Tourism Enterprise Programme for assistance.

It has also emerged that Match has already contracted more than 25000 rooms for the 2010 World Cup.

Irvin Khoza, chairman of the Local Organising Committee, has urged South Africans who want to offer accommodation to get in touch with the agency.

This comes in the wake of reports that some South Africans are taking early retirement packages at their work places to start businesses.

At an LOC media briefing at Safa House last week, Khoza warned people who are investing their monies into the 2010 opportunities.

He said he was aware that residents of Soweto, especially those near Orlando Stadium, were renovating their houses, turning them into B&Bs.

ramatsiyi@sowetan.co.za