KwaZulu-Natal Business 2016-17 edition

OVERVIEW
around Pietermaritzburg, where Mahatma Gandhi’s stay in South
Africa can be traced.
Many tourism operators cooperate with one another, for example,
in the N3 Gateway Tourism Association, which is a transprovincial
initiative. With more than 2 500 associations, routes
and co-operatives participating, the Gateway programme includes
groups such as the Midlands Meander Association, the
Grasslands Tourism Association, Mooi River Tourism and the
uMngeni Footprint Route.
Events and conferences
When travel agents hold conferences in your city, you know you are
on the right track. The 2015 conference of the Association of Southern
African Travel Agents was held in May at the Southern Sun Elangeni
and the Maharani with about 200 delegates.
Another big win for Durban was the decision of the Loeries Creative
Week (the advertising industry's awards festival) to sign to visit Durban
for three years. More than 5 000 delegates are expected to attend the
awards ceremonies, exhibitions and seminars. A 2011 survey of the
economic impact of the awards estimated something in the region of
R100-million for accommodation, restaurants and transport.
Durban is the home of the Tourism Indaba, one of the industry's
most important annual tourism exhibitions and the continent's biggest
tourism marketing event. In 2015, a total of 20 African countries were
represented and a new app allowed buyers and sellers to plan their
programmes well in advance. As a result, there was a 69% increase
in meetings held over the previous year, rising to an amazing figure
of 29 058.
Durban's Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre
Complex (ICC) regularly wins awards and, together with the Durban
Exhibition Centre and the Durban Arena, the ICC helps to position
Durban and KwaZulu-Natal as a leader in the Meetings, Incentives,
Conferences and Exhibitions
(Mice) sector.
The ICC has been World Travel
Awards' 'Africa’s Leading Meetings
and Conference Centre”'14 times
in the last 15 years and has been
rated amongst the World’s Top
15 convention centres by AIPC
(International Association of
Convention Centres). There are 3
600 hotel rooms within a 10-minute
walk of the ICC, while the airport
is 30 minutes away.
In the 2015 financial year, the
ICC generated R157-million, an
increase of R5.3-million and a
20% growth in number of events
hosted. Net profit increased by
32%. The ICC is a body within
the eThekwini Municipality, and
despite the difficult general economic
climate it made a significant
economic contribution to
the city and the province, adding
R4.6-billion to the national Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) – a 47%
increase – and R4.5-billion to the
province’s Gross Geographic
Product (GGP). It has also created
10 874 direct and indirect jobs.
Most of KwaZulu-Natal's hotels
and lodges have conference
facilities, ranging from bushveld
lodges catering for 20 people to
hotels such as the 440-bedroom
Southern Sun Elangeni on Durban
beachfront, which can host up to
600 delegates in 10 venues.
There's a buzz around
Durban’s conference, meetings
and events market as Tsogo Sun
hotels are making serious inroads
into becoming the preferred
choice among local organisers.
Recognising the functionality and
versatility benefits of these properties,
organisers are enticed by
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