Ekurhuleni hosts World Symposium

Expected to draw about of 450 delegates made up of 250 local stakeholders and 200 international delegates, the symposium will provide the City with opportunities for community development, economic empowerment, and international brand exposure as a business destination.

The symposium starts today (Sunday) and will end on Friday, February 20.

The IIPT is a non-profit and United Nations accredited NGO that was founded in 1986, the year of the UN International Year of Peace.

IIPT was formed in response to major global issues of the mid 1980s with a mission of mobilizing travel and tourism as world’s first global peace industry that promotes and supports the belief that “every traveller is a potential ambassador for peace.”

Since its launch in 1986, IIPT has initiated the dedication of 450 Peace Parks throughout the world, developed the world’s first code of ethics for sustainable tourism and has more than 600 case studies of “success stories” and models for “best practices”.

According to metro’s Spokesperson Themba Gadebe, the symposium will strategically consolidate the City’s position as a business tourism destination of choice,  Africa’s  Aerotropolis and key role player in the aviation industry, as well as to increase visitation to the region.

“We also seek to increase township economy, increase visitor expenditure in the City and economic empowerment for our SMMEs, amongst others,” said Gadebe.

The City receives 18.2 per cent international tourists out of 3.8 million tourists visiting Gauteng.

Of the 18.2 per cent international tourists visiting Ekurhuleni, 72 per cent of them are business tourists, therefore defining Ekurhuleni as a business tourist destination.