Tourism hackathon in Cape Town to back township, rural operators
Fifty students will build digital tools for township and rural tourism businesses at a hackathon launched by Minister Patricia de Lille in Cape Town on Saturday.
Young innovators will get a chance to build technology for small tourism businesses this weekend, when the Department of Tourism and the University of Cape Town (UCT) open the Tourism Hackathon Challenge. According to SAnews, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille will officially launch the programme at the UCT DSchool on Saturday.
What the hackathon is about
Students will work in teams to produce practical, technology-based answers to problems facing the tourism sector. The department said in a statement on Thursday that the event will end with working prototypes. These are meant to make township and rural operators easier to find and to link them with new customers online.
This year’s theme is “Community-Based Tourism and Rural Inclusion”. The challenge follows the first hackathon, held in 2025 during South Africa’s G20 tourism programme.
Fifty students from public and private universities that offer tourism and hospitality qualifications have been selected. Their teams will work on ideas in four areas:
- Websites and apps that match visitors with township and rural experiences
- Booking tools for local guides, homestays and village activities
- Virtual-reality tours showing lesser-known attractions
- Ways for small operators to accept payments and gain access to financial services
Partners and next steps
Besides UCT, the department is working with CATHSSETA, the sector education and training authority for culture, arts, tourism, hospitality and sport. Other partners are the Centre for Public Service Innovation, Future Leaders Challenge and Geekculture.
Teams will keep refining their concepts after Saturday’s launch. A final pitching and awards event is planned for the last quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, between January and March 2027. The department and UCT will also look at ways to support the top three finalists through innovation and entrepreneurship programmes.
The minister said the aim is to build a pipeline of young talent who gain digital skills, mentorship and hands-on experience, and who are encouraged to build careers or businesses in tourism. She said UCT would contribute its knowledge of design thinking, innovation, entrepreneurship and financial technology.
UCT Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela described the arrangement as a three-year strategic partnership with the department. He said it fits with the university’s Strategy 2030.
Why it matters for readers
The hackathon is linked to the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan 2025–2030, which targets product development, job creation, skills development and economic empowerment through community inclusion. For small operators in townships and rural areas, better online visibility and payment options could mean more bookings. For tourism students, it offers a route to mentorship and possible entrepreneurship support. The source did not say whether further students can still enter, so interested students should check with their institutions or the Department of Tourism.
This story is based on reporting by SAnews.
