Currently Capetonian and South African tourism and hospitality operators are putting in place the final touches to their systems and operations ahead of a predicted bumper summer season. In fact, data shows that international seat capacity for November 2023 to March 2024 is set to shoot up by a stunning 25%, and hit more than one million international inbound seats when compared to the same period in 2022/23.

This is an exciting update and exactly the kind of surge that the City and its tourism industry partners have worked for with clever and sustained campaigns and the Air Access and Cruise Cape Town initiatives to secure more flights and cruise travel. 

The City has been leading the call for the remote work visa for almost three years. Finally it seemed as if the country was moving towards implementing when President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in the 2022 State of the Nation address that his government was looking into the visa. 

Alas, the Department of Home Affairs has missed its own deadlines to roll out the visa. In the last update to the Western Cape Standing Committee on Finance, Economic Opportunities and Tourism, Provincial Manager for the Western Cape Department of Home Affairs (DHA), Yusuf Simons, said the Office of the State Law Advisor (OSLA) requested changes to the regulations that had been submitted. OSLA has seemingly yet to respond to DHA’s new submission. 

DHA must clarify what the legal concerns are. In my proposal first sent to DHA in 2021, I noted that the National Government would simply need to make an amendment to Section 11 of the Immigration Act which relates to an extension of visas beyond 90 days for specific activities. 

The amended Act could also include the following requirements:

Meanwhile, South Africa continues to miss out on the financial gains to be made from the digital nomad community. Other countries, including our neighbour, Namibia, and more recently, Canada, have effected remote work visas while South Africa’s National Government twiddles its thumbs. 

According to one report of an incentive programme in Oklahoma in the US, digital nomads generated nearly $20 million in additional local gross domestic product. Our own research shows that these working tourists spend up to R50 000 during their time in Cape Town. 

The City is making sure that Cape Town is as ready as possible to welcome digital nomads. Our official Destination Marketing Organisation, Cape Town Tourism, has partnered with homestay platform, Airbnb to highlight the Mother City’s destination value for international remote workers. The partnership agreement includes a dedicated custom-built Airbnb hub for Cape Town that will showcase top local long-term listings, attractions and experiences, and information relating to entry requirements and visa policies. 

Caption: Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth Alderman James Vos at the launch of the partnership between Airbnb and the City’s official Destination Marketing Organisation, Cape Town Tourism.