THE golf estate Pearl Valley expects about 40 000 people to attend the SAA Open which starts there on 13 December.
International players like Angel Cabrera, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Greg Norman will compete against each other in the tournament until 16 December.
The General Manager of Pearl Valley, Ken Kosak, is very optimistic that it will be a huge financial injection for the Paarl area.
“Not only will Drakenstein benefit from this, but the whole of the Western Cape. This golfing event will be a major boost to local business.
“Due to the shortage of accommodation in the Paarl area, most of the visitors will be accommodated in the rest of the Western Cape.
“The players and operational staff will stay in the Paarl area, but the rest will be scattered over the Peninsula and Boland.
“But we will try to keep them in Paarl for as long as possible, by creating a festive atmosphere with nightly entertainment.
“This way people won’t just leave the area, but stay here and experience true Paarl hospitality and in that way spend their money here by visiting local restaurants and other places,” said Kosak this week.
He emphasised that part of Paarl’s growth should be to improve and increase local accommodation facilities.
He added that Pearl Valley had already increased their staff temporarily by 40 local people for the next three weeks: “They will work mainly in the food and beverage departments.”
He is also very excited about the international exposure that this event will bring to Paarl.
“The championship will be broadcast on TV in more than 45 countries. This is major exposure for tourism in Paarl,” said an excited Kosak.
The tournament will be held here for the next three years.
The development of further golf facilities are still in the planning phase, American-born Kosak said.
Proud to have been born in the “home” of golf in the USA - in Pinehurst, North Carolina, he was appointed general manager of Pearl Valley by the Dubai-based owners in September.
