Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk said all establishments would be pre-registered on the booking portal and the Federated Hospitality Industry of South Africa (Fedhasa) would be undertaking a process to verify information on each provider during the course of this month and January.
Van Schalkwyk said as it would remain in operation after the World Cup, the portal would create a legacy that placed South Africa in a more favourable position when it came to maximising future tourism revenues.
The contact centre would consist of a website (www.southafrica.net) and call centre number (+27 87 803 INFO) both of which would be available 24 hours a day in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese.
The website would contain information on such things as tourist attractions, transport, restaurants, activities and routes as well as guidelines on what to do in case of emergencies.
The department's deputy director general Sindiswa Nhlumayo said the portal is expected to be launched in February.
She said the portal offered smaller players the opportunity to market themselves as there was no registration fee to join - a fee was only payable when bookings were successful.
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