Disruption has changed the behaviour of businesses and people, says Tim Harris, the chief executive of Wesgro, Cape Town and the Western Cape’s tourism, trade and investment agency.
“Disruption uproots and changes how we think, how we behave, how we learn, how we do business and how we go about our daily lives,” said Harris, delivering a keynote address on “Economic disruptors – the new normal” at the closing day of the 2018 Stellenbosch Business Tourism Indaba.
He said the common theme was technology. Working at a regional level in the Cape, it was important to understand that disruption happens at a national level and regional level.
“South Africa always had a strong rand, but now Mauritius is taking that competitive advantage and is disrupting us by taking South Africa’s position in the economy.
“Kigali (Rwanda) has strong growth in the business tourism space, business services and tech hubs and that is a direct challenge to Cape Town as a positional leader in that space,” said Harris.
IOL
