Visitor records to Africas biggest annual business tourism exhibition have been smashed at this year’s edition of the show
Meetings Africa 2012 was hailed as a success for the South African travel and business tourism industry after attracting a variety of local and foreign buyers.
With more than 3,400 visitors to this year’s show, the overall attendance grew by 20 per cent on last year’s turnout, while registered international visitor numbers doubled.
Event organisers South African Tourism added that the number of international journalists at this year’s Meetings Africa grew by 68 per cent on last year.
South African Tourism chief executive officer Thulani Nzima said, “There is no doubt looking at the numbers that this has been the most successful Meetings Africa show yet.
“It shows that there is keen interest in destination South Africa and bodes extremely well for our plans to grow business tourist arrivals, entrench our status as Africa’s leading business tourism destination and increase our share in the global business tourism market.”
Held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South African Tourism said that a total of 8,906 meetings were requested during the three-day show, with heightened interest coming from the emerging BRIC markets.
