The sod has been turned for the construction for the expansion to the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), which is certain to boost the Tourism industry in Cape Town specifically, and the Western Cape economy generally. Green design elements have been planned, to make the expansion section environmentally sustainable.
Western Cape Minister of Tourism Alan Winde said about the expansion: ‘The CTICC is a major economic catalyst and the planned expansion of the venue will significantly increase its capacity for meetings and exhibitions. This will boost business travel to the province and create more employment opportunities in the tourism sector. In the previous financial year, it is estimated that the CTICC created 7 500 jobs. This is an excellent example of infrastructure-led growth paving the way for increased employment for our residents’. The exhibition space will double by 10000 m², which means that Cape Town can bid for future Indabas, Africa’s largest tourism exhibition.
The Western Cape attracted 28000 conference delegates worth R347 million in the past year. In the current financial year this is expected to grow by 22%, and the bid value to reach R 360 million. In the ten years of the existence of the Convention Centre, it has contributed R 20 billion to our country’s GDP, while the forecast is for a doubling in the next five years.
The City of Cape Town has provided the land for the expansion as well as the bulk of the finance for the construction. The project is a joint venture between the City and the Western Cape government.
Minister Winde said that Business Tourism is more lucrative than Leisure Tourism, given the higher per capita spend when in the Cape. He said that ‘the growth of business travel complements our efforts to counter seasonality. As we broaden our offering, the Western Cape is becoming an all-year round destination‘. Unfortunately we are not yet seeing the benefit of this Seasonality-counter, but trust that the expansion of the Cape Town International Convention Centre will attract even more Business Tourists to Cape Town, to benefit of more than just the few hotels in its close proximity!
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleTales
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