Cape leaders head to US to boost trade

Cape Town - The Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town are on a trade and investment mission to the US to boost the film and tech sectors in the province.

Economic Opportunities MEC Alan Winde and Mayor Patricia de Lille will be joined by a Wesgro delegation led by Wesgro chief executive Tim Harris, with the aim of increasing business tourism.

Winde and De Lille will be engaging with the US film industry to promote the Western Cape as a film destination. The pair will zoom in on getting more studios to consider the Cape as a venue of choice for location-based film and TV series production.

“We have approved over 19 000 filming permits and over 30 000 film bookings since 2014 and we are confident the beneficial exchange rate makes us even more appealing,” De Lille said.

“We are going to try to get investment by meeting with the industries themselves. This is to try to get foreign capital in the city and create jobs for our residents.”

Winde will attend IMEX America show, in collaboration with the Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau, a strategic division at Wesgro. The team will also be hosting meetings with representatives from the travel trade with an express purpose of attracting large-scale conferences to the destination.

“We are seeking to strengthen trade and investment links between ourselves and the US in key areas,” Winde said. He added that through Project Khulisa, they are seeking to create a further 100 000 jobs.

“Growing tourism from key source markets, such as the US will be important in reaching this goal,” he said.

warda.meyer@inl.co.za

CAPE ARGUS