We went to the major South African city that's approaching 'Day Zero' of an unprecedented water crisis - here's what it's like to be a tourist there

Cape Town, South Africa - a city that is home to more than 4 million people - is close to running out of water after three years of a persistent drought.

"Day Zero," or the day when the city will be forced to turn off most of its taps, was originally set for April but the date has been pushed to July. By then, if the city doesn't get enough rain, thousands of residents will be forced to collect water rations from central collection points.

If the city runs out of water, it will be the first major city in the world to do so. But the World Wildlife Fund estimates that by 2025, two-thirds of the world could be dealing with water shortages.

We went to Cape Town to open Business Insider's new South Africa edition and explored the city as tourists. We found a divide between the tourism industry and the rest of the country.