Sandton is booming, all of which is music to the ears of the Sandton Tourism Association (STA) which was formed in 2000 to promote Sandton as both a business and leisure tourism destination.
Says Alida Canevari, chairperson of the Sandton Tourism Association: “Sandton continues to flourish and offer first-class service to those who stay, play or shop in the area. It continues to be a destination of choice for people throughout the country as well as the African diaspora and further afield. It is the gateway to the continent’s commercial and business hub.”
The completion of current building work will increase Sandton office supply to 1.7 million square metres, giving it the biggest stock of office space in South Africa. More than 11 5000m² of new developments have been added since 2014; according to figures released recently by real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle.
Sandton is home to approximately 300 000 residents and 10 000 businesses, including investment banks, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and one of the biggest convention centres on the African continent, the Sandton Convention Centre (SCC).
Executive director of the SCC, Matifadza Nyazema believes that Sandton has “come of age” as a global destination. The centre, which hosts more than 500 events a year, has provided the venue for the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group Mayors Summit, among other important international meetings, conferences and festivals. The Days of the Dinosaur Exhibition, held at the centre in June and July, attracted an impressive 185 000 visitors during its four week run.
Next month, Africa’s premier jazz festival Standard Bank Joy of Jazz – with musical giants from around the world taking part – will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre for the first time as part of a SCC calendar that is jam-packed until the end of the year.
Meanwhile Sandton City, which celebrated its 40th birthday last year, is the country’s top shopping destination and continues to grow with floor space increased in 2013 by 30000m2. A new Diamond Walk, due to open early next year, will feature 10 of the top luxury brands in the world. There are also plans to upgrade other areas including the food court.
Continues Canevari: “The Sandton Tourism Association’s approach is to ensure that our members and the Sandton node itself are continuously marketed through its website and social media formats. We also work with related tourist organisations and companies to grow our visibility. One of our goals is to expand our footprint to become an ever stronger association that adds real value to members and the area we operate in.
“We support and work with other interested parties who share the same objectives as our Association does. We currently have just under 100 members and intend for that number to grow impressively in the future. We are delighted with our successes over the past 14 years. As the STA we have even bigger plans to promote Sandton in both the international and local marketplace as a must visit destination. Watch this space!”
