Cape Town is taking its most ambitious tourism and place-marketing campaign yet to the world — with a clear social and economic goal: turning global visibility into real jobs, income and opportunity for residents across the city.
The This Is Cape Town campaign, led by the City of Cape Town, is rolling out in New York, London and major European cities this month, following strong performance across African cities and Brazil. Over several months, the campaign will reach audiences in 55 cities across six continents, positioning Cape Town as a destination while directly supporting the tourism value chain that sustains thousands of livelihoods.
Crucially, the campaign is not about awareness alone. It is designed to convert international interest into travel bookings, visitor spend and job creation across sectors such as hospitality, transport, food services, cultural industries and small businesses.
“The focus of This Is Cape Town is to ensure that global attention translates into real travel demand, real spend in our local economy and real job opportunities for Capetonians,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos.
The strategy uses high-visibility platforms in global cities, including digital billboards, public transport advertising and innovative moving billboards. In New York, Cape Town messaging appears on digital screens mounted on yellow taxis, while in London, black cabs wrapped in campaign branding include in-cab Virgin Atlantic advertising with QR codes linking directly to flight bookings.
Beyond outdoor advertising, the campaign is running on Connected TV platforms in key European markets including Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany, ensuring targeted reach in high-value tourism source regions.
The campaign is already delivering measurable results. Cape Town has seen significant growth in global air connectivity, driven by sustained and targeted destination marketing. Since United Airlines launched direct Newark–Cape Town flights in 2019, the route has delivered more than 337 000 passenger seats. Annual capacity grew to 85 500 seats in 2025 and is projected to reach nearly 92 000 seats in 2026.
Rising demand also led to the introduction of a direct Washington D.C.–Cape Town route, while the UK market has expanded steadily. London–Cape Town flights increased from three per week in 2021 to 28 direct flights per week currently, serviced by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Norse Atlantic Airways.
Digital performance in African cities and São Paulo further demonstrates the campaign’s reach. In Lusaka and Nairobi alone, This Is Cape Town reached more than 17 million people on META platforms within a single month.
Tourism remains a critical economic driver for the city. In 2024, the sector contributed R27.5 billion to Cape Town’s economy and supported over 106 000 jobs — many of them in communities where employment opportunities are most needed.
“Our focus is on growing those numbers through smart, high-impact and cost-effective campaigns that convert interest into economic benefit for residents,” said Vos.
With further rollouts planned in China, India, the United Arab Emirates and Australia, This Is Cape Town reflects a broader strategy of inclusive economic growth — using global platforms to strengthen local livelihoods, support small businesses and build a more resilient urban economy.
