HUGE GAINS FROM HOSTING MEGA EVENTS

BIG events, including sporting races, business conferences, food festivals, fixtures and matches as well as music festivals, are key catalysts in boosting tourism to regions.

South Africa has a history of hosting mega events including the Fifa World Cup in 2010, thereby boosting the economy by millions of rand. Last weekend’s Global Citizen Festival drew a crowd of well over 70 000.

Accommodation establishments get to enjoy high occupancies during big events, even during off-peak season, which helps to foster a robust and sustainable tourism sector that continues to create jobs.

It’s not only the urban areas that benefit from the events. Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMES) in rural communities are able to provide diversified offerings to tourists.

The beauty of staging big sporting events, such as the Comrades Marathon, is that not only do they bring in local and international runners, but the athletes often return with their friends and families.

International business delegates often travel with their spouses, who go on pre- and post-conference tours and indulge in shopping and immerse themselves in the culture of the destination. Major events create countless business opportunities for SMMES which are able to sell their products and services to the visitors.

Kwazulu-natal has dozens of high-powered events on its calendar, and the social event of the year – the Vodacom Durban July – is just one of the big ones. Some 55 000 racegoers converge on Greyville Racecourse for Africa’s premier race.

We at Tourism KZN have recognised the importance of this mega event and regularly host travel agents, tour operators and international media to expose them to it, the fashions and the region’s tourism hotspots.

High-profile personalities flock to the race, and when they share their experiences, they do wonders in promoting our destination.

Other flagship sporting events include the Tsogo Sun Amashova cycle race and the Dusi canoe race.

We look forward to the World Football Summit set for Durban in 2020. It is the biggest soccer event to be staged in the country since 2010 and is expected to bring in

R800 million to the region. It is important that the hosting of these events is matched by a welcoming community, willing to make our visitors feel welcome, safe and ready to return with friends and families.

Phindile Makwakwa is the acting chief executive of Tourism Kwazulu-natal.