The City of Cape Town and Cape Town Tourism have recently launched a “Digital Nomad Initiative”, which aims to encourage both domestic and international visitors to consider Cape Town as a remote working destination – also commonly referred to as a “workation”. This comes after Cape Town recently made the Top 50 list for Best Cities for Remote Working. The campaign will initially target the domestic market, rolling out to the international market when the time is right and all covid-19 protocols are firmly in place.
“These ‘digital nomads’ are a new kind of tourist, who will stay in our province for three months instead of three weeks, enjoying our tourism offer while working on their laptops,” explained Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde. He also said that South Africa needed to introduce a ‘Remote Working Visa’ and that they will lobby both the President the Minister of Home Affairs to introduce this visa as soon as possible. Many leading destinations around the world already have a Remote Working Visa, so there is a strong case for this as it increases commercial activity, demand and growth for many more industries that lead to jobs and skills.
The Cape Town tourism sector is already showing innovation to accommodate remote working, by offering affordable long-terms stays and other benefits required for remote work.
Until recently, the idea of becoming a digital nomad or embracing a laptop lifestyle has been reserved for influencers and those with the most flexible work setups. However, with more than half the world now working-from-home, workations are becoming more common. While the acronym WFH historically stood for “Working From Home,” it’s taking on another meaning: “Working From Hotel or Holiday.” The lockdowns around the world forced many nonessential workers to adapt their homes into impromptu offices indefinitely, but as Zoom fatigue and stir-crazy feelings settled in, a workation to blend business and pleasure has become a tempting option.
There are hundreds of reasons why Cape Town is an ideal destination for a digital nomad – the beaches, mountains, winelands, good weather, excellent value fine dining, variety of festivals and events, cultural melting pot, golf courses, outdoor activity and adventure options, abundant weekend getaways within a short drive from the city… just to name a few!
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