Co-working spaces in the Cape Town Central City, which have held their own during the Covid-19 onslaught, stand to gain new ground from the Mother City’s listing as one of the world’s best cities for remote working.
The city was ranked 42nd in the world on Big 7 Travel’s “Best Cities for Remote Working” list, alongside countries such as Germany, Argentina and Indonesia. The travel website, which has an online community of 2.5 million people, says the world of remote working and digital nomads is “growing at a rapid rate”.
The website predicted that remote working was “the future, and it’s on its way … fast. With more and more [people] yearning for an independent work environment coupled with the freedom to travel, remote working is on its way to the mainstream field.”
The ongoing pandemic has also forced many people to reconsider where they are based. Hence the list of best cities from which to work remotely. The Big 7 Travel list has been compiled using criteria such as affordability, digital access, “cool” co-working spaces, friendly expat communities and countries which offer a Digital Nomad visa.
DIGITAL NOMAD VISA FOR CAPE TOWN
With almost perfect timing, the City of Cape Town and Cape Town Tourism recently launched a Digital Nomad initiative to encourage domestic and, eventually, overseas travellers, to choose Cape Town as a remote working destination.
Alderman James Vos, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, says: “We are seeing innovation within the tourism sector to accommodate the changed behaviour of remote working by offering long-term stays, and including other benefits required to work remotely.”
The City has engaged with national government to consider introducing a Remote Working Visa as a means to boost the tourism industry and will target digital nomads as part of its overall Destination Marketing Strategy. “This will become part of an international campaign when the time is right,” Vos says.
CAPE TOWN CO-WORKING SECTOR SET TO GAIN
This bodes extremely well for the Cape Town CBD co-working sector. At the end of 2020 there were a total of 16 co-working spaces in the Central City, according to Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) research economist Sandra Gordon.
“This is just one less than the number of co-working spaces operating in 2019,” she says. “This indicates the sector held its own remarkably well during the pandemic. While three CBD co-working spaces closed in the last year, and a further three relocated elsewhere, they were quickly replaced by new companies – including the new Flexi Suites in the recently completed 35 Lower Long premium office development.”
The co-working economy gained momentum three years ago when Cape Town emerged as one of the world’s recognised Tech Cities and a hub for technology development and innovation. The Cape Town CBD is an ideal base for so-called digital nomads with its unique offering of myriad accommodation options, a thriving coffee and restaurant culture and modern, efficient co-working spaces.
CubeWS on the Foreshore is one of the Central City's co-working spaces.
LIVING AND WORKING SPACES
Property developers, keen to be agile in the Covid-19 climate, are also capitalising on the trend. Neighbourgood property developers recently added the iconic Townhouse Hotel in the East City precinct of the CBD to its stable. The company is focused on creating “thoughtfully designed, all-inclusive living and working spaces that offer exceptional amenities and a connected community”.
Founder and CEO Murray Clark says all 107 fully furnished units in the R80 million Neighbourgood East City development have flexible leasing options of three, six and 12 months; they will also all be fully furnished and will have high-speed, commercial-grade WiFi – perfect for the digital nomad.
The development is not the only CBD Neighbourgood development: Neighbourgood Reserve in Adderley Street will come on stream at the end of year. Members who buy into the Neighbourgood concept also buy into a connected living and working ethos.
A VALUE-FOR-MONEY DESTINATION
Expanding on Cape Town’s allure to the digital nomad, Vos says the exchange rate goes a long way towards making the city an affordable luxury destination for international workers (without displacing local jobs) for up to 90 days, as permitted by South African immigration regulations. “Current visa-free countries include some of our key source markets such as Germany, UK, France, the US and more,” Vos says.
What’s more, “an abundance of natural beauty and wide-open spaces makes Cape Town an ideal location to live and work with solid fibre infrastructure and top-class hospitality, services and products”.
IMAGES: CCID