On 8 December, South African Minister of Tourism, Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk, announced the establishment of an online accommodation booking portal, which will open in February 2010 and the establishment of a Tourist Centre.
Accommodation establishments are required to register on the site before the end of January. Minister van Schalkwyk also announced the establishment of a Tourist Contact Centre which will offer help in English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.