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Business tourism – encompassing meetings, events and conferences, exhibitions and incentive travel – is one of the fastest growing and most complex industries of the wider tourism sector. “On average, business travelers spend three times more than leisure travelers and 40 percent of them return to a destination within five years. Eighteen percent of business travellers go on tours prior to their business activities, while 22 percent do the same afterwards,” says Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk.
Officially opening South Africa’s annual business tourism conference in Johannesburg, he said Cape Town International Convention Centre plans to double its size, construction on the Bloemfontein International Convention Centre is complete, with the main arena accommodating up to 5 000 delegates, while Port Elizabeth is to get its own Nelson Mandela Bay International Convention Centre.
This conference precedes the annual business tourism exhibition – Meetings Africa – which opened at the Sandton Convention Centre on 26 February and ends on Friday.
“I can say with the utmost confidence that South Africa is in an excellent position to welcome more and more business and leisure travelers to our shores in the days, months and years to come. South Africa stands ready!”
He said that overall foreign tourist arrivals to South Africa increased by 8,6 percent between January and November last year.
“Up to seven percent of all tourist arrivals to South Africa for 2007 will be business tourists. This translates to 550 000 estimated arrivals as compared to 470 000 in 2006.”
According to Van Schalkwyk the South African Government and the private sector continue to invest in the country’s world-class infrastructure to enhance its position as a major competitor in the global business tourism industry.
“The Airports Company of South Africa has injected R5,2 billion into extensions and refurbishments that are currently in progress at the country’s three main airports namely OR Tambo, Cape Town and Durban International Airports. The new R2 billion King Shaka International Airport is under construction at La Mercy north of Durban and the Polokwane International Airport now boasts a new terminal worth R45 million that can accommodate 200 000 passengers per year.”
South African Tourism CEO Moeketsi Mosola said at the conference that South Africa continues to secure bids for major international events. “These include the 15th International Near-infrared Spectrocopy Conference in 2009, the World Social Security Forum in 2010, the International Federation of Dental Hygiene conference and the World Critical Care Conference in 2013.
“Securing such events form an integral part of SA Tourism’s Business Tourism Growth Strategy, of which the key segments are inter-governmental meetings, the corporate and incentive market and association meetings.”
Delegates at the business tourism conference addressed by various local and international business tourism experts, around topics such as worldwide corporate and incentive trends and business tourism opportunities presented by the 2010 Soccer World Cup tournament.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
