Cape Town - The Western Cape has secured 30 new bids for business events worth R1 billion in the past financial year.
These events are said to have the potential to boost the economy of the province and create jobs.
Western Cape Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC, Mireille Wenger, said for the first time in the history of Wesgro’s Convention Bureau, the economic impact of business events secured exceeds the R1bn mark, reaching an estimated economic impact of R1.029bn.
She said these bids will fill the event pipeline for the province into 2029.
“This is fantastic news for the province and more so for the many jobs across the hospitality, food, beverage services and tourism sectors that the thousands of delegates attending these conferences and meetings will support,” said Wenger.
Conferences scheduled include World Congress of Public Health, hosted by the World Federation of Public Health Associations in September 2026, and the International Botanical Congress in July 2029. Wenger said some of the conferences will be attended by 4000 delegates each.
The province will also host the World Congress of Family Doctors 2027 and the World Congress of Neurology with an expected 3500 delegates in 2027.
Western Cape provincial trade, tourism, and investment promotion agency (Wesgro) CEO, Wrenelle Stander, said what makes the Western Cape stand out is its commitment to creating an environment conducive to international events.
“The region boasts top-notch venues like the Century City Conference Centre and the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), which recently underwent an expansion to become one of Africa's premier conference venues,” said Stander.
She said between 2013 and 2022, Cape Town hosted 405 international association meetings and Stellenbosch hosted 84, which attracted an estimated delegate attendance of just over 225 000 delegates.
Mayco member for tourism, James Vos, said, “It's truly heartening to see the securing of 30 new bids in the past year through the Convention Bureau at Wesgro. The City of Cape Town through my department proudly contributes funding to this programme because of the economic opportunities and job creation.”
“Hosting conferences and expos aligns closely with my goal to help secure that every household in Cape Town benefits from tourism-related job opportunities.”
zolani.sinxo@inl.co.za
Cape Argus