MESSAGE FOR BEST OF THE CAPE SERIES
This inaugural edition of “Best of the Cape” showcases what the province has to offer as an investment and tourism destination. I think you’ll agree that the possibilities are incredibly exciting.
The provincial government has bold ambitions to make the Western Cape the trade and tourism gateway for our country and the African continent. Our number one priority in this province is to stimulate job-creating economic growth, because it is the only sustainable way to beat poverty. The publication of “Best of the Cape” will assist our province in achieving this by marketing our economic potential to the rest of the world.
Cape Town, with its majestic mountain and coastal scenery, has won numerous awards over the last few years. It was, for example, rated as the world’s number one long haul conference destination by the UK’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events international survey. Cape Town has also been rated as the number one city in the Middle East/Africa Region and number ten globally by the US Travel & Leisure Magazine.
There are also many reasons why the Western Cape is a highly attractive investment and foreign trade destination.
Firstly, the provincial government is doing all it can to boost investor confidence. This starts with good clean governance and addressing the key constraints to investment such as infrastructure backlogs, red tape and crime.
Secondly, the Western Cape boasts three world class ports in Cape Town, Saldanha and Mossel Bay. The ports of Cape Town and Saldanha offer excellent shipping and cargo services, and Mossel Bay acts as a hub for the gas industry operating off its shores.
The oil and gas industry is a major investment opportunity in the province. Other fields include renewable energy, manufacturing related to the maritime industry, tourism, information communication technology, business process outsourcing, call centres and small business development.
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Thirdly, our well-developed road and rail networks strategically link Cape Town and the province with the rest of South Africa and its neighbouring countries.
All these factors have created a healthy and attractive market economy in our province. They are expanded on in greater detail in this edition of “Best of the Cape”.
I hope you enjoy reading more about what our province has to offer.
Helen Zille
Premier of the Western Cape
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