Cape Town sets sights on 234,000 tourism jobs by 2030 as Vos outlines growth priorities

(Inserted image: James Vos – Mayco member for Economic Growth and Tourism, Tracy Mkhize – Board Chairperson of Cape Town Tourism, Enver Duminy – Cape Town Tourism CEO)

From 255 international flights a week to a R35bn tourism economy, Cape Town is focusing on air access, targeted marketing and longer visitor stays to grow tourism and create jobs.

Cape Town has set ambitious tourism targets for 2030, with Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth James Vos outlining plans to grow the visitor economy to R35 billion annually and support 234,000 jobs.

Speaking at the Cape Town Tourism annual general meeting on Friday, 23 October, Vos identified five priorities for the years ahead: securing more international flights, attracting cruise liners, growing conferences and events, encouraging visitors to explore more of the destination and turning marketing campaigns into actual bookings.

The targets include 4.7 million overnight visits, reflecting the City’s focus on growing visitor numbers while increasing the economic benefits tourism brings to local businesses and communities.

“In 2025, tourism generated R24.5 billion in direct spending, supporting more than 106,000 jobs. International visitor spending reached a record R19 billion,” Vos said.

“Those are businesses growing, people earning incomes and more opportunities for our residents.”

Vos said the City’s Tourism Framework 2030 was being developed to give government and industry a shared plan for growing the sector, with clear priorities and a focus on practical results.

“I wanted a proper tourism blueprint for Cape Town, something practical that gets government and industry pulling in the same direction,” he said.

255 international flights a week

Air access featured prominently in Vos’s address, with Cape Town preparing for 255 international flights every week from 1 November, connecting the city to 38 destinations through 26 airlines.

He highlighted opportunities for further growth in the United States, including the possibility of a direct Miami connection, alongside additional capacity from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the United Kingdom. India and China are also being considered as potential markets for future direct connections.

Vos said he was personally involved in discussions with airlines, working alongside the Air Access partners to strengthen Cape Town’s international connectivity.

He also highlighted the role of city-to-city partnerships and agreements in supporting airline relationships and opening opportunities for new routes.

“I’m a bit obsessed with aviation!” he told delegates.

He explained that the benefits extend beyond tourism, with air connections supporting trade, cargo movement and wider economic activity.

“Every flight brings people and cargo into our city and opens up connections for travel and trade. Those connections matter because they bring visitors, support exports and create jobs across our economy.”

Wesgro research has highlighted the employment benefits of international arrivals, with approximately two local jobs supported for every 100 international passenger arrivals.

Vos also raised the importance of upgrades at Cape Town International Airport and pointed to the potential opportunities associated with the new Cape Winelands Airport.

Global marketing with a focus on bookings

Vos reflected on the City’s This Is Cape Town global place marketing campaign, launched in December 2025. The campaign reached 55 cities across six continents and generated 250 million impressions.

The initiative promotes Cape Town internationally as a place to visit, live, work, study, play and invest.

Vos said the campaign was designed to give the city a much broader international presence, while acknowledging that the next step was to convert that exposure into measurable economic returns.

“Impressions must become bookings, longer stays, spending and jobs,” he said.

He also highlighted the potential of technology and artificial intelligence to improve the visitor experience. Cape Town Tourism is exploring how these tools can streamline the way travellers search for destinations, discover experiences and make bookings.

The aim is to make it easier for visitors to plan their trips to Cape Town while helping tourism businesses turn interest into actual bookings.

The latest edition of the This Is Cape Town magazine was also presented at the meeting. Published by the City’s Economic Growth Directorate, the magazine is distributed through airline and airport lounges internationally.

Its latest cover features Robben Island and Table Mountain, two UNESCO World Heritage sites that showcase different aspects of Cape Town’s history and natural beauty.

Five priorities for tourism growth

Vos outlined five areas that will guide the City’s work with tourism partners towards 2030:

• More flights: Expand international air access and secure new routes.
• More cruise liners: Attract additional cruise arrivals and visitor spending.
• More conferences and events: Grow business travel and its benefits for local businesses.
• Greater geographic spread: Encourage visitors to explore more areas, stay longer and spend more widely.
• Marketing that converts: Turn international interest into forward bookings and measurable results.

He highlighted the partnership with Stellenbosch Tourism as an example of collaboration between destinations to encourage visitors to extend their stays and explore more of the region.

Vos said these priorities would guide decisions about future campaigns, trade missions and industry engagements.

“If we’re spending time and resources on something, I want to know how it contributes to these priorities,” he said.

He summed up the City’s approach as follows: “Build itineraries and back businesses.”

The focus, he explained, is on giving visitors more reasons to stay and explore while supporting the businesses that create tourism experiences, sustain livelihoods and generate employment.

Safety and infrastructure remain important

Vos also highlighted the need for tourism marketing and air access to be supported by easier visa processes, visitor safety and improved road infrastructure and mobility.

He said ongoing engagement with tourism businesses, including through Learning Lounges, workshops and content partnerships, was helping inform the City’s approach and identify opportunities for further growth.

Thanking the industry for its partnership, Vos said collaboration between government and tourism businesses would be important in achieving the city’s 2030 targets.

“I genuinely enjoy working with this industry,” he said. “And I believe that when we combine your experience and entrepreneurial spirit with the City’s ability to bring partners together and open doors, we can achieve great things,” says Vos.

Cape Town Tourism is the City’s official destination marketing organisation, responsible for promoting Cape Town to local and international visitors, while also supporting destination management services that help deliver a positive visitor experience and strengthen the city’s tourism offering.

With tourism already contributing billions of rand to Cape Town’s economy and supporting more than 106,000 jobs, the City’s focus is on building on that contribution through stronger international connections, targeted marketing and closer collaboration with the industry.