Tourism contributed 7.7% to the country’s gross domestic product in 2010, and the same year saw South Africa welcoming more than eight million tourists – exceeding the international market by 8% in tourist arrivals, according to the World Tourism Organization.

The uptick in visitor arrivals has remained encouragingly steady after the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. It is the resounding success of the hosting of the tournament that has undoubtedly helped to ensconce South Africa’s position as a world-class tourist destination.

But there are other drawcards to the country, such as its rich cultural diversity and temperate climate, which lend to its spectacular scenery and numerous archaeological sites – making South Africa a hot spot for the average tourist.

These factors have contributed to the guarantee of 200 international events expected to be held in the country over the next five years, and which are estimated to attract more than 300 000 international delegates – which will further boost this thriving sector of the economy.

At the kickoff of Meetings Africa held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 21 February 2011, Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk expressed his optimism and predicted these events would bring in over R1.6 billion in revenue to the country’s economy.

Durban is set to host a number of the scheduled events, including the UN Climate Change Conference; the International Transport and Environmental Conference; the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association Conference and the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa’s combined Conference & Exhibition; and the Disabled Peoples’ International 8th World Assembly.

Johannesburg will host 16 of the 200 confirmed events, with five of the 16 scheduled conferences already having been held by the end of February.

Industry experts remain optimistic despite daunting reports in the March edition of Finweek coming in from the hospitality industry, with City Lodge Group reporting a 28% drop in earnings during the six-month period ending December 2010; and the sector giant, Sun International, citing a similar trend with a 4% drop in occupancy in the 2010 third quarter year-on-year.

Hotels should benefit from the scheduled events and certainly this should see a major injection from the business tourism sector, which is thriving under these current conditions.

Business tourism is a particularly resilient and sustainable sector of the tourism industry, as it is less affected by economic downturns and disasters. It is a major contributor to employment due to the higher quality of personal service that is required in the industry, which tends to lead to higher levels of job creation.

Minister Van Schalkwyk has been heard to echo these sentiments: “Business tourism is playing an important and growing role in helping the government’s job creation objectives.”

It is made lucrative by the fact that the average business tourist is more likely to spend three times more than the leisure tourist. Furthermore, business tourists engage in more leisurely pursuits such as touring and adventure events.

The scheduled 200 events to take place in 2011, together with the newly launched South African Golf Tourism Association, are set to further boost business tourism, as golf is popularly regarded as the businessman’s sport and the industry itself is estimated to be worth R60bn.

The Tourism Investment Portfolio 2009 hailed the investment environment in South Africa as being globally competitive and rife with opportunity.

It described this environment as favourable to the investor, with legislation and policy that nurtures business and the economy (South Africa was voted ninth in the category of “protection of investors in the country” in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2008 report); a modern and extensive infrastructure network; incentives that stimulate investments, such as the Tourism Support Programme and an incentive grant targeting tourism enterprises.

South Africa was ranked 18th among the most attractive foreign direct investment (FDI) destinations worldwide in an FDI Confidence Index compiled by global management consulting firm, AT Kearney.

Investment opportunities exist primarily in infrastructure, hotels, transport, communication facilities, restaurants, attractions, amenities and conference auditoria, to mention but a few.

The leapfrog trend in the growth of the tourism industry has opened up numerous opportunities for growth and investment. This has serious implications for sustainable development, which is anchored in providing the same environmental and cultural heritage for future generations as enjoyed by present generations.

Investment projects need not only cater to such things as wealth and employment generation, but they have an even greater responsibility toward preserving the natural heritage and culture of the country.

This is particularly true in tourism areas where the focus of activities is on the environment – such as marine tourism, wildlife viewing and hunting, where pollution, water wastage and environment degradation can become an issue.

Nikita Mfeyana, chief operations officer of the Business Partners’ Tourism Fund, encourages tourism business owners to be environmentally responsible and to use responsible tourism as a marketing tool for their businesses in order to “add to the survival and profitability of the business and its surrounding environment.”

There are myriad investment opportunities in the area of nature conservation, such as the upkeep and maintenance of game reserves, trans-frontier conservation protection and renewable energy power projects.

The Manyeleti Nature Reserve upgrade project is an example of one such investment opportunity and highlights the need for investments to not only benefit the area and the investor, but to develop and empower the surrounding communities.

The topic of renewable energy sources has, in recent years, become a hot one as the looming threat of the depletion of fossil fuels draws closer in reality. South Africa’s unique position, in having access to renewable energy sources, means opportunities to invest are already bountiful.

According to capewatersolutions.co.za, many projects are on the table, such as the wind farm project to run the gamut of the country’s provinces, carried out by Irish company, Mainstream Renewable Energy, in conjunction with Genesis Eco Energy.

The future looks bright for South African tourism, and the country is brimming with untapped potential for further growth.

Tafara Mavingire