Conference booking spike

2010-02-01 11:29

Johannesburg - Conference bookings in Gauteng are expected to exceed R1bn ahead of the Soccer World Cup later this year, an official at the AstroTech conference centre in Johannesburg said on Monday.

"The year has started off fast and very busy with a significant number of queries and bookings from foreign and South African companies booking conferences and events," said CEO Liza van Wyk.

"Many of the South African companies seem to be concerned about high travel prices during the Soccer World Cup and the fact that universities will close during that time, so are moving bookings forward."

Van Wyk said bookings are "very high" for April, ahead of the tournament in June.

"Conference bookings in Gauteng alone are expected to exceed R1 billion."

Demand was fuelled by SA being named a top 10 destination for 2010 in a British travel trends report.

"There has been significant interest from foreign organisations that are having events here because of the World Cup," said Van Wyk.

- SAPA