Explore Cape Town’s undiscovered ‘pocket-friendly’ tourism gems

The City of Cape Town is encouraging visitors and especially locals to explore the city’s many undiscovered tourism gems this summer. The City’s newly appointed Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos, hit the ground running on a walking tour of Khayelitsha for a first-hand experience of what’s on offer. Read more below:

Cape Town is best known globally for its Big 6 attractions, which include the V&A Waterfront, Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, Cape Point, Groot Constantia, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Robben Island.

‘But there is a whole host of undiscovered, budget-friendly things to do in the growing neighbourhoods of the city,’ said Alderman Vos.

The City, in partnership with Cape Town Tourism, is driving an initiative to showcase local neighbourhood businesses and to inspire travel to these vibrant areas as part of the new ‘Pocket-friendly Cape Town’ campaign (#pocketfriendlycapetown). It provides visitors and locals with tips on interesting things to do and places to see without spending a fortune.

Alderman Vos and Cape Town Tourism CEO, Enver Duminy, today embarked on a walking tour of Khayelitsha and met up with Juma Mkwela, founder and owner of Juma’s Art Tours and founder of the new Khayelitsha Art Hub. The Art Hub provides a space for the community’s children to enjoy afternoon art lessons, funded by Juma’s Township Art Tours. Visitors are encouraged to contribute towards enhancing the community by painting murals or planting home gardens.

The whistle-stop tour then visited Golden Flowers, a company that’s motivated by sustainable manufacturing of flowers from recycled materials.

Up next was ABCD Concepts, a tour company with a difference that offers bicycle tours, jogging through the neighbourhood and nights out at some of Khayelitsha’s hippest taverns and dance halls.

Alderman Vos heard about the various packages on offer before embarking on a quick cycle tour to 4Roomed eKasi Culture, a vibrant eatery owned and run by former MasterChef SA contestant Abigail Mbalo-Mokoena. The restaurant offers some remarkable cuisine, and visitors get to enjoy a meal on a charming terrace.

Both ABCD Concepts and 4Roomed eKasi Culture are the most recent recipients of Cape Town Tourism Board’s Development Fund, which provides support and mentorship to promising, innovative businesses operated by historically disadvantaged individuals.

The final stop on Alderman Vos’s Khayelitsha experience was Siki’s Koffee Kafe, where Khayelitsha’s creatives meet to exchange ideas. Siki worked on expanding the Vida franchise in London and now he has brought coffee culture to Khayelitsha.

‘The City is committed to diversifying our tourism landscape in Cape Town by promoting products and attractions throughout the city and, by so doing, breaking the perception that tourism is only centered in certain parts of the city and around the Big 6 attractions.

‘It’s always inspiring to meet passionate and determined local business owners in their own neighbourhoods. Each person we met today is full of optimism and creativity – an inspiration to us and the communities in which their businesses are established. Once you start to explore the neighbourhoods around you, you will find inspiring and life-changing experiences that are accessible to all. Cape Town is a value-for-money destination. If you want to get to the heart of tourism in Cape Town, I would strongly suggest including some of the neighbourhood tourism gems in your itinerary.’

‘We will endeavor to open up tourism offerings to showcase the diversity of the destination and especially previously marginalised areas from main tourism routes. In this manner we will walk the talk to enhance the city’s economic value through tourism and advance job creation,’ said Alderman Vos.

Visitor safety is a key priority for the City over the festive season. The City has already launched its Festive Season Preparedness Plan, which outlines the City’s strategy to promote and ensure safety on beaches and around key attractions over the holidays.

Cape Town’s appeal for tourists is vast. From expansive wine farms, picturesque beaches, outdoor activities for days and a region steeped in history, the city offers something for everyone – at an affordable price.

‘The City and its tourism partners have committed to work together to ensure that visitors and locals visiting our neighbourhoods and attractions are safe. However, we call on visitors to be vigilant and follow our visitor safety tips. In addition to our strengthened Metro Police deployment, we’ve also deployed a number of Safety Ambassadors across the city.’

‘Our goal is to ensure that visitor-friendly experiences can be shared across Cape Town, and that accessibility to experiences and attractions is prioritised – a pocket-friendly Cape Town for all who live here and for our visitors, too,’ added Alderman Vos.

While a number of Safety Ambassadors have been deployed across the CBD in support of the South African Police Service (SAPS), visitors are requested to remain vigilant when visiting the various neighbourhoods (see link for detailed safety tips here.

Click here to view Cape Town Tourism’s ‘Love Cape Town Neighbourhoods Series’ videos.

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Issued by: Media Office, City of Cape Town

Media enquiries: Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Cell: 076 277 3351, Email: james.vos@capetown.gov.za, (always copy media.account@capetown.gov.za)