New Cape Town-Stellenbosch tourism pact aims to extend visitor stays
Cape Town Tourism and Visit Stellenbosch have signed a joint marketing agreement aimed at creating connected itineraries, encouraging longer stays and spreading visitor spending across more local communities.
International tourists often do not consider the municipal borders of South Africa; instead, they form experiences from their journey from the airport to destinations such as vineyards, coastlines, or cultural townships. For decades, local tourism bodies have acted as rivals, promoting their own areas instead of a continuous journey.
A landmark marketing agreement between Cape Town Tourism and Visit Stellenbosch aims to break this territorial mindset, promoting a journey-based approach to tourism in South Africa. James Vos, mayco member for Economic Growth, emphasized that tourists do not arrive in South Africa thinking about municipal boundaries. They travel towards various attractions, often without realizing where one jurisdiction ends and another begins.
Although this agreement unites two of the Western Cape's premier tourism destinations, its strategy could have broader implications. The collaboration seeks to encourage longer stays by promoting combined itineraries, co-created content, and joint promotional campaigns. Visit Stellenbosch chairperson Mike Ratcliffe emphasized the need to stop competing with Cape Town, instead recognizing Stellenbosch's potential as a strategic asset.
Tourism CEO Enver Duminy described Cape Town's tourism story as a book, where Table Mountain has been on the cover for years. However, visitors need reasons to turn the page and explore other parts of the city, including neighborhoods like Langa, Gugulethu, Mitchell's Plain, and the local culture, food, music, and businesses. Duminy's argument goes beyond highlighting "hidden gems" and addresses the broader question of who benefits from tourism.
He highlighted the potential for tourism to create opportunities for historically excluded groups, questioning whether the industry is genuinely inclusive. The economic impact of this shift is significant. In the 2025 Tourism Economic Impact Study, Visit Stellenbosch found that over 1.35 million overnight visitors contributed R13 billion to the local economy and supported 48,007 jobs.
Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town reported that tourism generated R24.5 billion and supported about 106,000 jobs. These figures demonstrate the substantial economic power of tourism, making the conversation about longer stays crucial. However, the question remains: where does the money go after visitors arrive? Councillor Tamryn Kumm from Stellenbosch emphasized that tourism should not be limited to a destination's most prominent attractions. Instead, the benefits should reach the diverse communities that contribute to the tourism industry.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
