Cape Town is the second-most populated city in South Africa after Johannesburg, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. The city is famous for its harbour, its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, world famous winelands as well as for such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Cape Town is not only the most popular international tourist destination in South Africa, but Africa as a whole. This is due to its good climate, natural setting, and well-developed infrastructure.
Cape Town is the quintessential melting pot: it is a city alive with creativity, colour, sounds and tastes. While walking through the city’s streets and meeting its people, you will fall in love with its natural beauty, creative freedom and incredible spirit. Cape Town is a city where the unexpected is always just around the corner and the beautiful province of the Western Cape lies ready to be explored across the city border.
Delegates to Cape Town mostly arrive and depart by air. Once on the ground, getting around is relatively simple and convenient, with MyCiti bus services, taxis, hotel shuttles and hire-cars being the preferred modes of transport for international travellers. Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town have modern airports with facilities to match. Apart from shops and restaurants, international arrival halls have banks and foreign exchange outlets. Lounges are available for business-class travellers.
All of the airports offer wireless Internet (WIFI) access throughout the building or designated ‘hot spots’ where coverage exists. There are WIFI facilities at both the International and Domestic Terminals at Cape Town International Airport. The Cape Town International Convention Centre and other conference venues and hotels in the Cape Town central business district are a 20-minute drive from Cape Town International Airport.
While a number of international and national carriers service Cape Town International Airport direct with the bulk of international carriers flying into Johannesburg. Cape Town is a two-hour domestic flight from Johannesburg and on average there are flights every half hour between the two cities with a variety of domestic carriers.
In general, business and shopping hours are from 09h00 to 17h00 on weekdays. However, most shopping malls operate according to extended hours and are open seven days a week. Banking hours are generally from 08h30 to 15h00 on weekdays and 08h30 to 11h00 on Saturdays. Most banks are closed on Sundays.
January is the height of summer weather for this city in the southern hemisphere, with hot afternoons and little precipitation characterizing the month in Cape Town. The resort enjoys a Mediterranean climate with short, mild winters, which occur June through to August, and long, warm summers that last from December through to March. Most of the rain occurs during the winter months, with very little falling throughout the rest of the year. During January, the average high temperature reaches a scorching 28°C (82°F), so make sure you come prepared and bring plenty of suntan lotion to avoid sunburn. The temperatures change dramatically during the evening, with the average low temperature dropping to 16°C (61°F), and many visitors will want to bring a jacket.
Despite the drastic difference in the average high and low temperatures for the month of January, there are a number of days that are comfortable, particularly in the morning and early evening. The average temperature for the month evens out at 22°C (72°F).
The South African currency is known as the Rand (ZAR), which utilizes the decimal system, with one Rand being equal to 100 cents. Bank notes are available in denominations of R10, R20, R50, R100 and R200. Silver coins are available in denominations of R1, R2 and R5. Brass coins are available in denominations of 5c, 10c, 20c and 50c.
A Standard Bank ATM (automated teller machine) which accepts all major bank and credit cards is available at the CTICC Foyer.
All major credit cards (Visa, Master card, American Express and Diners Club) and travelers’ cheques are widely accepted in and around South Africa.
South Africa’s electricity supply is 220/230 volt (V) AC. Adaptors for electricity appliances are available at all major shops.
Parking at the CTICC is never a problem, with over 1 300 secure, easily accessible on-site parking bays available to visitors.
The 1500 bays on P1 are accessed via the Buitengracht or Walter Sisulu Avenue/Long Street entrance and require a short walk across Convention Square to enter the CTICC.
The 250 bays on P2 are located in the Westin Cape Town hotel basement.
The 336 bays on P3 are situated in the CTICC basement.
Additional, overflow parking can be arranged if necessary. Shuttle services are provided from these parking areas to the CTICC.
Parking is not included in the venue rental, and guests are required to use the convenient pay-on-foot parking ticket kiosks to pay for their parking on an hourly basis. Alternatively, event organisers can organise to pre-book parking for their guest by prior arrangement. These pre-booked parking tickets can be bought at a price of R40 per guest, per day.
A range of transport options are available to get you wherever you want to be. These include:
Integrated Rapid Transport System - Cape Town's sophisticated bus transport system..
MyCiTi Shuttles - These shuttles offer efficient and safe public transport across the city. The CTICC is conveniently located on one of the MyCiti routes, which runs from the airport to the city.
