MIGRATION SEMINAR AND WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT LOGISTICS INFORMATION. Public Services International

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1 MIGRATION SEMINAR AND WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT LOGISTICS INFORMATION Public Services International

2 AIRPORT ARRIVAL King Shaka International Airport The new King Shaka International Airport in Durban is situated about 40 minutes travel from central Durban. PSI will set up a Welcome Desk at the airport arrivals (both International and Domestic). Look for the PSI Congress logo. The Desk will advise arriving participants on where to go to catch the shuttle. Shuttle between the Durban International Airport and Congress hotels Shuttle buses will pick up all sponsored delegates according to the arrival of their flights. Sponsored delegates include those who are sponsored by the PSI Migration Project. Sponsored delegates should be aware that taxi expenses will therefore not be reimbursed. The airport shuttle is available for all participants at a cost of ZAR per trip. This fee must be paid for in advance, and confirmed. No-one may get onto a bus without having paid in advance. If you reserved a shuttle seat when you registered, this is the shuttle you should take. MOZZIE is a reputable taxi service available at the airport at a cost of ZAR per trip. This should be paid directly to the driver. VENUE The Migration Seminar and Workshop will be held at Durban s acclaimed International Convention Centre (ICC Durban) in Hall 1B. Appendix 1 shows the layout of the ICC and the room allocations. Shuttle between Hotel and ICC Durban SHUTTLE INFORMATION Participants are strongly recommended NOT to walk between the hotels and from their hotel to the ICC and back, unless in large groups AND during daylight hours. Walking at night, even when in a group, is NOT recommended. Please ask your hotel reception or the ICC reception to call a taxi for you. The Hilton Hotel is within walking distance of the ICC. For participants staying at the other eight PSI hotels, a daily bus shuttle is organised to and from the ICC. The fee for the shuttle service for the four days of Congress is included in the Registration fee. For participants registered for pre-congress events, there will also be a reduced shuttle service. Detailed information on the shuttles will be posted at the Information Desk in your hotel and also at the PSI Information Desk in the ICC. For any other transport needs, participants should use reputable taxi services (see Travellers Tips ). 2

3 For the Migration Seminar and Workshop on 22 and 23 November, shuttle service will be picking up passengers between 7h45 to 8h45 in the morning from these eight PSI hotels, including Tropicana Hotel, to bring to the ICC Durban. In the evening, the shuttle will leave at 17h45 from ICC Durban to bring participants back to the hotels. Important: Please arrive early at the ICC Durban on 22 November to allow for Registration, which runs from 8:00 9:00 am at the ICC Durban Foyer Registration Desk. REGISTRATION On-site Registration Participants should already have completed and paid for on-line registration before leaving for Durban. All Congress participants - delegates, observers and any visitors (including the family members who intend entering the ICC and/or attending the evening receptions) must register on-site before Congress starts and obtain an identifying badge. This includes participants in pre- Congress events whether they stay for Congress or not; a reduced registration fee is charged in the case that they do not stay for Congress. On-site registration confirmation to obtain badges and voting materials will take place in the ICC Foyer area on the following days/times: 22 nd November from 8h00 to 9h00 23 rd November from 8h00 to 9h00 MIGRANT DESK EXHIBIT The PSI Migration and Health and Social Care Workers Programme has an Exhibit Booth called the Migrant Desk at the ICC Durban. The Desk is operational as from November It is located in Hall 3BC & 4 (Exhibition/Internet Café/Catering). The Migrant Desk is a place for distribution of our project materials and a space to meet and network with other participants. Please come and visit! SPONSORED PARTICIPANTS For sponsored participants, please note that PSI will pay for the hotel room, breakfast and taxes only. Sponsored participants will receive a per diem: any and all extra costs (taxis, meals, drinks, telephone, minibar items, laundry etc.) must have been paid by each participant by the time of departure with his or her per diem. The finance office and payments to sponsored participants Sponsored participants are requested to travel to Durban with enough convertible currency to cover immediate needs on arrival. Please remember to bring copies of all receipts and travel documents since these will be required for any reimbursements claimed. The Finance Office will be open at the ICC Foyer area from 9h00 to 18h00 each day from 22 to 30 November. Outside peak times, however, the Office will be open during reduced hours that 3

