Rebounding demand for MICE services has been a key factor in driving higher occupancy rates for some of the country’s leading hotel groups, including Radisson Hotels.
Richard Mutanda, Radisson’s Assistant Country Director of Sales (South Africa), said that clients are taking advantage of the opportunity to host bigger events.
“In Q2 2022, our Conventions business grew by 40% and Meetings and Events occupancies doubled, compared to Q2 2021. We started seeing hotel accommodation occupancies recovering as international arrivals began to increase, airlines relaunching and travel confidence growing.”
Mutanda said there is a steady up peak in occupancies for the second half of the year, as demand for leisure and business travel ramps up from traditional source markets.
“We have adjusted our packaging to cater for expected high demand across the country especially in the coastal areas, where we anticipate the trend to continue during high season. We have yet to see the return of Asian markets but have seen a robust return in US and European markets,” said Mutanda, adding that the rising number of incentive enquiries for 2023 was another encouraging indicator of tourism recovery.
