South Africa's business tourism boom

An estimated 6-7% of all foreign tourist arrivals to South Africa in 2007 were made up of business tourists, translating to about 550 000 business tourists compared to 470 000 in 2006, Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said recently.

Speaking at the Meetings Africa Business Tourism Conference in Johannesburg last month, Van Schalkwyk said this figure was sure to grow even more in the lead-up to the 2010 Fifa World Cup, and that the industry's vision of doubling this figure in the next three years was "not overly ambitious".

The estimates are that year-on-year growth in business tourist "bed nights" was around 19% in 2007, following 18% growth in 2006, the minister said.

Business travel - ranging from small meetings and leadership breakaways to major conferences and exhibitions - is a lucrative sector of the market. Business travellers spend on average three times more than leisure travellers, and up to 40% of business travellers return to a destination within five years.

There is also a significant crossover from business into leisure travel. About 18% percent of business travellers go on tours prior to their business activities, while about 22% do so afterwards.

Total foreign direct spend business tourists in South Africa amounted to R2.4-billion in 2006, up from approximately R2.1-billion in 2005.

New and future developments

Polokwane International Airport in Limpopo province will boast a new R45-million terminal by the end of February. The new terminal will be able to accommodate 200 000 passengers a year compared to the current 50 000 a year.

Source: www.southafrica.info