World cup Google Zeitgeist

With the FIFA World Cupâ„¢ fast approaching, football fever is taking over. People around the world are using the internet not only to learn about the tournament but also to decide on which tourist sites they will be visiting.
It’s no secret that the tourism sector will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the tournament, with international visitors to South Africa indulging in the country‘s natural beauty and appreciating its historical sites.  Last year the South African public voted on the country‘s most popular tourist sites for Google’s Street View Trikes campaign that ran in conjunction with SA Tourism – as reported on our Africa Blog.google south africa
This month’s Google Zeitgeist shows the countries that are demonstrating the most interest in visiting these South African sites, and then reveals that three of the top five coincide with those countries buying the most tickets for the World Cup.
We’ve included these rankings below, which show the country’s top tourist sites, source markets and top ticket buying countries:
Most globally popular (or searched for?) tourist sites in South Africa in 2010

  1. Kruger National Park
  2. The Garden Route
  3. Wild Coast
  4. Robben Island
  5. Cape Peninsula
  6. Blyde River Canyon
  7. Cape Winelands
  8. Durban Beachfront
  9. Mandela House
  10. Apartheid Museum

Top countries searching for “˜South Africa tourism‘ in the past year

  1. India
  2. United Kingdom
  3. United States
  4. Germany
  5. Zimbabwe

Now compare that Top World Cupâ„¢ ticket buying countries (according to the Local Organising Committee)

  1. United States
  2. United Kingdom
  3. Germany
  4. Australia
  5. Brazil