Taxi, Bus or Coach - Metered taxis, luxury air-conditioned coaches and shuttle buses regularly run between the airport, hotels, the city centre and most major tourist destinations.
Train - Cape Town Central Station is situated in the heart of the city, while an extensive rail system connects the city centre with the rest of the region and the greater Western Cape.
By Canal - The unique Roggebaai canal offers a relaxed, charming journey via water taxi between the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and the CTICC.
On Foot - The centralised and compact nature of the city means that walking is often the transport mode of choice for visitors.
On Two Wheels - Given the temperate climate and abundance of safe routes around the city, bicycles are fast becoming a very popular form of transport for visitors. As part of its commitment to minimising its carbon footprint, the CTICC encourages the use of this mode of transport and the proposed expansion will even include a dedicated bicycle hiring facility.
Uber - primarily works through an application that can be downloaded on Google Android phones, Apple iIPhones, selected Blackberrys, as well as Nokia Lumia phones. The easy-to-use app allows travellers to select their location as well as track the driver’s progress to commuter’s point of call. The app also allows commuters to connect to their bank accounts, meaning that there is no need to carry cash, as the cab costs are debited directly.
South African standard time is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT +2) and one hour ahead of European winter time. There are no time zone differences within the country.
Tipping, normally at 10% of eh total bill is accepted in most restaurants. For groups of 10 or more a service charge is normally included in the bill and an additional tip is at the discretion of the group depending on their service experience at the restaurant. Tipping of hotel staff is the discretion of the guest.
VAT is set at 14% and should be included in the retail price displayed on goods and services. Refunds on VAT paid for goods which are taken out of the country may be claimed by visitors. VAT refund administration offices can be found at all major international departure points and visitors will be required to provide the original VAT documentation with their claim. Please note that VAT refunds exclude service rendered or goods consumed.
While every care will be taken in all arrangements, please note that the organisers will not be held liable for any accidents, loss of/or damage to property or person during the conference period. Delegates must therefore ensure that suitable personal insurance arrangements are included in their travel arrangements.p>
Tea and coffee will be served on a daily basis in the Exhibition area. Additional refreshments can be purchased at the coffee shop situated inside the conference center foyer. There is one restaurant (Marimba restaurant) inside the conference centre and a number of restaurants which were identified within 15min walk from CTICC. See restaurant table below
Interpretation will be provided in French during Plenary.
Wi-Fi spots are located throughout the ICC building.
The centre offers full wheel-chair access, designated drop-off points and parking bays for people with disabilities, direct access escalators designed for the disabled, toilets for the physically challenged, and elevators with Braille inscriptions.
The width of all external and internal doors has been designed to accommodate wheelchair access and lift buttons are placed to allow access by those in wheelchairs. Auditorium is also equipped with designated seating sections for wheelchair occupants.
Despite perceptions to the contrary, Cape Town is as safe as most international cities, and this is in no small measure due to the efforts of the Central City Improvement District (CCID). One of the main drivers behind the establishment of the CCID in 2000 was to make Cape Town’s Central City the safest in the country. The vision was to set up effective preventive and reactive security measures through highly visible police officers, mobile vehicles and a bicycle squad twenty four hours a day.
This public/private partnership collects more than R27 million a year from property owners in the city, half of which pays for extra security on the streets of Cape Town’s CBD. Altogether, 200 security officers keep the streets of the CBD safe, day and night, for all those who work in, live in or visit the city. The dedicated team of security managers and foot officers, who are highly visible, patrol the streets on a 24-hour basis. Multi-lingual officers with all officers fluent in English. The other languages widely spoken are Afrikaans and Xhosa.
A CCTV surveillance network, paid for by the City of Cape Town, assists in keeping crime at bay. In addition, Cape Town now also boasts a municipal police force. Three hundred and fifty officers have already been trained, 35 of whom are allocated to the central city specifically. CCID security officers work in a close partnership with the private sector and all law enforcement agencies by communicating on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
The CCID officers work regularly with the SAPS in special operations related to illegal activities. This unique partnership has seen a consistent decrease in the crime rate – and to date, since 2000, the CBD has experienced an astounding 85 percent decrease in crime. A mobile Safety Kiosks, set up last year by the CCID Security Department, which provides visible security in a range of locations, has made a huge contribution to security in the city. The kiosk provides visible policing in key locations, events, hotspot areas and problematic locations.
