New Cape Town Tourism board targets one tourism job in every household

Cape Town is riding a wave of tourism momentum, with record-breaking passenger volumes at Cape Town International Airport and a fresh round of global “best city” accolades. Building on this performance, Cape Town Tourism has confirmed a refreshed board for the next three-year term to drive the next phase of inclusive growth, innovation and job creation across the city’s visitor economy.

The new board term follows Cape Town Tourism’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), held at the Cape Sun Hotel on 30 October 2025. Members elected Donald Kau, Head of PR and Communications at the V&A Waterfront, as a new director, and re-elected Tracy Thandeka Mkhize, chief operating officer of the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC); Lee-Anne Singer, marketing and sales director at the Singer Group; and Shireen Onia, founder of ServiceGurus, for a further three-year term.

At its first sitting after the AGM, Mkhize has been confirmed as chairperson of the board, continuing in the role she held before the AGM, with Singer appointed as deputy chairperson.

The board also appointed Maija de Rijk-Uys, managing director of Go2Africa, as a director, succeeding Joshin Raghubar, chairperson at iKineo Ventures and UVU Africa, whose term has come to an end. The board recorded its appreciation to Raghubar for his contribution to Cape Town Tourism’s strategy and governance.

Together, the board now brings leadership from some of Cape Town’s most influential tourism and business brands, including inclusive design, major hotel groups, visitor attractions, investment promotion and local government. In addition to Mkhize, Singer, Kau, Onia and de Rijk-Uys, the board includes Tarryn Tomlinson, CEO of LiveAble; Samantha Clingham, director of operations: Eastern and Western Cape at Southern Sun Hotels; Cobus du Plessis, CFO of Motsamayi Tourism Group; Monwabisi Thethe, CEO of Brand Contact Consultant; Selma Hercules, financial director of Table Mountain Aerial Cableway; Alderman James Vos, mayoral committee member for Economic Growth at the City of Cape Town; Lance Greyling, director: enterprise and investment at the City of Cape Town; and Dr Theuns Vivian, manager: destination development at the City of Cape Town, who serves as Alternate.

As board chair, Tracy Thandeka Mkhize shares her perspective on the year ahead:

“Starting a new term with such a strong and diverse group of leaders is energising. Our new directors, Donald and Maija, bring invaluable insights from two powerful parts of our visitor economy, while our re-elected board members provide continuity and deep commitment at a time when our sector is rapidly evolving. Together with the rest of the board, we will focus on meaningful growth, deeper partnerships and a tourism industry that reflects the very best of Cape Town.”

According to the latest Economic Value of Tourism analysis, Cape Town welcomed approximately 2.4 million overnight visitors in 2024. These visitors spent around R24.5bn in the city, sustaining more than 106,000 jobs and accounting for nearly 7% of total employment. The data shows that, on average, every ten tourists support one job in Cape Town’s economy, underlining tourism’s role as a key driver of livelihoods and opportunity.

Looking ahead, the board has agreed on a clear agenda for the next term: to grow Cape Town Tourism’s own income streams, increase the number of tourism-levy collectors within its membership base, accelerate the responsible use of AI and digital tools across the local tourism sector, and champion inclusive and accessible tourism that benefits differently abled visitors and marginalised communities while strengthening Cape Town’s position as Africa’s leading urban destination.

The City’s mayoral committee member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos, says:

“As the City of Cape Town, we proudly fund Cape Town Tourism as our service delivery partner to grow this vital sector by driving demand, supporting new tourism products, and strengthening our destination’s global competitiveness. Through targeted marketing and practical destination management, we work with tourism businesses across the city to keep Cape Town visitor-ready and to help travellers get the most out of their stay. With this new dynamic board in place, I look forward to working with them to grow visitor numbers year-round, open new markets, and create more jobs. My goal is straightforward: that every household has at least one tourism-related job or opportunity, so that the benefits of tourism are shared across all our communities.”

Cape Town Tourism CEO, Enver Duminy, says this combination of performance and leadership creates a powerful platform for the future:

“As Cape Town Tourism, we are fortunate to have a board that combines deep destination knowledge, private-sector experience and public-sector insight. We welcome Donald and Maija and congratulate our re-elected directors, who together strengthen our ability to lead responsibly in a fast-changing tourism landscape.

In practical terms, this means shifting from simply counting arrivals to maximising impact: building stronger partnerships with our members, converting interest into bookings and jobs, and using better data and tools to make smarter decisions for the sector. Our ambition is to keep Cape Town number one on the continent not only in rankings, but in the quality of experiences we offer and the livelihoods tourism supports.”

With a renewed board and a sharpened focus on innovation, inclusion and conversion, Cape Town Tourism is positioning the Mother City for a new chapter of sustainable tourism growth in partnership with the City of Cape Town and the broader industry.