Durban — The KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau (KZNCB) and Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) have revealed that they aim to promote the province’s tourism and attract businesses during a three-day conference held at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Meetings Africa Conference 2023 started on Monday and concludes on Wednesday. The conference has attracted 352 exhibitors from 23 African countries and 340 international buyers from 57 countries.
This year’s edition also included exhibitions from seven new African countries – Angola, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, and Togo – which testified to the growing importance of the African market in the global events and tourism industry.
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal acting CEO Nhlanhla Khumalo said that by attracting mega business events and many smaller conferences across the province, the KZNCB played an important role in the recovery of the KwaZulu-Natal tourism sector.
Khumalo said, “Meetings Africa is a platform to forge partnerships by meeting face to face with the most influential buyers in the world, and as TKZN and the KZN Convention Bureau we plan to make the most of this opportunity to promote KwaZulu-Natal as the preferred business events destination.”
Last year, the KZNCB staged more than 26 business events that generated an economic impact estimated at R2.2 billion and for the year 2023 it has already bagged over 30 business events to be hosted across the province, which will contribute enormously to the economic recovery of the province.
Khumalo said meetings and conferences were key contributors to the growth of business tourism in the province. He said the province is also well equipped with top-class convention and meetings facilities and pre-conference and post-conference travel.
Last year, the KZN Convention Bureau was again voted Africa’s leading meetings and conference destination by the prestigious annual World Travel Awards, a title it has held for eight consecutive years.
Africa is said to make up only 2% of the global market. South Africa is rated as the leading destination on the continent for conferences by the International Convention and Congress Association (ICCA), and Durban is ranked third in the country according to the number of conferences hosted that meet specific ICCA criteria.
In 2019, business tourism contributed more than R115 billion to South Africa’s GDP, which created almost 252 000 direct and indirect jobs.
Domestically, KwaZulu-Natal hosted more than 100 000 conference delegates in 2019, and more than 70 000 local delegates in 2021 despite the effects of Covid-19 and the floods experienced by the province.
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal communications co-ordinator Nhlanhla Ngwenya said that after Meetings Africa 2023, TKZN would be delighted to host familiarisation tours for key international buyers to experience KZN’s business events facilities and establishments again.
Ngwenya said, “Hosting international buyers in KZN will assist the KZNCB to generate business leads for possible bidding and to lobby the buyers to consider KZN as a destination for hosting future business events.”
At Meetings Africa the province’s business tourism offerings would be showcased alongside key partners.
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