The 18th Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) conference opened yesterday, Monday, 25 July 2011 in Somerset West, Western Cape. In his keynote address, minister of tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk, said business tourism must be private-sector driven.
Nina Freysen-Pretorius, SAACI national chairperson, stated in her official welcome, "I find it unacceptable that whilstPresident Zuma and the Minister of Tourism have identified the huge potential that the tourism sector can play in job creation and GDP, we do not have the support and routes to get people here in the first place. We need to have a dedicated team within South African Airways working on business tourism that we can engage with frequently to build a relationship and understanding of our sector and the value that it can add."International delegates fly to South Africa from Europe, America or even from the African continent and they need visas. Obtaining a visa to enter South Africa can be costly and difficult. I know that this aspect has been identified within the National Tourism Sector Strategy. However, whilst we have identified it, other countries are already providing visa exemptions to people attending conferences and exhibitions."
"Though South Africa proved to the world that it can host a mega event, such as the2010 FIFA World Cup, we have not yet created a lasting legacy in terms of the creation of decent work and jobs. Neither have we used the world cup platform to market our destination, the tourism industry and our products for future business to the best of our ability. As much as we are competing against one another for those bodies in beds, selling our services and products, we are also being watched and compared by international clients and buyers.
"Our products and services need to be more competitively priced. For the South African conference industry to attract more international and local clients, we need to work together as a collective."
Far East increase
Van Schalkwyk announced that, "To demonstrate government's commitment, R 700 million of the national tourism budget goes to marketing the country, driven by the private sector. I have also appointed Peter Bacon, known in the private sector tourism industry, as chair of the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa to assist with the upgrading of its system.
"The same goes for private sector intervention in the airline industry. While it is important to have a national airline carrier, the number of airlines flying to South Africa has doubled in the last five years. A direct flight between South Africa and Beijing will be operational later this year with a South Africa-India connection to follow."
About luring tourists from China and India, he said these are the growing middle class tourism markets. "Whilst we will continue our traditional, supporting tourism markets like Germany and France, if we do not pursue the others, our industry will not prosper.
"Together government and the private sector will enhance South Africa's global positioning as a business tourism destination. We have already secured more than 200 events for the next five years that will attract some 300 000 delegates to our major business tourism cities and will contribute significantly to foreign direct spend into our economy."
Industry needs stats
Freysen-Pretorius said the obstacle regarding reliable statistical information about conventions, exhibitions and events also needs to be addressed.
"Without this type of reputable data we are not able to lobby with government and corporate entities for substantial financial support. We are not able to provide that return on investment on each event confidently. SAACI members need to realise the value of sharing information about the exhibitions, events and conventions we host, to grow and attract more business within our borders and from outside our country."
About the establishment of a National Convention Bureau, Freysen-Pretorius said the matter has not received the consideration that the industry had previously anticipated. "Concern has been raised within our membership that the structure, role and management of such a national bureau needs to be clarified in consultation with existing provincial bodies and the industry. How will allocated funds be used and how will we all benefit from it?"
SAACI to support CMP training
As regards training Freysen-Pretorius said whilst SAACI has been represented on the Services SETA board in the past, the Seta's recent challenges are not offering solutions.
"The time that we have contributed towards the Services SETA without any progress or return on investment has led us to explore other alternatives. The SAACI board therefore, has endorsed the association's membership to the Convention Industry Council based in the US. The council, comprising of 31 member organisations, provides a forum to exchange information on global trends and topics, promulgate excellence in best practices and guidelines, collaborate on industry issues and advocate the value of the meetings, conventions, exhibitions and events industry. They also own the rights to the Certified Meetings Professional course and a number of other internationally accepted courses that we would like to promote and endorse in South Africa to address the need for education.
She concluded by requesting delegates to use the two-day conference as an opportunity to network and grow the industry.
Crosswoods holidays 2011
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