An old professional, ready to show you a great time

Cape Town was recently named the number one business tourism destination in Africa by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). In addition to the being number one in Africa, the ICCA results also showed that the city made a positive leap of 15 places to be ranked in the Top 40 destinations for business tourism in the world.

During 2016, no less than 62 international meetings took place in the city, including some high-profile gatherings such as the South African Innovation Summit, the Mining Indaba and the World Energy Cities Partnership Annual General Meeting. In addition to this, 12 international association meetings were also hosted in Stellenbosch.

While the city is at the forefront of technological advancement and boasts a few world-class multi-purpose venues, it is the unique experiences that delegates can expect in Cape Town that makes the city truly special.

1.Culinary experiences

Cape Town’s highly acclaimed Winelands are a big draw card for any visitor to the city. The Mother City boasts many wine and brandy routes, quite a few of which are to be found at historic wine estates that date back centuries. Cape Town is also a foodie paradise just waiting to be explored beyond the famous Winelands. Delegates are encouraged to dig into the many food tours available in the city. These range from discovering Cape Malay cooking during a Bo-Kaap cooking tour, Culinary Cycle Safaris and even Electric Bike and Traditional Food Tours.

2.Social responsibility projects

Regardless of where conferences are hosted in the world, delegates actively want to give back to the communities of the destinations they visit. Often high-profile gatherings will nominate an initiative and encourage conference delegates to get involved. However, it is hardly ever just a simple pay-it-forward exercise. Initiatives such as social responsibility projects also provide delegates with the opportunity to get to know the destination in an alternative way. In Cape Town, the social responsibility opportunities are endless. SW Africa can organise a music get-together with a local band or orchestra, delegates can opt to help build houses or create veggie gardens with locals.

3.Luxury on rails

Bring nostalgia to life with a trip on the Blue Train or the Rovos Rail. Both these trains offer unique rail experiences for delegates to Cape Town giving them the opportunity to take a rather exclusive scenic tour through the Karoo. On a Rovos Rail journey, delegates can enjoy big windows and open-air balconies from where they’ll be treated to some of the most magnificent views. The Blue Train equals pure luxury and delegates can expect the highest in hospitality service with personal onboard butlers as well as fine dining and superb service.

4.Cape Town’s ‘wild side’

While many destinations in South Africa – or Africa for that matter – offer unique and amazing wildlife experiences, Cape Town gives you the best of both worlds – land and ocean. Delegates who are brave enough can take a boat trip out to go cage diving with Great White Sharks, or visit the Penguin Colony at Boulders Beach. At Aquila Private Game Reserve and the Gondwana Private Game Reserve, delegates can experience Cape Town’s spectacular malaria-free Big Five wildlife viewings. Delegates can even opt to ‘glamp’ out in a mobile safari camp in the middle of the African wilderness.