South African Business 2019 edition

OVERVIEW The annual

OVERVIEW The annual AfriCom event, hosted by the CTICC, regularly attracts up to 14 000 visitors who can choose from 400 exhibits and 450 speakers in the fields of telecoms, media and technology. The R900-million expansion of the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC2,) has given the city’s biggest venue additional volume and flexibility. The new section of the centre hosted its first conference in September 2017, the 21st Annual Congress of the South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) at the same time as the CTICC was hosting another major conference. Johannesburg and Durban are the other two South African cities with large MICE sectors, but towns linked to research universities (like Potchefstroom and Stellenbosch) and game and nature reserves are also popular destinations for conferences. Most hotels have conference facilities. Sun City in the North West has a wide range of venues and has recently won bids to host big events such as the SAFTAS, the South African Film and Television Awards. A new event on Limpopo’s calendar caused great excitement in 2018 with the first riding of the Tour de Limpopo, a four-day cycling event. Structure of the industry The South African tourism industry is well segmented. The distribution channel is dominated by four major groups, each of which runs several companies in different parts of the value chain. The biggest groups are: • Imperial Holdings: mostly logistics, companies include Europcar and Tempest Car Hire. • Bidvest Travel and Aviation: Budget Rent a Car, Bidvest Sky Lounge, Rennies Foreign Exchange, BidTravel, Harvey World Travel, HRG Rennies Travel and BidAir Services. • Cullinan Holdings: iKapa Tours and Travel, Thompsons, Hylton Ross Tours, Pentravel, Grosvenor Tours and Springbok Atlas. • Tourvest: The group controls 63 companies dealing with many aspects of the tourist experience: tour operators and conference organisers, foreign exchange, retail (gift shops and duty-free shops) and hotels (African Hotels and Adventures). ONLINE RESOURCES African Business Travel Association: www.abta.co.za South African Golf Tourism Association: www.sagta.co.za South African National Parks: www.sanparks.co.za South African Tourism: www.southafrica.net South African Tourism Services: www.satsa.com Casinos are a popular part of many entertainment and accommodation complexes around the country, although relatively few licences are in operation. Private game reserves and golf resorts has been one of the fastestgrowing markets in recent years. The South African Golf Tourism Association says that up to 10% of visitors to the country are attracted by its golf courses. The Garden Route and the KwaZulu-Natal coastline are rich in golfing venues. Between George and Cape St Francis there are many highlyrated golf courses including Pinnacle Point, Fancourt (three courses), Simola, Plettenberg Bay Country Club and St Francis Links. Limpopo has two highend golf resorts fairly near Johannesburg: Zebula Golf Estate and Spa and the Legend Golf and Safari Resort which has the world’s most dramatic golf hole, a par-three where golfers are ferried to the top of a mountain by helicopter and take aim at an Africa-shaped green at the bottom of the mountain. Wine tourism contributes indirectly more than R4.5- billion to the South African tourism sector (South African Wine Industry Information and Systems, SAWIS). According to Wine Tourism South Africa, a website and publishing concern that provides information about the wine industry, 43% of visitors to South Africa visit the Cape Winelands. SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2019 136

Everyone went the extra mile and worked together with our team as ‘partners’ to ensure the success of our Annual Congress event. Amanda Stops CEO South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) Nestling in the shadow of the majestic Table Mountain, and overlooking the spectacular Atlantic Ocean, the CTICC is a magical place where the imagined becomes real, visions turn into strategies, consumers become customers, and strangers from across the globe become colleagues, partners and friends. So much more than a multi-purpose event destination, this African icon combines expansive venues, impeccable service, cutting-edge technology and the finest global cuisine, to transform your convention, conference, exhibition, banquet or meeting into an extraordinary experience. For more information, or to book your event at the CTICC, call +27 21 410 5000, email sales@cticc.co.za or visit www.cticc.co.za.