Operating under Wesgro, the Western Cape’s tourism, trade, and investment promotion agency, the Convention Burea secured the bids in the last financial year.
This is the first time Wesgro’s Convention Bureau has seen business events make an economic impact surpassing R1 billion, reaching an estimated R1 029 billion (R 1 028 928 000).
Job creation
Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, noted the impact of this milestone and the positive effect these business events will have on the local economy.
“This is fantastic news for the province and more so for the many jobs across hospitality, food and beverage services and tourism sector that the thousands of delegates attending these conferences and meetings will support,” she said.
The secured bids will contribute to the province’s event calendar until 2029. Notable conferences in the pipeline include:
- The World Congress of Public Health in September 2026
- The International Botanical Congress in July 2029
(each are expected to host 4 000 delegates) - The World Congress of Family Doctors in 2027
- The World Congress of Neurology in 2027
(3500 delegates are anticipated for each conference)
Many of these conferences are strategically scheduled during the Western Cape’s traditionally quieter tourism season.
Wesgro CEO, Wrenelle Stander, emphasised the Western Cape’s appeal as an international event destination.
“The region boasts top-notch venues like the Century City Conference Centre and the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), which recently underwent an expansion to become one of Africa’s premier conference venues,” she said.
Cape Town’s conference record
Minister Wenger highlighted Cape Town’s impressive track record in hosting international association meetings. Cape Town hosted 405 such meetings between 2013 and 2022, while Stellenbosch hosted 84 events during this period. These meetings collectively attracted over 225 000 delegates.
“As part of the Western Cape Government’s economic action plan, we are determined to double the number of tourists to the Western Cape by 2035 but also to encourage visitors to stay longer, spend more and spread economic benefits throughout the province,” added Wenger.
“Securing more business events, both large and small, will certainly help to achieve this ambitious target, supporting and enabling the creation of many more jobs in the Western Cape.”
