SPECIAL FEATURE other seven hotels cover five brands in the Tsogo Sun stable. Elsewhere in the Western Cape, Tsogo Sun has hotels in Caledon, Beaufort West, Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay. Protea Hotels, now part of the Marriott Group, has 10 hotels in Cape Town and a further one each in Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. There are two hotels in George. Three of the brands of City Lodge Hotel Group are represented by seven hotels in the Western Cape, with all but one of the hotels (the George Town Lodge) being located in Cape Town. Hilton Hotels and Resorts has three Western Cape properties, two hotels in Cape Town and the Conrad Pezula Resort & Spa on the eastern head of the Knysna Heads. The newest global trend in tourism, Airbnb, has come to South Africa. Cape Town is the first African city to sign a collaboration agreement with Airbnb. A total of 394 000 visitors stayed in Airbnb accommodation in South Africa in 2016. Roughly 50% of the bed nights were taken up by foreigners. Another trend that is being explored is Halaal tourism, a global market that is expected to reach 0-billion by 2026. The Western Cape has upwards of 200 mosques and a cosmopolitan lifestyle that has seen various faiths coexist for many years. MICE The meetings, incentives, conference and exhibition sector (MICE) has become increasingly important to the Western Cape economy. Cape Town was ranked by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) as the number one city in Africa for business tourism events in 2016. This was the fourth year in a row the award was won by the city. A total of 62 meetings took place in Cape Town, mainly in the medical sciences, education and technology sectors. A further 12 international association meetings took place in Stellenbosch. The Cape Town and the Western Cape Convention Bureau, a Wesgro unit, was itself awarded the accolade of Best Convention Bureau by the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry. The Bureau promotes the Cape as a venue and assists with bids, planning support and on-site services. Over the past six years, the estimated economic impact of the conference bids secured by the Bureau exceeds R1.5-billion. In the first quarter of 2017/18 a further 14 bids were secured, with a delegate attendance of 57 000 and an estimated economic impact of R120.2million. The timing of the majority of the events will help the province get through the quieter period (or “shoulder season”) of May to October. The Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK) is held every year in Oudtshoorn in April. It attracts hundreds of artistic productions of every sort, mostly in Afrikaans, with attendances normally topping 12 000 festival-goers. Winelands The main attraction of the Winelands speaks for itself, but having an option to sample wine without having to drive anywhere afterwards gives the famous wine region added appeal. In 2017, City Sightseeing launched the Cape Explorer Winelands tour, to complement their existing Cape Town and Johannesburg “red bus” routes. The tour will take in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek and tourists will be encouraged to hop on and off, to sample the local delights. 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. WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018 40
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