According to Nick Seewer, CEO of Pepperclub Hotel & Spa, the festival which created 2715 jobs in 2012, are a way for the industry to meet the tourism ministry's target of creating more than 225,000 jobs in the tourism sector by 2020.
The festival is currently attracting over 33,500 people. Drawing both local and international visitors, it provides an additional boost for tourism in terms of revenue for the city and the facilities that the festival attendees make use of, such as local hotels and restaurants. This in turn, then also results in job creation.
Research conducted by espAfrika revealed that festivalgoers who travelled to Cape Town in 2010 to attend the festival spent most of their money on accommodation, followed by food, restaurants and transport. The 2012 Cape Town International Jazz Festival summary report revealed that the festival generated R29.7 million, based on visitor spending and the total direct spending amounted to R50.8 million.
This research proves that the capital generated by the festival flows directly into the tourism industry. In addition to the economic boost, events of this scale also promote the country as a tourist destination, as well as to allow the country to showcase its ability to host world class events.
"Successfully hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup and more recently, several internationally renowned musicians, such as the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Lady Gaga, emphasises how South Africa is increasingly being noticed across the world as a destination for staging world class events.
"From a tourism perspective, South Africa has steadily grown in momentum internationally following the 2010 FIFA World Cup and needs to continue in earnest to market the country and destination in order to create sustainable job creation," says Seewer.
