Cape Town has retained its position as the number 1 destination for business events in Africa, according to the recent 2014 International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Country and City rankings.
The destination moved up by an astounding 11 rankings in terms of worldwide performance to number 41, hosting 58 international association meetings, up 13 from the previous year with Johannesburg pipping Marrakech 3rd and Durban 4th for the second position.
Tim Harris, CEO of Cape Town and the Western Cape’s official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency Wesgro of which the Cape Town & Western Cape Convention Bureau is a strategic business unit is extremely proud of the destination’s performance internationally.
“The business events environment is extremely competitive so it is a considerable achievement to retain the number one spot. Cape Town has remained on top because of our collaborative approach, our excellent service offering, and our levels of professionalism.”
To further enhance the rankings in the Western Cape, Stellenbosch bettered their 2013 results moving five spots to 7th in the country, an incredible feat for this picturesque town in the Cape Winelands region.
South Africa with 124 meetings maintained its number 1 spot in the country rankings, moving up 2 rankings worldwide to number 32.
Harris adds, “The Cape Town city region has global appeal, and our world class infrastructure- including the award-winning international convention centre and airport – combine to make us the first choice conferencing destination in Africa.”
Says Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) CEO, July-May Ellingson, “While we are incredibly proud of this achievement, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. The CTICC must remain internationally competitive. Our expansion, funded by the City of Cape Town and Western Cape government, will continue to raise the global competitiveness of Cape Town as a premier world-class meetings and events destination. This in turn allows us to meet the City’s Integrated Development Plan’s objective of establishing Cape Town as Africa’s business events destination.”
In relation to its other global partners in the BestCities Global Alliance, Cape Town, with its 41st place hosting 58 meetings fared very well, finishing short on the heels of Vancouver, at 38th place hosting 60 meetings and Melbourne, at 37th hosting 61 meetings.
