Cape Town’s film industry is anticipated to surpass R5 billion in foreign investment by October 2025 with the city’s hospitality sector emerging as a surprise beneficiary says the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID).

A total of 550 production shoots took place in the CBD between January and May 2025 according to the City of Cape Town’s Film Permits Office, with more than R2.5 billion in foreign production investment secured between November 2023 and June 2024.

But its not just the studios, production houses, and talent agencies that are feeling the impact, says Grant Elliott, COO of Thibault Investments and Deputy Chairperson of the CCID, “the real protagonist of this surge in filming activity is the inner-city hospitality industry.”

With production teams staying for one to two weeks at a time, sometimes longer, Elliott says there is also demand for office space for film crews for hourly, daily, and yearly rentals.

Between November 2023 and late June 2024, film crews booked over 59 000 bed nights in Cape Town, spending nearly R148 million and these weren’t typical tourists – film personnel often stayed for weeks or even months, resulting in high-value bookings for hotels, guesthouses, and aparthotels with the impact extending beyond lodging to include spending on restaurants, shops, bars, laundry services, and transport.

For every Rand spent on film production, an additional R2.50 is generated in the local economy. In addition, the Western Cape produces roughly 80% of foreign funded film projects in South Africa.

Elliot says the City of Cape Town’s initiatives, combined with progressive visa policies such as South Africa’s digital nomad visa – allowing applicants to live and work remotely in South Africa for a period of 36 months – is likely to deepen Cape Town’s status as a year-round destination for creatives.

“We are seeing in our short-term stay aparthotels, that Cape Town is becoming a year-round destination for visitors. We’ve already seen a flattening of the traditional seasonal dips, particularly in winter months like May to August, where our numbers are significantly higher than in the previous season.”