Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) saw more than 1.7 million two-way international passengers from January to August 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic numbers by 107% and marking a 64% increase over the same period in 2022.
George Airport reported a 3% year-on-year uptick with 511 919 two-way passengers during the same time frame.
These statistics were part of a broader tourism report released by Wesgro, the Western Cape Government’s agency for trade, investment and tourism promotion.
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The provincial minister of finance and economic opportunities, Mireille Wenger, highlighted the resilience of the tourism and hospitality industries.
‘The tourism and hospitality sector, despite going through very difficult times, keeps bouncing back, showing such grit that pays dividends down the line for so many in the Western Cape,’ Wenger said.
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Additional key takeaways from the August 2023 report include:
- CTIA’s domestic terminal saw over 4.3 million two-way passengers, achieving an 80% recovery compared to the same period in 2019, along with 12% year-to-date growth year-on-year.
- From January to August 2023, Cape Town logged 562 818 tourist arrivals by air; 90% of these tourists came from overseas markets, while 10% hail from the African continent.
- The United Kingdom led as the primary source of air travel to Cape Town, followed by the USA, Germany, the Netherlands and France.
- Visitor numbers to 36 attractions across the Western Cape grew by 72% in August 2023 compared to August 2022, reaching a total of 607 353 visitors.
- Locations such as Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, Table Mountain National Park, Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area, West Coast National Park and Harold Porter National Botanical Garden saw the highest year-on-year growth rates.
Minister Wenger praised the Air Access team’s impact on the province’s economy, stating, ‘Three weeks ago, we celebrated the impressive contribution the Air Access team, powered by Wesgro, made to increasing air connectivity into the Western Cape, boosting inclusive economic growth and job creation in the province, with the news that in 2022 alone, the arrival of 605 000 foreign passengers via air injected R24.3 billion into the Western Cape economy, supporting 10 600 jobs.’
She also noted the recent surge in cruise ship visits, which have generated roughly R1.2 billion and created approximately 1 800 jobs between November 2022 and May 2023.
‘It is encouraging to see continued growth in tourism and hospitality, a major job-creating sector. This bodes well for the upcoming summer peak season, and now is the time to prepare to roll out the red carpet for our visitors from all over South Africa and indeed the world,’ concluded Minister Wenger.
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