Surf Expo Africa aims to turn Cape Town’s love of the ocean into real jobs and growing businesses

By Flux Communications

At the end of November, Surf Expo Africa will bring the city’s ocean culture indoors for three days at CTICC 2. Billed as Africa’s first all-ocean sport and beach-lifestyle trade show, it’s not just about shiny new boards and beachwear. Organisers say it’s a launch pad for the Western Cape’s recreational blue economy - and the timing feels spot-on.

“Cape Town’s coastline is our competitive advantage,” says Jason Cumming, co-founder of Surf Expo Africa. “This expo is where the boardroom meets the break - a place for founders, buyers and communities to connect, do business and open doors for people who want their careers to start where the waves end.”

Cape Town’s visitor economy has real momentum. In 2024, the city welcomed about 2.4 million overnight tourists, who’s direct spend injected roughly R24.5 billion into local businesses - supporting around 106,000 jobs across accommodation, food, transport, attractions and more, according to Cape Town Tourism and recent media briefings by city officials. That’s a tailwind for any event that helps convert ocean passion into paycheques.

Zoom in on ocean sports and you find a sector that already punches above its weight. BlueCape’s baseline study values the Cape Town ocean-sports economy at R1.38 billion (2018/19), while the City’s Economic Growth directorate has pointed to ±R2 billion in current value and 20% annual growth in recent years. Surf schools, shapers, paddle and foil innovators, safety training, events, media - it’s a diverse ecosystem that flourishes when people meet, test and trade.

Cape Town’s beaches also carry the quality mark. For the 2024/25 season, eight city beaches earned Blue Flag status - from Clifton 4th and Camps Bay to Muizenberg and Fish Hoek - highlighting both visitor appeal and beach-management standards. Province-wide, the Western Cape led the country in Blue Flag accreditations.

Cumming puts it plainly: “We’re starting local - giving Cape Town and Western Cape businesses a powerful shop window - and we’ll scale to international audiences next. The opportunity is here on our doorstep: more lessons, more rentals, more tours, more events, more makers, and more young people trained as lifeguards, surf coaches, skippers and technicians.”

Globally, coastal and marine tourism accounts for at least half of all tourism, making it one of the biggest levers for coastal jobs when managed well. For Cape Town, that means doubling down on what the city does best: access to clean, swimmable beaches; reliable info on water quality and safety; affordable entry points for youth; and easier pathways for small firms to sell beyond their local break.

Surf Expo Africa lists the City of Cape Town, BlueCape, Mission for Inner City Cape Town and South African Tourism “in association with” the show - a useful signal that destination marketing and sector development are pulling in the same direction. When the city’s visitor numbers climb, ocean-recreation businesses feel it first: more lessons booked, more gear sold, and more feet in shorefront cafés and stores.

“As a city flanked by two oceans, Cape Town has long embraced the opportunities of the sea, from fishing and marine activities to hosting major events,” says JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security. “The City of Cape Town continues to explore the blue economy as a key area of growth. Surf Expo Africa offers not only Cape Town and South Africa, but the entire continent, a platform to unlock new possibilities from the ocean. Our partnership with Surf Expo Africa is rooted in driving growth for the ocean economy and supporting the many sectors that thrive alongside it.”

“Partnerships matter,” says Cumming. “From surf clubs in Muizenberg to kite schools in Blouberg and cold-water swim crews along the Atlantic, this is about opening the tent. Buyers meet founders. Kids meet mentors. And the rest of us get to remember why a day at the beach can change the trajectory of a neighbourhood.”

Surf Expo Africa runs 28–30 November 2025 at CTICC 2 in Cape Town. It covers surf, wind, paddle, swim, beach and travel, with space for brands, clubs, tour operators, NGOs and skills programmes. Tickets are available and exhibitor and buyer registrations are open.

If the Western Cape wants to grow jobs that match the place we live - resilient, outdoors, inventive - then putting the ocean front and centre is common sense. An expo won’t solve everything. But it can do something only a live, local marketplace can: turn stoke into strategy and ideas into invoices.

For more information, please visit Homepage - surfexpoafrica