Pretoria — Deputy Minister of Tourism Tokozile Xasa will on Friday officially launch a 2010 Visitor Information Centre (VIC) in Bloemfontein to provide information for tourists arriving in the province for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The refurbished centre, located in the Old Presidency building, is intended to provide a one-stop information service to tourists requiring information on a wide range of tourism aspects.

The Department of Tourism said that the centre would provide service including information enquiries, reservations, accommodation, tours, vehicle hire, entertainment, dining, sports, adventure, shopping, travel tips, amongst others.

The primary objective of the VIC project is to effectively address the tourism needs of visitors expected to converge in the five host cities in 2010 and beyond, the department said.

All VICs boast a specially designed information and reservation system tailored to cater for the South African market.

Other VICs were recently launched in Port Elizabeth, Polokwane and Rustenburg. The department said the last VIC will be launched at Nelspruit in Mpumalanga.