Cape Town’s status as repeat tourism destination welcomed, embraced and celebrated

08 January 2024

Over the past few months, Cape Town's tourism sector has experienced remarkable growth, making it a hub for business revenue and creating diverse job opportunities. The City – with its unique landscapes, exciting experiences and rich cultural identity – have not only attracted many visitors to Cape Town, but also ensured repeat tourism.

'Seeing visitors returning to a destination shows their interest in a place, its practices and its peoples. Return trips not only enrich visitors' experiences, but also contribute significantly to the economic vibrancy of our communities.

'Visitors – and especially returning visitors – don't merely come to relax on our beaches and explore our mountains. They come to engage with our businesses and our communities, and immerse in the city's rich history and cultures.'

'Travel allows us to explore different facets of a destination; through travel we can savour local dishes, hear local stories and embrace unique experiences. Through travel, local delights like malva pudding transform into global gastronomic phenomena; and designs from Langa find their way to London's catwalks,' said the Mayoral Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos.

The City's Economic Growth Directorate is also still committed to the mission to create a tourism-related job in every household in Cape Town. This objective is only attainable by a strategic three-part design:

• By increasing the number of flights landing in Cape Town: In the 2022/2023 season, aviation brought in R24 billion and 10 600-plus jobs into the Cape. For the 2023/2024 festive season, about 215 international flights have landed every week since the start of summer, with approximately 31 000 passengers per day passing through the airport.
• Attracting more cruise liners from around the world: Cruise travel, welcomed almost 190 000 passengers and crew between October 2022 and May 2023, injecting billions of rands into the. For this cruise season, 50 cruise ships are confirmed, promising substantial economic benefits for Cape Town.
• Securing more events and conferences: Many conference venues are booked until the end of this year. This will significantly benefit hotels and attractions, indicating a positive year ahead for the tourism sector.

'Through tourism, we can continue to empower communities economically while showcasing our city and sharing Cape Town's rich, vibrant and authentic cultural and historical heritage with visitors. We're excited to (re)welcome all visitors this tourism season.

'We're committed to fostering tourism growth by collaborating with esteemed partners like Air Access and Convention Bureau in Wesgro, and Cape Town Tourism, our destination marketing organisation, to explore new markets and boost volumes and values,' Alderman Vos concluded.

Published by:
Media Office, City of Cape Town