Tourism Sector Study

Every year South Africa hosts numerous world-class sporting events, such as the Cape Argus Cycle Race, the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon and the 89 kilometre Comrades marathon – two of which are held in the Western Cape. In addition to large scale, international sport events, South African provinces also compete to host inter-provincial sports tournaments due to social and economic benefits that often result for hosting communities. Such tournaments include the Craven Week, Coca-Cola Schools T20
Challenge and the South African Under 18 Interprovincial Hockey Tournament.

The CWDM was interested in hosting sport tourism events as a means of capitalising on its unique environment and reputation as a destination for outdoor sports (cycling, canoeing, etc), and attracting greater numbers of visitors to the region – particularly during off-peak season. The proposal to host the Under 18 Academy Week in Worcester provided the CWDM with the opportunity to test the economic value of such events for the municipality, as well as to assess any related social impact. Mthente was, therefore, commissioned to assess the impact of the Under 18 Academy Week on the Cape Winelands economy, and develop recommendations on how to better improve the hosting of such events within the CWDM.