Joburg Tourism Company ready to increase global events

"These appointments form part of our strategy to increase our annual share of the global events which are out there on the bid circuit," says CEO Lindiwe Kwele.

"This is especially relevant in light of its successful hosting of the lion's share (some 32%) of the 2010 FIFA World Cup fixtures and events. This resulted in a global paradigm shift about the city and issues concerning safety and security, transport, infrastructure, as well as its appeal generally as a destination for both business and leisure. Now we need to maintain this interest and momentum, encouraging not only increased business and leisure tourism, but also investment and other business opportunities in the city."

Carbon measures

While working to attract more conventions to the city, the City of Joburg is also striving to ensure that the carbon footprint generated from the hosting of events and conferences is monitored, measured and offset. Organisers of the recent convention for the Institute for Environment and Recreation Management (IERM), have documented and incorporated waste reduction and waste disposal alternatives. These and various other waste recycling options showcased the viable benefits of hosting a green convention, which further acts as a catalyst for the creation of 'green´ jobs. In addition to this, in 2010 the city planted in excess of 200 000 trees to offset the carbon emissions of the World Cup.

Calendar shows promise

Next on the agenda at the end of October 2010 is HICA, the Hotel Investment Conference Africa, which will be hosted in Joburg both this year and in 2012. "Business tourism is the key driver for our tourism growth and development. Hosting HICA gives us an opportunity to reinforce our positioning of being Africa's leading business tourism destination. The event will not only boost our hotel occupancy, increased arrivals and length of stay, but will also enable the potential investors to see the strides that we have made as a destination and help us promote Joburg as a potential destination for investment," says Kwele.

The work to win forthcoming international conferences and event bids has continued unabated throughout the year by the CEB team. While collectively these are worth tens of millions of Rands in potential revenue to the industry, none is more eagerly awaited than the announcement of the successful host city for next year's UN Summit on Climate Change (COP17) in December.

Joburg means business, entertainment

One of Johannesburg's major competitive advantages is its international recognition as the business and commercial capital of the African continent. Given its accessibility by air (55 international airlines fly in to Joburg) that 75% of corporate headquarters are based in the city and it is the only city in South Africa with four venues capable of hosting more than 5000 delegates, its success as a tourism destination pivots on business.

However, the business tourism market presents a leveraging opportunity to grow the city's leisure tourism market. The positive coverage it enjoyed globally during the World Cup has gone a long way to positioning it as a vibrant, exciting destination with much on offer across the spectrum of sporting, cultural, music, retail and lifestyle experiences. "We are certainly capitalising on this to secure its position as a leading global destination for business and leisure tourism, lifestyle, sporting, cultural and mega-event experiences," concludes Kwele.

Go to the website www.joburgtourism.com for more information