The Convention Bureau of Katowice released a new report on the business tourists market of the City. According to the publication there were 6 117 business meetings in 2012 attended by more than 0,5 million people.
Each of the 520 000 attendees spent PLN 234 on average during the participation in the events. The participants that stayed at least for one night in Katowice, spent much more during the stay – the average is PLN 445. Almost 25 percent of all delegates booked a room for one or more nights.
The report also says that the most important motivation to participate in the meetings in Katowice was to improve its knowledge and to establish new business relations. Amongst the most positive assets of the City are the new Railway Station and the good connection with other cities. The surveyed attendees claim that the number of parking places has to be increased as well as the street sign’s system needs to be improved.
Most of the participants arrived in Katowice by private cars (65,7%). The second most popular is train (21,4%). 59% of all participants were in Katowice only once in 2012. About 30% of them visited the City from two to three times. More than half of the attendees are inhabited in the Silesian Voivodeship. A total number of the last year’s business meetings grew by 10,2% in comparison to 2011.
The data was received from 24 facilities in Katowice (8 hotels, 2 office buildings with conference area and 14 public utility buildings). Additionally, 210 attendees of five different business meetings in five different location in Katowice were surveyed to prepare the report.
The research was conducted by Krzysztof Cieślikowski, an analyst of the business tourism market and academic teacher of Katowice School of Economics (“Górnośląska Wyższa Szkoła Handlowa”).