The City of Cape Town has set ambitious new tourism targets as part of its Tourism Strategy 2029 with a focus on increasing international arrivals, creating jobs and strengthening competitiveness.
James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth in Cape Town, told Tourism Update that the new strategy is designed to “future-proof and supercharge the sector, creating a more sustainable, inclusive and impactful tourism economy that directly benefits Capetonians.”
He said the strategy “aims to be fundamentally different in ambition, scale and execution” than previous strategies, which he said are “often short-term, reactive and fragmented”.
Vos said the strategy also marks the first time the city has committed to “bold, measurable goals” like growing direct tourism jobs to 117 000, increasing annual international arrivals by 6% per year to 2.6 million and boosting international tourism spend to R37.1 billion by 2029.
The strategy is based on four pillars:
- Leadership and governance: A new Mayoral Tourism Advisory Committee, led by Vos, will bring tourism stakeholders together including product owners, service providers and marketing specialists. Vos will then report regularly to the mayor on progress, key developments and challenges.
- Removing obstacles to growth: Challenges like tackling safety, seasonality and transport constraints will be directly addressed. Vos said the city’s marketing campaign to attract year-round travellers and investment in attracting meetings and events outside of the peak season aim to combat seasonality. “Improving local transport options, especially through MyCiTi and integrated regional systems, is also a major focus area,” he said.
- Strengthening responsible tourism: This will include focus on environmental sustainability, universal access and community upliftment. Asked whether the strategy considers growing concerns about the negative impacts of tourism and short-term rentals for Capetonians, Vos said “these are increasingly important issues globally and locally”. He said the city is committed to managing these through visitor dispersal to lesser-known attractions and communities, protecting natural assets through conservation-conscious tourism practices, ensuring universal access to public facilities and attractions, and “reviewing policies around short-term rentals while still enabling tourism entrepreneurship”. Vos said: “One of the key principles underpinning Strategy 2029 is that a place must be great to live in if it is to be great to visit.”
- Synchronised marketing: Vos said this aims to “end the siloed approach, ensuring all stakeholders speak with one voice to market Cape Town effectively”.
The strategy is currently in the final consultation phase.
“We want every role player, from airlines and accommodation providers to tour operators and township entrepreneurs, to see themselves in this plan,” Vos said.
The city is refining and aligning all the deliverables and indicators, and the final document will be released to the public within the next few months, he said.
