“Hundreds of thousands” of people have flocked to Cape Town as COVID-19 restrictions ease and travellers’ wanderlust can finally be satisfied. Cape Town Tourism has reported that, compared to April 2019, 2022 has seen a 74% increase in international arrivals and a 76% increase in domestic arrivals.
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Airports have opened and so have the floodgates of long-awaited visitors to the Cape. These statistics indicate the upward trajectory in local and international passenger movements since January 2022. This year’s epic summer only added to Cape Town’s allure.
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The concept of “revenge travel” has reportedly fuelled further arrivals.
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. 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.
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