Western Cape upbeat on future events

9 Sep 2010

After South Africa's successful hosting of the World Cup, 37 association conferences have been secured for the coming years, which will contribute an estimated R719 million to the economy of the Western Cape.

Cape Town Routes Unlimited's Conference Bureau estimates delegates at conferences hosted by international associations contribute about R2500 per day to the local economy. However, each member of an incentive group is estimated to contribute R4500 per day.

"It is imperative that Cape Town counters her seasonality, and conferencing and business tourism are two areas central to this transition," says Cape Town Tourism CEO Mariette du Toit-Helmbold.

New conference venue

The Cape Royale Luxury Hotel and Residence in Green Point recently hosted its first conference in new facilities, gearing itself up for the conferencing market.

"We had a lot of applications for conferencing which previously we were not able to meet," said MD Nathan Schmidt. "South African businesses as well as international companies want to hold conferences here, as they have realised what a fantastic destination Cape Town is. The incentive travel market is growing and we want to be able to provide an answer for employers to hold their conference in the same hotel as they are staying in, by providing a top level of service from conferencing to spa and restaurants."

The hotel already has bookings from the beginning of September from the advertising, finance and shipping industries.

Cape Town is the top destination for conferences in Africa and the Middle East and is ranked 35th in the world in the 2009 International Congress and Convention Association's global rankings, above Johannesburg (128) and Durban (231).