4 will be posted on the door of the Office. You will see the location of the Finance Office on the map of the ICC (Appendix 1). In case of any urgent financial needs, please first contact your Regional or Sub-regional Secretary. PRACTICAL INFORMATION PSI Information Desk / Hotel and Travel Desk You will find the PSI Information Desk for all general enquiries in the ICC foyer. There will also be a hotel and travel desk to help with evening or weekend sightseeing trips and confirmation of return flights. Internet café / Wi-Fi / printing services An Internet café will be available in Hall 4 of the ICC, accessible to all Congress participants and providing access to the Internet and services. Participants with their own laptops will be able to hook up to the Internet here. Wi-Fi is available throughout the ICC building. There will be an on-site printing and copying service. Please ask at the PSI Information Desk. Lunches and refreshment services during the Migration Seminar and Workshop Morning, afternoon and lunch breaks will be provided for all Migration Seminar participants. Lunches and refreshment services The ICC has one small snack/coffee bar, open daily and selling various light snacks and refreshments. Water fountains will be set up at various points in the ICC filled with the excellent South African public water. Note that there are no restaurants directly around the ICC, except in the Hilton Hotel which is immediately next to the ICC. Mobile phones You are well advised not to use your own mobile phone because of the high roaming charges. Mobile phones and mobile phone cards will be available for rent. Please enquire at the PSI Information Desk. Smoking regulations Please note that this will be a non-smoking event smokers are asked to kindly use the outside areas which will be indicated at the ICC. Business Centre A Business Centre with telephone, fax, photocopy, secretarial, postal and courier services is available in the Basement Foyer of the ICC from Monday Friday, from 8h00 to 17h00. LOCAL INFORMATION Durban Durban, also known as ethekwini in Zulu, is the third most populous city in South Africa and forms part of the ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality. It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is known 4

5 as the busiest port in Africa. It is a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and beaches. Geography and Climate Durban is famous for its mild sub-tropical climate with warm wet summers and mild, moist to dry winters. The PSI World Congress will take place during the South African summer season. Durban will be humid with sunny days. Maximum temperatures will range between 28 C 30 C. Demographics Land Area: 2,292 square kilometres (884.9 sq mi) Population: almost 3.5 Million Population density: 1,513 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,918.7 /sq mi) Currency: ZAR (Rand) Commonly spoken languages: English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa Currency South Africa s currency is the Rand, which is divided into 100 cents. Coins come in denominations of 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, R1, R2 and R5 and notes in denominations of R10, R20, R50, R100 and R200. Shopping hours Shopping hours are normally from 9h00 to 18h00, Monday to Friday. Opening times on Saturdays vary, but range between 9h00 and 17h00. Most major shopping centres and malls operate seven days a week. Bank services and currency Bank hours are from 9h00 to 15h30 on weekdays and from 8h30 to 11h00 on Saturdays. Most banks have cash dispensing machines accepting Visa, MasterCard and Cirrus ATM cards. Tipping Tipping is not compulsory, but is customary especially in restaurants where it is usual to give a 10% tip. Electricity supply The power supply in South Africa is 220vAC, 50Hz. Electrical sockets are rounded and three pronged. Delegates are advised to bring adaptor plugs. Adaptor plugs will be available for sale at Congress. Please ask at the PSI Information Desk. Water Tap water is drinkable in Durban and all South Africa s urban areas. Weather Average temperatures in Durban in November are Fahrenheit and Celsius (centigrade). Rain is possible, as 121mm of rain are expected for a month of November, and on average there are 11 days of rainfall per month of November. Communication The international dialling code for South Africa is +27. For international operator assistance, dial 0900/0903. For the national directory, dial Useful numbers Police and Flying Squad: Metro Police: Ambulance: Netcare Medical Response: EMRS Medical Response: Durban Tourist Information:

6 Durban Transport information: / pti.durban.gov.za KwaZulu-Natal Tourist Information: / Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife: SA National Parks Reservations: South African Tourism Information Call Centre (open 24/7): (Dutch, English, Afrikaans, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese) SAFETY TIPS As in most large cities, Durban has zones that may be safe for local residents, but less certain for visitors. Security teams and surveillance cameras are on duty around-the-clock. It is advisable when walking in Durban, particularly at night, that you should be aware of people around you, and ideally you should not walk alone but in a group. Highly visible displays of wealth should be avoided, and it is not advisable to look like a typical tourist with cameras and binoculars strung around your neck. Do not leave valuables unattended. Please check for relevant details in Travellers Tips. In general: Don't carry a camera openly in the city. Please take care when using your camera, as this will identify you as a tourist and could draw unnecessary attention. Avoid wearing jewelry and expensive watches. If you are accosted, remain calm and be co-operative. Be extra-careful when drawing money from a bank machine [ATM]. When on foot: Carry your handbag across your body. Do not carry excess cash on you. Do not leave valuables exposed (on a seat or the ground) during a meal or drink. Do not let strangers get too close to you especially people in groups. On the road: Lock all your car doors. Never leave anything worth stealing in view when your car is unattended. On the beach: Take little with you. Do not leave valuables, especially cameras, unattended. Safeguard car keys by pinning them to your swimming gear, or putting them in a waterproof wallet or splash box and taking them into the water with you. EMERGENCY NUMBERS Police and Flying Squad: Metro Police: Ambulance: Netcare Medical Response: EMRS Medical Response:

7 Appendix 1) Layout of the Durban ICC and room allocations 7

8 Appendix 2) Map of Durban showing hotels used by PSI for Congress N.B.: E, F, G. are now Southern Sun, not Holiday Inn K. Elangeni is Southern Sun Suncoast is Suncoast Hotel and Towers 8