Tourism in the Western Cape is expecting a major recovery this year after a positive start to the season.
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According to MEC of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, tourism recovery data collected between January and December 2022 indicated an upward trend at the Cape Town and George Airports, as well as other tourist attractions across the Western Cape.
Passenger volumes at Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) showed an overall recovery of 77%, compared to the same period in 2019, while figures for international, regional and domestic passengers stood at 749,228 over the period, compared to 962,185 in 2019, according to the Airport Company of South Africa (ACSA).
Spokesperson for ACSA, Gopolang Peme, said that they were optimistic about the recovery and would continue to facilitate passengers to add value to tourism, which plays a meaningful role in our economy.
Wenger said that over seven million passengers have come through the Cape Town airport between January and November, including 1.6m international and 5.3m domestic travellers.
She added that the number of visitors to 20 attractions across the province recorded a total of 456,025 visitors in November 2022, a 127% growth compared to the same month in 2021 and 71% of what it was in November 2019.
The top five attractions that showed a year-on year growth rate in November 2022 included Robben Island, Table Mountain National Park, Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, Table Mountain National Park Boulders and the Cango Caves.
Provincial traffic services has also noted high levels of traffic on Western Cape roads as citizens travelled to and within the province.
“More visitors to our province means more jobs for our residents, and so this is excellent news indeed. We are committed to growing these figures even further by connecting Cape Town to more destinations around the world, and by doing whatever we can to remove barriers that stand in the way of this sector’s success,” said Wenger.
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