The City of Cape Town on Thursday participated on an international panel at the virtual World Travel Market Africa, where they discussed ways the African continent can work together and capitalise on intracontinental travel.

World Travel Market Africa delivers the leading global events for the travel industry. It brings the benefits and opportunities of the global industry expertise to travel professionals in the region.

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management James Vos said the City of  Cape Town was open for business as the gateway to the African continent.

“Our resilience and our ability to end 2020 with a recorded positive employment growth will allow me to continue to champion Cape Town as the well-run city, inclusive, opportunity city that is once again open for business as the gateway to the African continent,” said Vos.

He remained confident that the African continent would recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is heartening to note that the African Development Bank, despite the challenging backdrop of a global pandemic and external economic shocks, has said the African continent stands out as one of the economies that will recover the most rapidly from the COVID-19 pandemic with a projected growth of 3.4%,” he said.

Vos said the small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) played a vital role in Cape Town’s economy, making up over 90% of all businesses and accounting for nearly half of private sector employment.

He said the City was committed to ensuring the right conditions existed to allow small businesses to grow and thrive.

“The City’s business brand, Invest Cape Town, will continue to stimulate and enable investment by ensuring that all economic role-players in the region speak with one voice, campaigning for Cape Town as Africa’s hub for business ideas and innovation,” said Vos. 

PICTURE: Pexels

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