Hundreds of thousands of people came to Cape Town as international arrivals increased by 74%

Hundreds of thousands of people have come to Cape Town to find their freedom. Cape Town Tourism reports a recovery rate April 2022, compared to April 2019 of 74% for international arrivals and 76% for domestic arrivals.

This continues an upward trajectory in local and international passenger movements seen since January. Easing of Covid-19 restrictions, coupled with the lure of a South African summer, has meant many booked their bucket-list trips to the Mother City. And Cape Town Tourism has launched a first-of-its-kind experience to keep the visitors coming.

This immersive, choice-driven travel journey let’s prospective visitors experience the city, virtually, their way. An innovative take on the ‘choose your adventure’ idea, is designed to appeal to millennials with ‘revenge travel’ in mind. Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, says, “Revenge travel refers to people ‘rebelling’ against the lockdowns of the last few years, and consciously choosing to explore more. We expect to see a surge of people coming to Cape Town this year, as the industry opens, and people feel safe to set forth and travel with purpose.

“We are committed to moving from tourism recovery to a chapter of tourism readiness. In March, we saw a 72% recovery in domestic arrivals and 62% in international arrivals. In April, our domestic recovery numbers increased by 4%, alongside an impressive 12% jump in international arrivals. The numbers are looking extremely positive, and we hope to keep the momentum going, even with the inevitable impact of winter.”

City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos adds, “the recovery of Cape Town’s visitor economy is a major gain for the city’s economy even though we haven’t yet fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Given that the sector contributes between 2% and 3.5% annually (pre-Covid) to the local economy and sustains up to 5% of all jobs in the city – not to mention those working in affiliate industries – we must do all we can to support local tourism. These positive figures are the result of targeted and effective campaigns and strategies implemented by the City and Cape Town Tourism that capture the variety of our destination and we will continue working hard to ensure we reach greater heights. These positive figures are the result of targeted and effective campaigns and strategies implemented by the City and Cape Town Tourism that capture the variety of our destination and we will continue working hard to ensure we reach greater heights.”

Alongside this, the Cape Town Tourism accommodation report indicates that the Mother City is also looking good with occupancy rates for March reaching 66.6% - up from 39.8% in March 2021 with the average room rate for that month rising to R1972, up from R991 in 2021. And last year, despite the ongoing pandemic and lockdowns, tourism drove R5.8 billion into the City’s economy.

“These positive figures are the result of targeted and effective campaigns and strategies implemented by the City of Cape Town and Cape Town Tourism that capture the variety of the destination,” adds Vos.

BUSINESS REPORT