Rugby World Cup Sevens a big injection for local economy, says Cape Town mayor

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has expressed his excitement about the "big injection in the local economy" the city will receive from Rugby World Cup Sevens.

The prestigious tournament takes place at Cape Town Stadium over the weekend, starting on Friday afternoon, with more than 100 000 spectators expected to grace the three-day spectacle.

"Every bar, every restaurant will be packed, every hotel will be packed, so it is really important for our local tourism economy," Hill-Lewis told reporters at the Rugby World Cup Sevens media day on Signal Hill.

"We know that most of the people coming here will spend a few days - so it will be the whole city and even out of the city centre like Stellenbosch and the surrounding areas that will benefit from this. It will be a big injection into the local economy."

Hill-Lewis, who was inducted into office last year, is well aware of how important it is for the city to entice companies to invest and use Cape Town to host global events.

As the world continues to recover from Covid-19, the 35-year-old mayor is looking forward to the economic boost the city will receive in the coming months as Cape Town will stage more major events.

The Mayor of Cape Town @geordinhl looking to get the perfect snap of the @WorldRugby7s silverware.??: @tash23vard pic.twitter.com/wzuIpsZJ7K

"I'm so thrilled that we are starting to attract more of these global events," he continued.

"Obviously, in December, we have the HSBC Rugby Sevens again, and next year, we have our first Formula-E race. If you see around the (Cape Town) stadium, you will see some road works happening because the track construction is already underway for the big Formula E next March.

"So, increasingly, these global sporting events are being