Showcasing the Cape film industry

The showcase takes place 15 - 17 September 2006 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Internationally, the film industry creates opportunities for local entrepreneurs to develop dynamic tourism packages. For example, the Burt Reynolds movie Deliverance was produced in 1972 for just U$5 million. Since then, an entrepreneur who set up a canoe-safari company and lodge on the same river has made more than U$75 million in related tourism earnings.

Grown since 1994

Since 1994, the Western Cape industry has grown from just five production companies and 50 crew to more than 150 production companies and 1650 skilled suppliers. Some 10 000 crew members now work across South Africa.

Between 2002 and 2003, over 1250 stills shoots, 500 TV commercials and more than 35 feature films and TV series were shot in the Western Cape, as well as a number of high profile reality television and documentary programmes. About 95% of these projects involved the manufacturing of a finished product for foreign markets.

According to Location magazine, internationally the Western Cape is the fifth busiest film production destination.

R2 billion

Economically the film industry in the Western Cape generates R2 billion per year. Applying an economic multiplier of 2:5, it is estimated that for every R1 spent on production, R2.50 goes into the local economy. As a highly labour intensive industry, major film productions spend as much as R650 000 per day on local employment and services. Television productions spend R500 000 a day, TV commercials as much as R450 000 a day and even the smallest international stills photography shoot generates R350 000 for a week-long shoot.

Chairman of the Tourism Business Forum Vernon Kirsten says highlighting the benefits of the film industry's contribution to tourism and the economy at the showcase fits in well with the Tourism Month theme of Tourism Enriches. The Tourism Business Forum is a partnership of organisations ensuring that there are more successful, profitable and thriving, sustainable black-owned tourism businesses in the province.

Wares on offer

Some 120 new, emerging and established travel businesses will converge on Capetonians next weekend to offer tourists the latest travel options at the showcase. Representatives from bed and breakfasts, lodges, chalets, hotels and resorts, backpackers, tour operators, wine farms, museums, local municipalities, arts and crafts organisations to car rental companies will all be offering their wares.

"The showcase is the ideal forum to entice local people to travel our beautiful province more. It is an invaluable and affordable platform for entrepreneurs to bring their products to the attention of the trade. It will provide new exciting gems of the Cape that local, domestic and international tourists' visits should not be without," says Kirsten.

The exhibition is open 9am - 6pm on 15 September and 10am - 5pm on 16 and 17 September. The entry fee is R20 per person, half price for students and pensioners and children under 12 years may enter at no cost.