Outside the big cities, however, South Africa is a pretty conservative place where open displays of public affection by gays and lesbians are unlikely to go down well; many whites will find it un-Christian, while blacks will think it un-African. South African Tourism (the official tourism organization), on the other hand, has recently woken up to the potential of pink spending power and is actively wooing gay travellers - an effort that is evidently paying off with the Spartacus gay guide ranking Cape Town among the world's top five gay destinations. And although there are gay scenes in all the major cities, Cape Town is the one that is most developed.

There are a number of gay print publications , including Exit newspaper ( ) and Rush magazine ( ) both of which are available at newsagents in larger centres, and a substantial number of online publications. Cape Town and J'oburg have annual gay pride festivals ( ) and the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival ( ) is screened in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban every year in February and March.