Coastal Zoom-towns leading business growth

Source: Paul Keursten, chief executive officer and co-founder of Workshop17.

Where traditionally it would have been an older demographic moving to the seaside to retire, increasingly it is young families that are packing their bags to relocate to the coast.

The Western Cape is a prime example as almost a quarter of permanent residents in Hermanus are now under 35. In Langebaan, it is about 33% and over 40% in the Blouberg area.

This semigration is fast overtaking the beach holiday home or weekend getaway market, with out of towners looking to settle, now making up nearly 70% of home buying in hidden gems like Mossel Bay and Port Alfred.

With this migration, comes an automatic boost to the micro economies of the areas. KZN has experienced the largest recorded growth with this in the commercial and retail sector recently, as the Ballito and Umhlanga corridor is the fastest growing wealth market in South Africa, rising by 25% in the last 10 years.

Zoom communities aren’t only online

Paul Keursten, chief executive officer and co-founder of Workshop17, says that this noticeable growth is due to the semigration of mostly remote workers and larger companies that are looking for ways to create more balanced lifestyles for their staff and want to make use of the environment that a coastal region has to offer.

“Zoom towns”, as he calls them, is a term originally coined in America but fast becoming colloquial and describes a community that experiences a significant population increase due to an influx of hybrid workers, is chosen for the convenience of having all the big-city services in one place, and yet is still able to include sports and leisure activities on a regular basis.

Jayshree Naidoo, who transferred from Johannesburg to Ballito, and owns Yiedi, an entrepreneurship development training company, says that she has found that the increase of remote workers in Ballito creates a tone where entrepreneurs are driven by their work ethic, but are also focused on public collaboration.

Naidoo elaborates, “We all have a deep respect for where we spend our time and can now be more generous within our networks. It’s possible to be passionate about business, products and services but equally passionate about causes that have an impact on the environment as well as social issues."

Workshop17 has made note of this Zoom-town demand and has recently opened its eighth flexible work location in the renovated Ballito Junction Regional Mall.

The beautiful space, with capacity for nearly 500 members, offers a combo of luxury work solutions and retail convenience, all under one roof, while supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs. All nationwide locations are available to members, facilitating travel.

Keursten stated, "Ballito perfectly aligns with the live-work-play lifestyle that entrepreneurs are seeking. Workshop17 aims to support convenient and sustainable lifestyles for its members, fostering local and national community connections."