East London courts business tourism

BUFFALO CITY is increasing its appeal as a
destination for business conferences and incentive
breaks, says Mervyn Gatcke, acting head of Buffalo
City Tourism.
“By October next year we will have a new
conference and expo centre on the beach-front. It
will be a mini international convention centre and
will be operational well before the planned one for
Port Elizabeth,” he says.
According to Gatcke, East London is seeing a
growing demand for conference space. “We are
getting busier and busier. East London is the unofficial
capital of the Eastern Cape and is a convenient
meeting place for government and semi-government
groups.”
There are a number of major regional centres such
as Queenstown, Mthatha and Port Elizabeth within
a 300 kilometre radius of East London, making it a
central meeting place.
The metro offers a variety of accommodation
and conference facilities. “East London offers a
lot of accommodation. Visitors can expect to find
somewhere to stay even if they arrive at short notice.
There is invariably accommodation available in the
outer suburbs whilst the central areas are quite full. ”
The existing facilities will be increased by
the opening of a new R500-million conference centre
and 5 star hotel next to the Regent Hotel.
This will be complemented by a R600-
million development at Marina Glen on the beachfront.
There is a need for additional flights and increased
car hire capacity in the metro.
Another opportunity lies in the opening of a fullyfledged
tour operator in Buffalo City. This would help
attract cruise ships to the East London harbour, he
believes.
“We really need tour operators for our area. The
port is ideal for cruise ships and if we offer something
special for the passengers, more liners will choose us
as a destination,” he says.
For incentive outings, Buffalo City promotes itself
as “a rich blend of what it truly means to be in Africa.
The contrasts of pacy modern cities and towns mixed
with the languid pace of places where nature is the
timekeeper.”