PRESS RELEASES
City pins Cape Town as a remote working destination, plans to engage on special visa
23 February 2021
COVID-19 has changed the way we work, where working from home has become part of our everyday life. If there is one positive from this pandemic, the future of work will never be the same. This puts Cape Town in a prime position to cater to the changing needs of a global workforce.
The City of Cape Town, along with Cape Town Tourism, is therefore tracking the fast-growing digital nomads trend and is preparing to attract both the domestic market now and later, the international market when it is safe to do so.
Cape Town has made the ‘Best cities for remote working’ list on the Big 7 Travel’s ’50 Best Places For Remote Working in 2021’. It has been the city’s best-kept secret for many years and a useful Ace to pull out at this time.
Cape Town is also one of the first major metros in the country to receive the Safe Travel Stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council, which provides a further incentive for remote working.
Cape Town’s key source markets, including the 11 countries with visa-free access to South Africa, can take advantage of this trend when travel is back up and running.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos said with people working from home during the pandemic, the digital nomads concept has become a much-needed escape and great opportunity to take work on a holiday.
‘We are seeing innovation within the tourism sector to accommodate the changed behaviour of remote working by offering affordable long-term stays, including other benefits required to work remotely and we will expand this message through the broad range of products and businesses who can use a leg up in this challenging time. An abundance of natural beauty and wide open spaces makes Cape Town an ideal location to live and work with solid fibre infrastructure and top class hospitality services and products.
‘End your work from home boredom and Zoom fatigue. Consider a ‘workation’ in Cape Town. Whether you want a new remote office for a day, a month or three, Cape Town should be able to accommodate this growing demand with an innovative approach,’ said Alderman Vos.
The new international campaign, which will be rolled out when the time is right, will amplify this positioning in Cape Town’s key source markets.
‘Digital nomads are a new kind of tourist that will benefit our visitor economy. To expand on this opportunity, South Africa urgently needs a Remote Working Visa. We have everything it takes to be the best remote working location in the world only if we make it easier for people to travel to South Africa. Many leading tourism destinations in the world have a type of Remote Working Visa already, and we should have one too.
‘I will therefore engage my national counterpart to make a business case for the introduction of a Remote Working Visa to benefit the tourism industry as it increases commercial activity, and demand and growth for many more industries that leads to jobs and skills. It’s a perfect way to build back better,’ said Alderman Vos.