This tourism month, the Cape Town Big 6 hosted an event at the V&A Waterfront in order to highlight the importance of tourism in job creation.

The event took place in the lead-up to World Tourism Day, and drew inspiration from the 1Billion Jobs, 1Billion Opportunities Campaign.

According to the World Tourism Organisation, by 2030 the majority of international travel will be to emerging economies. This is particularly good news for Cape Town, which has several attractions that drive economic growth and create both seasonal and full time jobs.

According to Sabine Lehmann, MD of the Table Mountain Cableway, “Attractions are a key motivation for domestic and international tourists to visit. Everybody wants to share a selfie to show that they have been ‘there and done that’! Bucket lists are the new goal sets. In turn these attractions, being part of the service economy, play a key role in creating full time and seasonal employment.”

Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille also addressed the event, and she shared outcomes from a recent study of tourism seasonality and trends. Other speakers included Lesley Richardson, Executive Director for Flower Valley Conservation Trust which manages threats to Fynbos and the harvesting industry in the Overberg, and Chantal Cole, Strategic Marketing Executive of the V&A Waterfront.

Lehmann also commented that the domestic market plays an important role in the overall health of the tourism industry, and that the Cableway has seen a steady increase in local visitors. “We introduced a number of specials throughout the year at half price or less,” said Lehmann, “Ensuring South Africans too can visit – accounting for 45% of our visitor numbers annually.”