A Mediterranean climate, enviable work-life balance, views to die for and a location that means you go for a scuba dive or safari once your meetings have finished.
There are so many reasons why business people are seduced by Cape Town.
Immigration from Europe and across Africa has given the whole city a kooky, creative atmosphere.
The 'Mother City’ easily competes with South Africa's largest city Johannesburg to attract business travellers. For the 2015 calendar year overall passenger numbers at the airport were 9.4 million. An estimated 10% of these visitors are in town for work.
Cape Town's status as an intellectual hub with a supply of well-educated professionals is part of this draw — the town has four world-class universities and several research institutions in fields from astronomy to medicine. It’s also home to a number of international law firms, multinational companies and a thriving conference industry.
So what’s pulling in the executives? Abundant natural scenic beauty, world-class infrastructure, an array of accommodation (there are 20,000 rooms within the city bowl) plus an award-winning airport, said Corné Koch, head of the Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau.
One of the biggest draws for regular business visitors is Cape Town's work-life balance and the opportunity for crazy adventures.
It’s also affordable to do business here. The rand depreciated 25% against the dollar in 2015 sinking to a record low in January 2016which means your spending will also go a lot further.
More significantly, this city is also the tolerant, creative heart of South Africa, according to John Doidge, managing director of business services firm, TMF Group. “The municipality and government have gone out of their way to attract the film industry, for example, and make it easy for production houses to get established here. There’s a very low cost of production versus Europe for instance and the weak rand has helped that.”
Immigration from Europe and across Africa has given the whole city a kooky, creative atmosphere. Everywhere you go there are murals and street performers. The Western Cape’s cultural diversity helps foreigners and expats feel at home.
While manufacturing has largely moved to China, the local jobs market has so far been insulated from the end of the commodities boom. Creative industries are blossoming — animation studios such as Sea Monster are thriving, as are entertainment, film production, advertising, fashion and interior design firms. The financial and business services sectors remain important — big names include Investec and Sanlam — with high-tech businesses and international call centres also springing up. Around a third of the gross regional product comes from agricultural products and wine exports. Think pinotage, South Africa’s signature blend.
The Mother City is the gateway to a continent of jungle, desert, plains, savannah, wild animals and home to the youngest population of workers on earth.
With 200 million to 300 million people estimated to have reached middle class status across Africa in 2015, this is a huge potential market and the continent is primed for stellar growth. The Mother City is the gateway to a continent of jungle, desert, plains, savannah, wild animals and home to the youngest population of workers on earth.
Getting there
Cape Town Airport is small, easily navigated and serves more than 20 international airlines on a weekly basis. Regular shuttle flights from Johannesburg mean you can fly here from pretty much anywhere. It’s an overnight flight from most European destinations and on a similar time zone.
The short 20-minute taxi ride into the city centre will take you north on the motorway and straight for the Table Mountain, an incredible 1000-metre-high landmark covered in a ‘table-cloth’ cloud.
Taxis run on a meter and will cost around 350-400 rand ($22-25) to the central business district. Make sure you pre-book through your hotel or use the official rank for safety. Or, hire a car. Most of the big international car hire companies operate here.
Where to stay?
The central business district, or CBD, is small and dominated by the huge Cape Town International Convention Centrewhich hosts some of the biggest energy and commodities conferences in the world.
The Westin Cape Town hotel is right next to the conference centre but there are some 6,000 hotel rooms available within walking distance of the CBD at a variety of price brackets.
If you prefer to stay away from the CBD, a more vibrant and colourful neighbourhood is the gay district in De Waterkant which is home to some great bars and restaurants.
Not a fan of hotels? You can book a stay with Capetonians through a number of sites such as AirBnB or Homestay. A large number of the more exclusive guest houses or small hotels are located below Lions Head around Tamboerskloof area close to trendy Long Street. For a complete break from the hub-bub, nearby Camps Bay is still within taxi range of the CBD and has a world famous white-sand beach.
Money
Only use ATMs or cash points in well-lit, busy areas. Crime is still high in Cape Town and robberies at machines are common. Using a machine within a shopping mall that has security guards can help prevent this. Visa credit and debit cards are widely accepted across South Africa. Mastercard is slightly less common, and relying solely on an American Express can be a problem. More ATMs have appeared in even the most remote towns, so it’s not as important to always carry cash as it once was.
Cultural considerations
South Africa is a complicated place with a complex history which makes it both fascinating and intimidating for new arrivals. Apartheid and colonial legacies are obvious everywhere: poverty remains high (around half the South African population were still living on less than $61 per month in 2006).
South Africa is a complicated place with a complex history which makes it both fascinating and intimidating for new arrivals
Apartheid is still a recent, painful memory for many older South Africans so sensitivity is needed if you discuss it with locals. Nelson Mandela is revered like a saint in many parts of the country so be respectful.
Dining Alone
If you’re planning to travel around Cape Town alone in the evening, resist the temptation to walk anywhere. Pre-book taxis or use a hotel car service because it’s safer. The area around the V&A Waterfront at the harbour has lots of different types of restaurants, from Mexican to Mozambican seafood. It’s lively and popular with families and business people most nights of the week.
Closer to downtown there’s the world famous Mama Africa’s restaurant on Long Street where you can try boboti (a traditional pie), ostrich or even antelope meat (most main courses cost between 80-100 rand, or around $6) and wait for the live house marimba band to start at 8pm. There are several other regular African artists and the party goes on in to the early hours.
A few hours to spare
Don’t miss a trip in the cable car up Table Mountain, where you can take in panoramic views of the cityscape and the ocean, but make sure you check the weather report before setting off — if it is foggy the cable cars stop running as there’s no visibility from the top. If you decide to hike, there are several routes which vary in difficulty. Always go with a guide and watch out for hungry baboons – they’ll happily steal any bags or cameras.
Robben Island is the day trip that most visitors to Cape Town try not to miss. The island, which is located nine miles offshore, was a prison. Its most famous inmate was Nelson Mandela, who was incarcerated here for 18 of his 27 years in prison.
If you have a weekend free, leafy Stellenbosch, in the heart of the wine country, is less than a two-hour drive away depending on traffic. Or if you’re interested in something a little more hair-raising, try cage-diving with Great Whites. Nearby Gaansbai around two hours south east of Cape Town is one of the best places in the world to spot these apex ocean predators. Next to it, Hermanus, is a top spot for viewing Southern Right Whales between July and October.
One of the biggest draws for regular business visitors is Cape Town's work-life balance and the opportunity for crazy adventures. Senior executives enjoy hair-raising activities from crocodile cage diving to ostrich racing. Be prepared for an unusual corporate away day if you join a firm here.
Special considerations
There are eleven official languages spoken in South Africa but don’t expect everyone to understand spoken English.English with a strong Afrikaner accent can be difficult for foreigners to understand so listen carefully.
Petty crime is still high in Cape Town. Although downtown is a great deal safer than other cities in Southern Africa, it’s still a place where you need to stay alert and keep a close eye on valuables. That said, it’s a vibrant, young city so don’t let security worries dominate your trip or prevent you chatting to locals, many have some fascinating stories of how the Rainbow Nation came in to being.
Rosa Vatika from Rosastays is among the top best places to stay in nainital during your vacation as it allows you to fall into a fantasy world when you look out of your balcony onto the misty hills of the lush Kumaon Valley.
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