The first phase of a study commissioned by the City of Cape Town has revealed that direct spend on tourism in Cape Town has grown at 5.6% per annum between 2009 and 2012.
The research conducted by Grant Thornton shows that the city’s tourism industry generated R14.6 billion in 2012, up from R12.4 billion in 2009.
In 2010, the tourism industry’s contribution to the local economy peaked at R16 billion, mainly due to the impact of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“This is great news for the City of Cape Town. We know that an increase in tourist numbers equates to an increase in jobs, and this helps this administration realise its commitment to build an Opportunity City for all our residents,” says the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Marketing Councillor Grant Pascoe.
“The results prove that tourists are not only coming to the city to experience the natural beauty, but also to spend, providing a much-needed boost to the local economy,” says Councillor Pascoe.
The research, commissioned in April 2013, is part of a three-year project by Grant Thornton to project the economic value of tourism in Cape Town using different methodologies. It found that Cape Town’s tourism industry created the most jobs in the unskilled and semi-skilled categories, where employment was most needed.
According to the study, around 19 000 permanent and 12 000 temporary workers were employed in the unskilled and semi-skilled categories.
In total, the city’s tourism industry employs around 34 500 permanent and about 15 000 temporary employees.
“We will continue to use our resources to encourage tourism and the subsequent investment into our city, thereby creating work opportunities for the people that live in our city,” says Cllr Pascoe.
