You’re probably wondering; why call it Cape Archives Tours? As someone working in the tourism sector, there’s a wealth of information on Cape Town archived in my mind, be it where to stay, what places to visit and where to eat - I’m that guy and I have managed to build a team that shares the same ethos.
What I love about my job is that I get to make beautiful memories for people across the globe who have high expectations when visiting South Africa. So, when starting my own business, I was filled with excitement and a sense of giddy fear. I remember being in Johannesburg when our first online enquiry came through. Since then, I’ve never looked back.
Looking back, it was quite extraordinary how things took off that fast, from booked tours to good online reviews. What could go wrong? A few months after Cape Archives Tours took off, the pandemic hit. The world went into lockdown, travel restrictions were in place, and the tourism industry felt it the hardest. We weren’t immune to the massive economic blow. Cape Archives Tours was forced to shut down for two years; we lost our vehicles and staff. Thankfully, not our sanity.
It was a huge sigh of relief when the world opened up again, and this time we were more than ready. Like the first time, that rush of excitement when picking up a booking post-Covid was the same. The irony is that it was cancelled the very next day. But we persevered and in the Summer of 2021, Cape Archives Tours courted locals by offering discounted rates. This also enabled us to brush up on our tour guide expertise.
Today, the company has grown from strength to strength. We have a new fleet of vehicles, new offices and new additions to the family, Including friends, immediate and extended family members. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to make our family-run business happen.
And just because we’re Cape Town-based, it doesn’t mean the tour stops here. Plans for the future include expanding into other countries on the continent, namely Botswana and Victoria Falls. Thank you to our clients for entrusting us to make memories with you…. Xavier
