Business tourism based on international conventions at smart conference centres was heralding a new era for South Africa, said Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom.
Amid cheers, he then vigorously rang a bell to launch the 11th Meetings Africa convention at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg yesterday.
The Eastern Cape was represented in booths run by Buffalo City Tourism, Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism, the Eastern Cape Parks & Tourism Agency (Ecpta) and the parent companies of the East London International Convention Centre, Hemingways Hotel, and Boardwalk in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Meetings Africa was hosted by SA Tourism and the Gauteng Tourism Authority, which has been showing international buyers and media Johannesburg’s vibrant offerings.
Hanekom said the meetings and events industry was making a significant contribution to SA tourism, but had the potential to achieve more.
He said global conferences had the potential to impact throughout the SA tourism “value chain” and could boost socio-economic development on a “vast scale”. The annual number of international visitors to South Africa had grown from four million in 1994 to nine million in 2015.
Asked by the Daily Dispatch if his department had any new offerings or plans for the Eastern Cape he retorted: “What have you got to offer us?”
His deputy minister, Tokozile Xasa, whose home is in East London, said the Eastern Cape and Buffalo City in particular, despite being blessed with unique tourism potential, needed more visibility in the market.
Xasa said the province needed to step up its marketing “pitch”.
If the province wanted to get a good bite of the R100-million extra announced by President Jacob Zuma in his Sona speech to be spent on developing domestic tourism, she said it needed to come forward with unique products which would be put into the government funding system.
Vuyani Dayimani, CEO of the Ecpta, said international business tourism ranked top of the province’s tourism campaign, with each foreign tourist creating eight Eastern Cape jobs.
“We will be talking to (agents from) 18 countries,” he said.
Dayimani said all 15 of Ecpta’s reserves were open and were offering a wide accommodation mix, ranging from lodges to campsites.
Ntwasa said the agency needed support from the private sector to market the nine tourism routes which had been laid out and were operating in the province.
While other provinces had launched convention bureaus to attract the business, and even Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism has a dedicated tourism business unit, the Ecpta boss said the province still lacked such a bureau.
“We need one,” he said.
EC tourism must step up to showcase all it has to offer
Amid cheers, he then vigorously rang a bell to launch the 11th Meetings Africa convention at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg yesterday.
The Eastern Cape was represented in booths run by Buffalo City Tourism, Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism, the Eastern Cape Parks & Tourism Agency (Ecpta) and the parent companies of the East London International Convention Centre, Hemingways Hotel, and Boardwalk in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Meetings Africa was hosted by SA Tourism and the Gauteng Tourism Authority, which has been showing international buyers and media Johannesburg’s vibrant offerings.
Hanekom said the meetings and events industry was making a significant contribution to SA tourism, but had the potential to achieve more.
He said global conferences had the potential to impact throughout the SA tourism “value chain” and could boost socio-economic development on a “vast scale”. The annual number of international visitors to South Africa had grown from four million in 1994 to nine million in 2015.
Asked by the Daily Dispatch if his department had any new offerings or plans for the Eastern Cape he retorted: “What have you got to offer us?”
His deputy minister, Tokozile Xasa, whose home is in East London, said the Eastern Cape and Buffalo City in particular, despite being blessed with unique tourism potential, needed more visibility in the market.
Xasa said the province needed to step up its marketing “pitch”.
If the province wanted to get a good bite of the R100-million extra announced by President Jacob Zuma in his Sona speech to be spent on developing domestic tourism, she said it needed to come forward with unique products which would be put into the government funding system.
Vuyani Dayimani, CEO of the Ecpta, said international business tourism ranked top of the province’s tourism campaign, with each foreign tourist creating eight Eastern Cape jobs.
“We will be talking to (agents from) 18 countries,” he said.
Dayimani said all 15 of Ecpta’s reserves were open and were offering a wide accommodation mix, ranging from lodges to campsites.
Ntwasa said the agency needed support from the private sector to market the nine tourism routes which had been laid out and were operating in the province.
While other provinces had launched convention bureaus to attract the business, and even Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism has a dedicated tourism business unit, the Ecpta boss said the province still lacked such a bureau.
“We need one,” he said.
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