The Western Cape Government and Wesgro, in partnership with Airbnb, launched a new campaign to promote remote working.
The Western Cape is ideal for remote working – whether you want to have a meeting on the mountain, a dip in the ocean during screen breaks or spending the day working from wine farms and quaint towns.
Premier Alan Winde said supporting the recovery and protecting jobs in the tourism industry requires the destination to "think innovatively and embrace emerging trends in travel."
"Digital nomads have the flexibility to stay longer as they can work from anywhere. The Western Cape is ready to welcome these visitors and provide them with a place to explore while they work. We strongly support this initiative," he said.
According to Airbnb data, domestic searches for longer-term stays increasing by almost 50% year-on-year from January 1 -February 25, 2021, compared to the same period last year.
Since the start of the pandemic, new Hosts in South Africa with only one listing have already collectively earned more than $3 million (about R45.3 million).
On Airbnb, hosts can offer monthly discounts for reservations of 28 days or longer, and the platform has filters to help guests to find domestic stays easily, whether they want to work in the Cape Winelands, the Garden Route, the Klein Karoo or beyond. Hosts and guests on Airbnb collectively contributed R8,9 billion to the local economy in 2018, supporting the equivalent of 22 000 jobs. The majority of hosts are women.
Velma Corcoran, Regional Lead for Middle East Africa at Airbnb, said remote working vacations are becoming increasingly popular in South Africa.
"We are thrilled to partner with Wesgro to promote domestic tourism through longer term stays while supporting economic recovery in Cape Town and the Western Cape.
“As people’s travel habits change, local Hosts on Airbnb are leading the way, enabling South Africans to book local, affordable longer-term stays in places such as the Western Cape. Guests can live like a local and work remotely from some of South Africa’s most beautiful locations, while this new type of travel is also benefiting the local communities and businesses through increased spending. Hosts also keep up to 97% of their earnings," she said.
Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities David Maynier the Western Cape is a great place to live, work and play.
"Our tourism and hospitality sectors have been hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and this initiative is one of the many ways that we are working hard to support the sector and rebuild our economy in the Western Cape," he said.
Tim Harris, Wesgro CEO, said Cape Town and the Western Cape is the ultimate destination for those who want more out of their working environment.
"There are over 30 co-working spaces and 715 free wifi spots in the city of Cape Town alone, with many options in the greater Western Cape province. Moreover, we are the most energy secure province in the country, with a well-developed community of local and international entrepreneurs. We are excited about this joint effort to attract domestic audiences to our well-equipped destination,” he said.