The need for a collective conversation

SAACI NEWS

The call by the Minister of Tourism for comment and input to the Tourism Recovery Plan offers an important juncture to unlock the huge potential that tourism offers to the future economy. Critical is the role that the business events sector plays in attracting visitors to destinations and cities.

By Glenton de Kock, chief executive officer of SAACI

SAACI is clear and confident that the business events and exhibition industry offers the answers the government has asked for as part of the Recovery Plan Post Covid-19. Business events is one of South Africa’s great ongoing success stories. It is an exciting, confident and dynamic sector. It is a sector that welcomes local and international delegates that come to experience the best of South Africa and leave inspired by the country’s unrivalled heritage, epic landscapes, exciting city life, and a unique cultural offer that is the envy of the world.

The past six months have demonstrated that there are challenges ahead. International competition is fierce and will only become more so as nations compete for a greater share of growing markets from Asia and India. At home, the sector must innovate in order to overcome productivity challenges, seek investment to improve infrastructure, be more closely integrated into regional and local enterprise planning processes, acquire a stronger voice in government, and look to develop the next generation of skilled hospitality and event professionals.

We believe now, more than ever, wider consultation within our membership base and our partners at the SA Events Council, our industry insight will present a better understanding into how the sector can unlock future growth. But this is not all.

We are in discussions to present a series of insightful national and regional roundtables across the country, funding permitting, and a comprehensive survey in order to ascertain the collective insight of the future view of the business events sector.

Our recovery and growth needs to be built on solid foundations, but it is also clear that whatever ambitions the sector has for growth, they cannot be fully realised without the support of the government in order to fix long-standing structural issues.

With this support, we are confident that the business events sector will grow and innovate into a more productive, resilient and sustainable sector that will allow more delegates from home and abroad to enjoy more of South Africa’s unique cultural offer, and unlock greater prosperity for every nation and region across the south of Africa in the process.

We look forward to a successful outcome and future of business events.

Let’s keep on collaborating!

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www.businesseventsafrica.com

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