07 March 2022
TSHWANE IS OPEN FOR TOURISM BUSINESS
The City of Tshwane participated in the Meetings Africa 2022 exhibition, which took place at the Sandton Convention Centre from 28 February to 2 March 2022. After a two-year hiatus necessitated by the impact of the COVID19 pandemic, Tshwane is ready to host meetings and events and used its participation to remind the tourism industry that the city is still open for business. Key engagements and meetings were held with leading conference and event organisers from around the world, associations, corporate and government clients, as well as key decision-makers in the industry, to generate valuable business leads that will ignite our tourism recovery efforts.
In line with the City’s tourism development mandate to support tourism SMMEs, various Tshwane-based small tourism businesses also participated along with the city in partnership with Gauteng Tourism Authority.
Meetings Africa is a particularly important platform to the City of Tshwane as we strive to become an international business travel destination of choice.
“As the capital city, Tshwane should be top of mind for business and leisure travelers both locally and globally. Our recent recognition on the Tourism Sentiment Index’s Top 100 Most Loved Tourism Destinations In The World listing is proof that the city is on the right track”, says Cllr Andre Le Roux, MMC for Economic Development and Spatial Planning.
“Key to our tourism drive is the building of a strong city brand, the leveraging of our unique characteristics such as access to academic institutions, strong pan-African ties through the diplomatic corps, and innovative research and development bodies”, explains Cllr Le Roux.
Several factors enhance Tshwane as a meetings destination: it is a compact region, with all tourist sites very close to one another but still offering diverse experiences. Tshwane offers authentic South African experiences and unconventional yet exciting meeting spaces in the villages, the townships, and rural areas and it offers unique attractions where travelers can get an “Out of Africa” experience within 60km of the Pretoria CBD. Business visitors have access to world-class hotels, conference centres, and infrastructure, and the city centre is within easy reach from OR Tambo International Airport and Lanseria International Airport.
The City is also considered the intellectual capital of the country, and the knowledge hub of the continent: some 80% of the country’s research and development takes place in Tshwane and we are home to academic institutions that fuel the knowledge economy which gives us an edge as a meetings destination.
We are South Africa’s Capital City, where most of the government administrative departments are based, and the country’s diplomatic centre, with 134 embassies and high commissions.
We call on meetings, incentives, and event planners considering the City of Tshwane for the hosting of their events to reach out to the Tourism Division’s Business Tourism team for a host of complimentary services to support organisers planning future meetings and events in the City of Tshwane.