"South Africans are very proud of what we have done here, it has been a fantastic event, from an economic and a unity perspective," says Lee-Anne Bac, director at Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions in Johannesburg.
"Hosting the 2010 World Cup will radically alter the landscape for tourism in southern Africa.
There has also been a reputational boost for South Africa that can help bring inward investment and visitors.
South Africa has been rebranding as a tourist destination and as one based around the development of a global sports event business model."

"So we really believe there will be a tourist momentum moving forward," says Ms Bac.
"The tourism structures we developed for 2010 will stay in place, and the aim is now to attract further events, conferences and conventions to the country.

'Good returns'
And many, including President Jacob Zuma, also envisage a lasting positive effect on the economy through the recent development of national infrastructure.
And Ms Bac says she has already noticed one potential economic benefit from the investment in infrastructure.
"As a citizen of South Africa it has made commercial life so much easier with the new roads and transport links, with less time wasted travelling and getting around," she says.
The infrastructure legacy of the World Cup also includes stadiums, airports, and information technology.

"We can safely say that we have good returns on our investment, which includes 33bn rand spent on transport infrastructure, telecommunications and stadiums," said President Zuma recently.
He said investment in stadiums had created some 6,000 new construction jobs, and the security demands of the tournament now meant the country had an additional 40,000 police officers.

Training
But it is not all positive news: unions have been predicting an increase in unemployment, particularly among construction