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African penguin near Boulder’s Beach
The current tourist season in Cape Town is booming, with 226 international flights from 31 destinations landing every week. This, according to Cape Town, is a culmination of years of work to promote the Mother City as a globally connected destination.
Wesgro, the official tourism, trade and investment agency for the Western Cape, says there has been a 10% increase since 2023 in the arrival of international visitors at Cape Town Airport.
Paul van Den Brink, Wesgro Cape Town Air Access says, “3.1 million passengers for the first time in the history going through the international terminal. So we expect that will further grow in the next few years with further expansion of the network, with more airlines and we focus indeed more on the Asian market and the Australian market. So we are very confident that Cape Town is in a very good position.”
Air access is a key focus area for driving tourism growth, while there has been a steep increase of 27% in air cargo as well.
The city says this milestone shows that campaign and airline partnerships are working well. Exceeding expectations, over 10 million people in total, passed through the airport.
James Vos from City of Cape Town: Economic Growth says, “Aviation is a key driver of our economy, creating jobs and business benefits. To ensure that Cape Town International Airport can accommodate future growth we’ll soon begin engaging with the Airports Company about the crucial upgrades needed to accommodate more flights.”
Many return visitors and first-time explorers enjoy the rich cultural diversity on offer.
“You want the beach you’ve got the beach, if you’re into your wines, your food you know it’s such a multicultural diverse city. So this is probably the fifth, sixth time coming back now, so it’s an amazing city and that’s why we’re back.”
“Cape Town is very, very beautiful. I’m happy in Cape Town. Inshallah I come back in Cape Town for two months. I go to back Saudi Arabia for Ramadan, but after Ramadan I come back to Cape Town.”
Managed by SANParks, Table Mountain National Park falls within the collection of 21 sites countrywide. SANParks says visitor numbers across the country have shown steady increase.
Another important driver is the cruise line sector, with 88 ships docking at the harbour in the current season. The city says it is moving beyond recovery from the Covid pandemic, expanding the entire tourism sector year on year.
“This industry already contributes R27 billion annually to the local economy and our focus remains on ensuring it drives employment and creates opportunities for local businesses. We running campaigns that lead directly to bookings. One in every 23 Capetonians now work in tourism. This is what drives us, creating jobs and opportunities for our people,” says James Vos, City of Cape Town: Economic growth.
Vos says safety is a top priority with the deployment of extensive law enforcement resources across the city. Strategic operations, partnerships, and investments in technology form part of its safety strategy.
