Western Cape 'best' to work from home

The Western Cape is marketing itself as the ideal place to work from home, while touring the province.

Western Cape tourism promotion agency Wesgro has partnered with online accommodation service Airbnb to promote the province as the ideal destination to work from home.

According to Wesgro’s CEO Tim Harris, the Western Cape is the ideal destination for those looking for more from their working environment.

He says there are over 30 co-working spaces and 715 free Wi-Fi spots in the City of Cape Town alone, with many options in the province.

“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 adds.

According to Airbnb data, domestic searches for long-term stays increased by almost 50% between 1 January and 25 February 2021, compared to the same period last year.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says the province wants to offer packages to digital nomads (people who can work from anywhere).

To promote the province as a working, while touring destination, Wesgro has launched the Remote Work Portal. The portal is a central hub, listing everything remote workers need to know to encourage long-stay visits, says Harris.

“The portal forms part of the ongoing remote work campaign, which is actively promoting the province as the preferred destination to work and play, as South Africans take advantage of the flexibility that working from anywhere brings.”

Wesgro’s budget to market Cape Town and the province is estimated to be between R2.65 and R4.24 billion.