HICA: Investing in hospitality

8 Sep 2010

The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) will present the fourth Hospitality Investment Conference Africa (HICA) taking place in Johannesburg from 31 October to 2 November 2010. The conference programme will explore investment opportunities in the African context, challenges faced by the hospitality sector and review international trends and best practice.

Speakers

Leaders from organisations such as the Rezidor Hotel Group, Protea Hotels, African Sun Hotels and Pam Golding Properties will address delegates and the conference offers real business generating opportunities for local and international hospitality industry decision makers.

The macro economic outlook for 2010 and beyond will be discussed by a panel of experts including Dawie Roodt, chief economist at The Efficient Group, while the global hospitality barometer will be the focus of discussion between panellists such as Alex Kyriakidis, global hospitality partner at Deloitte & Touche and Kurt Ritter, president and CEO of the Rezidor Hotel Group.

For a local perspective, sub-Saharan Africa's hospitality barometer will be discussed by, among others, Shingi Munyeza, CEO of African Sun Hotels and Arthur Gillis, MD of Protea Hotels.

Speakers addressing a session entitled 'Straight talk Zimbabwe' will include Emmanuel Fundira, chairman of the Zimbabwe Council of Tourism and Collin Bell, CEO of Great Plains Africa.

Capitalising on World Cup

TBCSA CEO Mmatšatši Marobe says particular interest is expected in HICA this year as South Africa's hospitality sector was exposed more than ever before by the recent FIFA World Cup. "The sector has displayed a level of professionalism and maturity that has caught the attention of the international business community and through HICA we will capitalise on this opportunity and see how we can ensure continued growth of the continent's hospitality market share."

She adds that since its inception in 2007, HICA has developed a strong following from captains of industry across the travel and tourism sector, in government and other key sectors such as finance and property development. "Many of these business leaders see the real value of promoting dialogue on investment opportunities that exist on our continent and are keen to use this platform to share their experiences."

"Sustainability and growth are two underlying themes for HICA 2010. We urge all interested industry members and investors to register their participation so that we can all share ideas on how we can ensure the sustainable growth of our industry, now and in the future," she concludes.

For more information or to register online go to www.hica.co.za.