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Cape Town hopes to increase its potential as a top MICE destination by leveraging off the recent accolade where it was declared the top destination in Africa for meetings and conferences by the International Congress and Convention Association Africa Chapter.
The Mining Indaba – currently under way at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) – showcases why the city is so highly rated for international conventions, according to Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, James Vos.
“The City has been a proud host of the Mining Indaba for the past 26 years and it remains one of our signature annual conferences, directly bringing in revenue and trade, as well as indirectly creating ongoing goodwill and new partnerships,” said Vos.
He pointed out that the CTICC contributed R4.5 billion (€2.7 billion) to the Western Cape economy in the 2018/19 financial year.
In the last financial year, the CTICC hosted 560 events, which brought in, as Vos highlighted, close to 31 300 international delegates. This was beneficial to the economy of Cape Town as Vos explained. “Given all the wonderful things Cape Town has to offer, by hosting international visitors we are able to increase the likelihood of them returning, but also staying longer and spending more money.”
The City of Cape Town (CoCT) has partnered with Wesgro in an initiative to attract investment into the city. CoCT provides Wesgro with funding to specifically promote Cape Town as an ideal destination for meetings, incentive travel offered by international business, conferences and events.
Cape Town will host several MICE events in the coming year, including the World Ophthalmology Congress, SpaceOPs and the HIV Research for Prevention Conferences.
“These conventions will attract almost 17 000 delegates with yet more positive knock-on benefits for our city,” said Vos.
Source: tourismupdate.co.za