Cape Town

Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town with its distinctive pastel coloured houses in the foreground with the city centre to the left and Table Mountain in the background. Photo: SkyPixels / Wikimedia Commons

Cape Town reports healthy tourism numbers for ’22 festive season

Tourism in Cape Town boomed during the festive season with its international airport reporting a 98% recovery in international visitors.

Cape Town

Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town with its distinctive pastel coloured houses in the foreground with the city centre to the left and Table Mountain in the background. Photo: SkyPixels / Wikimedia Commons

Tourism in Cape Town has reportedly surpassed all expectations and is within short reach of achieving pre-pandemic tourism levels. 

According to the City of Cape Town Municipality, Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) reported an incredible recovery of 72% in domestic visitors and 98% in international visitors compared to the December 2019 festive period. 

CAPE TOWN TOURISM BOUNCES BACK  

Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, said the official figures show significant recovery and, in some cases, surpass pre-Covid-19 numbers.  

Regional General Manager at at the International Airport, Mark Maclean said it was a good festive season with high reliability of operations. 

Maclean said the airport had a festive feel and deployed additional staff to process the increased passenger volumes, supported by technology. 

“We are pleased with the 98% recovery of international passengers compared to 2019, driven by the return of airlines and the start-up of new airlines into CTIA. We also recorded good domestic passenger demand, and we look forward to airlines adding additional capacity this year,” he said. 

In addition to the bounce back in air traffic, Cape Town Tourism’s latest travel figures also reveal tourists’ growing appetite for Mother City’s famed attractions, which also experienced a significant recovery. 

Compared to 2019 figures, Groot Constantia reported a 71% recovery, Kirstenbosch 76%, Robben Island 89%, Chapmans Peak 95%, and Table Mountain almost 100%.

Cape Town Tourism
Views on the journey along Chapmans Peak, the road from Hout Bay to Noedhoek on February 04, 2017. Image: Laura Carey/Getty Images.

Cape Town Tourism Chairperson and Managing Director of Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, Wahida Parker, said it’s phenomenal that Table Mountain’s magnetism continues to draw people in from across the globe over the holidays.

“The festive season was undoubtedly in full swing this December. The influx of visitors to our city had the opportunity to complement their beach visits and wine-tasting outings with a hike up Table Mountain or a ride in our cable car while taking in the superb views of the surroundings,” Parker said.

The Mother City’s GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World reported a total footfall of 95% of its 2019 figures this festive season. The entertainment destination said its retailers’ revenues surpassed 2019 numbers as they capitalised on the increase in traffic and extended trading hours.

General Manager at GrandWest, Mervyn Naidoo, said the past fiscal showed vital signs of recovery.

CT Tourism’s survey of its members found that 85% said December’s performance was much better than in 2019. The respondents said the primary international source markets were the USA, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The primary domestic markets were Cape Town, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal.

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