The country is abuzz, waiting in anticipation for the commencement of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which is to be held from 25th August to 4th September in Johannesburg. And the perception is, that with the enormous influx of international delegates arriving in South Africa from the beginning of August and only departing mid-September, there are certainly no hotel rooms available. Quite the contrary, says Protea Hotels.  “Even though this is a very busy period for us, we still have loads of rooms available throughout the country, especially before the 25th August and again after the 11th September,” said Arthur Gillis, Group Managing Director for Protea Hotels.
The misconception has resulted in corporates postponing workshops, training and conferences until the end of September, when in actual fact hotels are only full for a maximum of two weeks.  As such, the industry wants to reassure people that it is business as usual and appeals to the market not to delay their plans.
Despite a large number of satellite conferences taking place throughout the country, like the conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations taking place in Cape Town, Protea is saying that there are still ample rooms available, even with all the hype around the World Summit!
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