ANC elective conference gives Joburg GDP R257m boost

Just two days are left until the ANC national elective conference kicks off, with thousands of delegates expected to attend, bringing a major boost to the local hospitality industry.

The ANC’s 55th national conference at Johannesburg Expo Centre at Nasrec, where new leaders will be elected, starts on Friday.

Governing in eight provinces, the party’s delegates and visitors – more than 5 000, as well as 600 media – were expected to stay in Gauteng for more than six days, boosting the local economy with an estimated R257 million.

Rosemary Anderson, the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa) national chair, said the conference has been a “most welcome economic boost to Johannesburg and surrounding accommodation providers”.

“Johannesburg accommodation providers normally do not have good occupancy, since business, conferences and government travel had generally stopped until late January, so the conference is welcome.

“A number of large hotels are enjoying 100% occupancy over the duration of the conference.”

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Anderson said besides accommodating only ANC delegates, there were many more rooms required for people organising functions.

The Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) estimated the elective conference would bring more than R257 million into the visitor economy and gross domestic product (GDP) of Gauteng.

According to GTA CEO Sthembiso Dlamini, Gauteng had a highly professional and advanced sector in terms of hosting meetings, incentive trips, conferences and exhibitions.

Dlamini said events like the ANC conference were fundamental in supporting small businesses and township-based enterprises in the aftermath of the pandemic.

“Events like this conference and the recent World Congress of Constitutional Law conference have been and will be hosted to the highest standards, earning us a reputation as one of the most popular conferencing destinations,” she said.

“The authority recognised the impact major events continued to have on the economy, especially supporting small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and township-based enterprises after the two-year Covid pause.”