Cape Town Tourism has established an annual fund aimed at supporting small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) operating in the tourism sector.

This year’s winning businesses include African Authentic Experience – a tour operator enterprise; Tees and Gees – a T-shirt manufacturer and retailer; and Seven Colour Eatery – a catering company that specialises in African cuisine.

The businesses were recently visited by Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, James Vos and the CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Enver Duminy.

The prize, officially named the Cape Town Tourism Board Development Fund, is awarded to carefully chosen SMMEs who then receive a financial allocation to support their growth plans, as well as non-monetary support from Cape Town Tourism’s member, partners and leadership.

To qualify, businesses are required to submit a proposal including a business profile and an outline illustrating how funding will be spent to grow the enterprise. 

“We are committed to supporting ‘tourism-preneurs’ as the tourism industry sustains thousands of jobs in this city. The tourism industry is an important catalyst for commercial activity in the City. It creates demand and growth for many more industries,” said Vos.

“Benefits of this programme include customised interventions designed around the individual business needs. The programme supports the sustainability of small, black-owned tourism businesses and creates a marketing and media platform that improves their profile. There will be quarterly monitoring of the impact of the interventions,” added Duminy.