The City of Cape Town says more than 2.4 million visitors came to Cape Town in 2024, spending around R25 billion that went directly into the economy. This spending supported over 106 000 jobs, nearly 7% of total city employment.

The city is on a drive to attract more visitors and create more jobs in the sector, and grow the local economy.

The tourism industry in Cape Town is one of the sectors that has performed exceptionally well over the past year.

Millions of visitors, both local and international, make their way to the Mother City to experience its beauty and visit popular tourist attractions. These include destinations such as Table Mountain, where visitors can enjoy nature and breathtaking views of Cape Town, Robben Island, where visitors can learn about South Africa’s history, and the penguin colony at Boulders Beach.

The industry contributed around R25 billion to the city’s economy in 2024 and created more than 100 000 jobs.

Mayco Member for Economic Growth, James Vos says, “We want to grow those numbers even more, more overnight visits, so that we can get a better geographic spread of the economic value, so that more communities and more businesses can benefit from the economic value of tourism. But at the same time, focusing on sustainable and responsible tourism so that we can protect our natural resources, our cultures, and those are the things that really will drive tourism into the future.”

Business tourism is also a major driver of economic growth for Cape Town.

Frequent events and international conferences, such as Fame Week Africa, boost the local economy and help to promote the city.

The gathering is a business-to-business event for the creative and cultural industries, focusing on film, TV, animation, music, and fashion.

Portfolio Director for Fame Week Africa, Martin Hiller says, “When we have productions that are signed and happening in Cape Town, for example, there’s a lot of economic spinoffs that happen, a lot of job creation. When we watch a TV show or a film, we just see a little section of what’s happening in front of the cameras, but there’s a lot of stuff that happens behind the cameras. So, think about hotels, accommodation, catering, even extras, there’s a lot of economic spin-offs.”

A large delegation from Atlanta in the United States, who work in the arts and creative industries, is among the visitors who travelled to Cape Town to participate in the festival and explore Cape Town. Partnerships between members of the group and businesses in Cape Town can also benefit the local economy.

US Member House of Representatives, Yasmin Neal says, “By bringing Atlanta to Cape Town we are able to open up to the world, open up to our side of the world what things are like here and what the creatives are like here what the opportunities are like here and it helps us both ways, when it comes to engaging and working with each other in the future.”

A delegation from the City of Cape Town recently visited India to engage tour operators and members of the tourism industry, and later this year, they will join the Western Cape’s trade agency, Wesgro, on a mission to China to expand that market.

The new routes are expected to increase opportunities for trade, business, and investment.