Cape Town – The Western Cape Investment and Trade and Promotion Agency (Wesgro) said on Monday it was closely monitoring the remaining leg of the first round of France’s most contested and controversial elections.
This is with the aim of growing business ties with France and the EU.
Widely considered a gateway to the EU, France remains an important connection for the Cape. Europe is ranked as the Western Cape’s strongest contributor to tourist arrivals and France was the province’s fifth-largest tourist arrival source market in 2015 with 76736 French citizens visiting the region.
Wesgro said that it was taking steps to ensure continued tourism, trade and investment between France and the Cape in anticipation of a new administration.
In 2015, the Western Cape’s dominant export product to France was wine.
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Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances were prominent French imports, with 15 direct foreign investments.