Billed as the "conference conference" by local media, ICCA drew a record 479 delegates this year. They stayed for a total of 2360 bed nights with the majority electing to stay at the Arabella Sheraton and Cullinan hotels, followed in popularity by the Table Bay hotel in the V&A Waterfront, the Capetonian and the Holiday Inn on the Foreshore.
A quarter were accompanied by their partners, bringing 144 additional leisure visitors to the city. 99% of the delegates chose to arrive in Cape Town ahead of their conference with a further 226 extending their stay after the conference ended.
Christian Mutschlechner, current ICCA President says, "We have had record attendance levels for this year's conference. It is clear that the attraction of coming to Cape Town persuaded our delegates to attend."
The ICCA conference ran simultaneously with the International Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (IACVB) and the BestCities.net Workshop. Combined, these three conferences are estimated to have had added R24 million to the Western Cape economy.
In just six months, the Cape Town Convention and Events Bureau, a division of the newly formed Cape Town Routes Unlimited, has won six international conferences estimated to bring over R116.8 million and 10 000 delegates to the Western Cape within the next seven years.
According to Noki Dube, CEO of Cape Town Routes Unlimited, "business visitors frequently become leisure visitors, either extending their stay to take in the local sights, or returning with their families. They are often our best ambassadors.
"Furthermore, recent research has also shown that international conference delegates visiting Cape Town will each spend approximately R1932 daily (including conference fees), with 34.8% of their total expenditure going towards accommodation, 6.3% going to restaurants and a further 7% going towards shopping. This all equates to a huge cash injection for our city."
By comparison, domestic delegates each spend R1425 per day (including conference fees). 37.5 % of their spending will be on accommodation, 6.6% on restaurants and 5.9% on shopping.
Dirk Elzinga, Chairperson of the Local Host Committee and MD of the Cape Town International Convention Centre said, "We now have more than 600 ambassadors for this city and the country who will all convey the same message back home: Cape Town and South Africa are business tourism destinations on par with the rest of the world. Delegates were not only impressed with our world-class convention facility, but also with the city's infrastructure, tourist attractions, hotel accommodation, service levels and scenic beauty."
