The Way to Sustainability - You're doing it WRONG!

Taking a detour from my usual happy posts and the object of this blog, but I really need to vent about this and share my opinion about this issue on a blog where probably nobody reads anyways.

So today I went to the airport to pick up a friend, and as I was about to enter the parking, my eyes almost exploded out of my sockets.  R30 for half an hour parking, R60 for an hour and going up by increments of R30 per hour.  WTF.  Prices have tripled since the last time I went a few months ago.  The reason for this?  World Cup 2010.  I guess the whole idea behind this is that all business entities are trying to milk whatever they can out of this big event where supposedly tourists will be flocking to South Africa from around the world, and why not make as much money as you can in the few short weeks where thousands of football fans are expected to come?

Domestic plane tickets are going for around R5000 during this period where supposedly loads of tourists will be wanting to travel around to see the favourite teams plane around the country in the various stadia.  Accommodation has doubled or tripled to exorbitant amounts, even in remote places where this is NOTHING except a brand new football stadium.

SUPPOSEDLY. 

Apparently though, there is a flood of unsold tickets because people around the world cannot afford to come, or concerns from volcanic gas in Europe causing the inability to fly here to watch the games, or fear for their lives due to the crime in South Africa.  As much as I wish for this World Cup to be a great success, personally I have a feeling South Africans are going about this the wrong way.

Yes we want to attract tourists.  We want to boost our economy.  Yes raising prices of everything ridiculously might help boost turnover during the few weeks of the World Cup.  But the question is are we attracting tourists here?  Are they coming here to pay these ridiculous prices?  Or are the locals the ones who are truly suffering and paying extra for all these things?  And is all this sustainable?

Not that long ago we were talking of the great recession, where millions of people around world were retrenched, fired, bonus cuts, involuntary salary cuts, etc.  At a time like this when there are still uncertainty where the gradual recovery in the world economy is sustainable, I do not expect people to splurge on a family holiday to South Africa to see the World Cup where it is very clearly NOT CHEAP.  International plane tickets are going at roughly R20 000, add to that accommodation, football game tickets, travelling costs, it all adds up!  And if a foreigner's first experience of South Africa is that things are in fact quite pricey, are they going to want to come back again?

Why not make everything dirt cheap, or at least remain at pre-World Cup fever prices?  That way, any Tom, Dick or Harry can come over and experience a bit of Africa, and possibly be tempted to come back again, and again, and again.  Are hotels and airline companies not making money at present prices that they have to hike up prices like that?

Honestly, I do NOT get it.  I hope for the best, really I do.  But all I can think right now is seriously?