Cape Town is synonymous with a healthy, balanced quality of life and has become a preferred destination for events, exhibitions, concerts and conferences. There are venues across the city, which are perfectly suited to hosting a range of delegates or guests. Sporting and cultural events are enhanced when held against the magnificent backdrop of Table Mountain.
Premier events hosted in the city include:
- Absa Cape Epic
- The Cape Town Cycle Tour
- Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon
- Cape Town International Jazz Festival
- Africa Travel Week
- Investing in African Mining Indaba
- ITU Triathlon World Cup
- Sanlam Cape Town Marathon
- Cape Town Golf Open
- Volvo Ocean Race
These mega events annually inject upwards of R2 billion into our local economy. Our success in hosting events of various sizes and types, throughout the year and throughout various parts of the city, has earned Cape Town an enviable reputation as the Events Capital of Africa.
One of the most beautiful cities on earth, Cape Town offers something for everyone. Globally, the city ranks among the world’s top destinations to visit and has all the attributes that appeal to people looking for a great city in which to live, work, play and invest. With a cultural heritage spanning more than 300 years and a vibrant mix of people, places and events, Cape Town is widely considered to be one of the most desirable lifestyle cities in the world. Our government focuses on the wellbeing and safety of all its citizens and visitors. We are responsible and energy-conscious, and focused on building a secure city of the future – one that is aligned with global standards of sustainable growth. We are national leaders in business and have a thriving knowledge economy; our skills market is growing and the city offers numerous opportunities for work and investment. We are also a proudly inclusive city, welcoming all who can join us in our vision to create a safe, sustainable, vibrant urban environment for generations to come. Cape Town is also a proud recipient of a number of international awards and accolades. The city was voted one of the Top 10 Cities in the World for Travellers by Lonely Planet in 2017, Skytrax voted our airport the Best in Africa (19th best in the world) and international real estate company Savills ranked the Cape Town amongst the world’s Top Tech Cities in a 2017 report.
Other accolades include being crowned the World Design Capital for 2014, beating off fierce competition from rival cities, Ireland and Bilbao. The same year, Cape Town secured the top spot on the prestigious New York Times’ list of 52 Places to visit, ahead of destinations such as Los Angeles, the Vatican and the Seychelles.
VISIT
Cape Town is a must-visit destination. Cape Point, the City Walk, Groot Constantia, Kirstenbosch, Robben Island, the Table Mountain Cableway and the V&A Waterfront are the iconic destinations that form the core of the true Cape Town experience, and a trip to the city will not be complete without a visit to each Big 7 attractions. Cape Town also has the highest number of Blue Flag beaches in South Africa. Seven of the city’s most popular beaches and three Cape Town marinas have been recognised for meeting the globally-acclaimed Blue Flag standards. Beaches awarded the prestigious status include: Bikini Beach, Mnandi, Strandfontein, Llandudno, Camps Bay, Clifton 4th and Silwerstroom. Cape Town has a number of world class museums that offer up a treasure trove to the past. A number of these museums are located in the city centre – all within walking distance of each other – and together offer a view as diverse and entertaining as the city itself. The state-of-the-art Zeitz MOCAA is the latest addition to the Cape Town landscape and the first major museum in Africa dedicated to contemporary art. The museum, housed in the historic Grain Silo at the V&A Waterfront, comprises over 9,500 square meters (102,000 square feet) placing it among leading contemporary art museums worldwide. Zeitz MOCAA is spread over nine floors, of which 6,000 square meters (65,000 square feet) is dedicated to exhibition space. Through an entire floor dedicated to education, the museum aims to develop a new art¬loving, museum¬going audience.
LIVE
Cape Town has a terrific mixture of areas to live, from vibrant city-living to quiet, leafy residential suburbs. The city is known for its successful property market. In recent years Cape Town’s property values and sales transactions have exceeded Johannesburg’s and continue to attract international property investors. The city and surrounds is also home to four public universities, two globally recognised business schools and a number of trustworthy private and public institutions. Educational institutions situated in the city include the University of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape and the Cape Town University of Technology. Cape Town is also fast becoming the most digitally connected city in Africa. The City’s public Wi-Fi service and other digital inclusion projects are part of a broader Digital City Strategy, which aims to make Cape Town the most digitally connected city in Africa. Other elements of the strategy include investment in digital infrastructure, digital business initiatives, and a focus on digital government.
WORK
Cape Town’s favourable lifestyle is one of the major reasons why many of the top wealth and asset management firms choose to base themselves here. The city is home to an impressive group of wealth managers, including the likes of Allan Gray, Old Mutual, Foord, Coronation, Sanlam, Prescient and Sygnia. Most of these companies’ staff and top executives live in the city. Top employment sectors in Cape Town include community and social services, the financial and trade sectors. The financial services sector employed the largest number of skilled individuals in 2015 (274 087) and the manufacturing sector employed the largest number of semi¬skilled and unskilled individuals (111 213). Cape Town is also home to over 200 companies in the Information Technology (IT) and software industry employing 7 500 people. Our large retailers have extensive distribution channels into Africa opening up the possibility of collaboration in moving products within the continent. Cape Town also has a booming film and media industry. It’s a sector that has created more than 35 000 jobs, contributing about US$ 92 million to the economy in the last 3 years. Cape Town is home to the only Hollywood style film studio complex in Africa. Coupled with exceptionally skilled film crew and post-production services, our facilities are winning awards and attracting a growing number of productions and stars to our shores. We also act as a gateway to Africa with several companies running their African operations from our city. The City of Cape Town is making sure that our infrastructure investments support key sectors, like the tech industry. An extensive open source fibre optic network has been installed with plans to extend the footprint over the forthcoming years.
PLAY
Cape Town hosts a wide range of local and international events – from concerts and community-based events to business conferences and international sports tournaments. The city is a creative hub with arts, heritage and cultural sites, activities and opportunities for all. We have a lively arts and culture scene where creativity and heritage are explored through theatre, live music, dance, visual arts and more. Both day and night in Cape Town offer you exciting cultural spaces to visit and events to be a part of. Explore galleries and museums ,cultural precincts, attend signature events and explore our top cultural venues.
INVEST
Cape Town is South Africa’s oldest city, its second¬most populous and an important contributor to national employment. It is the legislative capital of South Africa, the administrative and economic centre of the Western Cape, and Africa’s third biggest economic hub. The Mother City produces 9.8% of South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) and accounts for more than 71% of the Western Cape’s economic activity (Global Insight, 2016). The City has a diversified economy, and the three biggest sectors are: finance, insurance, property and business services. Cape Town is attracting thinkers, innovators and design led entrepreneurs who are helping to build an ecosystem that is strong in many aspects of the knowledge economy. The city is the leader on the African continent in the information technology sector, with more tech start¬ups than anywhere else on the continent. Cape Town has been chosen as the African headquarters of innovation by companies such as Barclay Rise and Thomson Reuters. The city is also the home to many of South Africa and Africa’s financial institutions and, coupled with the national headquarters of many legal and consultancy firms, offer all the services needed to underpin a global drive into Africa. One of the fastest growing sectors in Cape Town’s economy is the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, with many global call centres and online retailers like Amazon choosing to conduct their operations from our shores. Between January 2003 and October 2015 an estimated 225 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects were recorded into Cape Town, representing capital investment of ZAR62.39bn, and the creation of 18 129 jobs (FDI Intelligence, 2016). In 2015/2016, the City was rated highly for its sound fiscal position and prudent financial management by the international credit rating agency Moody’s, achieving the highest possible level of credit quality within the national context by obtaining a long and short-term Global Scale Rating of Baa2 and Prime 2 respectively.