EIGHT thousand hotel rooms are still needed to cater for accredited delegates who will attend the 17th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (Cop17) in Durban.
Now an appeal has gone out to those hotels, bed and breakfast businesses and guest houses who have not registered with Thompsons Africa – the city’s contracted accommodation provider – to contact it to be added to the list delegates can use to find accomodation.
The UN is expecting 15 000 accredited delegates to attend its conference at the International Convention Centre and the Durban Exhibition Centre, and thousands of other visitors will also fly in for other gatherings and exhibitions at other venues across the city,
Project manager of Thompsons Africa Erica Gardner, said on Wednesday that there was an 8 000 room shortfall. “And we are not even half way there,” she told a meeting at the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which was attended by stakeholders from the hospitality industry and related businesses.
Although the conference will be held from November 26 to December 3, some delegates are expected to come in from November 21 until December 11 – and some UN officials are expected to arrive from early November.
Gardner said that 5 000 rooms had already been committed by the hospitality industry for the conference, with 4 000 already booked.
Rooms are needed within an hour’s drive from Durban; Ballito in the north; to Scottburgh in the south and up to Hillcrest in the west.
Gardner was optimistic she would reach the target and if necessary, would go further out to the Pietermaritzburg area to find rooms.
Earlier, Sue Bannister, the acting head of the city’s Strategic Projects Unit, told how 600 bicycles would be lent to delegates to get around during the conference.
The bicycles would be donated to local schools after the conference, she said. Facts and figures about COP17
ONE million-plus: That’s the number of cups of tea or coffee expected to be sold in the city (according to Sue Bannister, the head of the city’s Strategic Projects Unit). This is based on a minimum of 15 000 people flying in.
450 000 meals will be eaten.
135 000 accommodation “bed nights” expected.
50 000 curios will be sold.
50 000 metered taxi trips will be taken.
5 000 delegates will visit tourist attractions-and most of them will have “significant” disposal income.
To get a registration form to add your hotel’s name to the official accommodation list, email requests to:
[email protected]- Daily News, page 7