The Mother City experienced a massive influx of tourists in the first six months of 2023, with 1.6 million two-way passengers passing through Cape Town International Airport between January and July this year.
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The impressive number represents a growth of 69% when compared with the same period in 2022.
This is according to the monthly tourism report compiled by the Western Cape Government’s (WCG) official trade, investment and tourism promotion agency, Wesgro.
‘September is Tourism Month and is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the incredible contribution the tourism and hospitality sectors make to both the economy and job creation in our province,’ said Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger.
‘The data in this month’s report points to an impressive winter season. This then bodes very well for our upcoming peak summer season, when we can look forward to possibly surpassing the previous summer.’
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International two-way passengers remained strong between January and July 2023, reaching 1.6 million, according to Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 106% year-to-date and growing by 69% compared to the same period in 2022.
A total of 3.8 million domestic two-way passengers passed through CTIA over this period, based on ACSA data.
George Airport two-way passengers reached 449 837, a 3% year-on-year increase compared to the same period in 2022.
The top 5 highest year-on-year growth rates in July 2023 were recorded for Table Mountain National Park: Boulders (68%), !Khwa ttu (51%), Table Mountain National Park: Cape of Good Hope (50%), Table Mountain National Park (50%) and Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (48%).
‘We are more determined than ever to attract more visitors -both domestic and international- to the Western Cape, where there really is something for everyone, no matter what you are looking for. We have made this our mission because more tourists mean more jobs,’ added the minister.
Last week, Wesgro confirmed the significant impact tourism has on the provincial economy, including the fact that the arrival of 605 000 foreign passengers injected R24.3 billion into the Western Cape economy in 2022 alone, supporting 10 600 jobs. This means that for every 100 international passengers travelling to Cape Town and the Western Cape, R2.1 million is generated in direct tourism spending. The same 100 passengers support the movement of R1.4 million worth of air cargo for the province.
‘These impressive statistics show just how catalytic tourism is to the Western Cape. Which is why boosting tourism is also one of the priority focus areas of the Western Cape Government’s ambitious new economic action plan, “Growth for Jobs”. This plan aims to achieve a R1 trillion, jobs-rich and inclusive provincial economy by 2035 that is growing by between 4% and 6% in real terms so that we can lift many more people out of poverty and into prosperity’ concluded Minister Wenger.
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Picture: Delano Ramdas / Unsplash