South Africa’s major coastal regions – Western Cape, KwaZulu Natal and Nelson Mandela Bay – all experienced a bumper festive season.

The regions recorded impressive tourist numbers, with some even breaking pre-pandemic records.

Cape Town celebrated as repeat tourism destination

Over the past few months, Cape Town’s tourism sector has experienced remarkable growth, making it a hub for business revenue and creating diverse job opportunities.

The city – with its unique landscapes, exciting experiences and rich cultural identity – not only attracted many visitors, but also saw repeat visitors.

Cape Town International Airport announced a record-breaking achievement in two-way passenger traffic at its international terminal for December.

“Seeing visitors returning to a destination shows their interest in a place, its practices and its peoples. Return trips not only enrich visitors’ experiences, but also contribute significantly to the economic vibrancy of our communities,” said James Vos, City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth.

“Visitors – and especially returning visitors – don’t merely come to relax on our beaches and explore our mountains. They come to engage with our businesses and our communities, and immerse themselves in the city’s rich history and cultures. Travel allows us to explore different facets of a destination; through travel we can savour local dishes, hear local stories and embrace unique experiences.”

The City’s Economic Growth Directorate remains committed to its mission to create a tourism-related job in every household in Cape Town through its strategic three-part design:

• Increasing the number of flights landing in Cape Town: In the 2022/2023 season, aviation brought R24 billion (€1.1bn) and 10 600-plus jobs into the Cape. For the 2023/2024 holiday season, about 215 international flights have landed every week since the start of summer, with approximately 31 000 passengers per day passing through the airport.
• Attracting more cruise liners from around the world: Cruise travel brought almost 190 000 passengers and crew between October 2022 and May 2023, injecting billions of rands into the economy. For this cruise season, 50 cruise ships are confirmed, promising substantial economic benefits for Cape Town.
• Securing more events and conferences: Many conference venues are booked until the end of this year. This will significantly benefit hotels and attractions, indicating a positive year ahead for the tourism sector.

“Through tourism, we can continue to empower communities economically while showcasing our city and sharing Cape Town’s rich, vibrant and authentic cultural and historical heritage with visitors. We’re excited to (re)welcome all visitors this tourism season,” said Vos.

Increased occupancy rates for KZN

Although Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) will only be able to share complete figures, job creation and economic impact for this holiday season at the end of January, early statistics show that, on average, occupancy rates increased by about 2% to 63.5% from December 1 to December 23, compared with 61.9% in 2022.

“The supply of bed-nights for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day increased by 4% to 39 086 compared with last year’s 37 692, which is an indication that the trade has confidence in the growth of the tourism sector,” Acting Chief Executive of Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, Sibusiso Gumbi, told Tourism Update. 

Prior to the holiday season, TKZN said it was expecting 845 000 visitors, of which 52 000 would be international tourists. This is a slight increase on 2022’s holiday figures.

Gumbi further noted that TKZN’s tourism information officers had been inundated with enquiries about accommodation, experiences and things to do for families, friends and groups.

The Durban enquiries were mostly for accommodation, while those for the North and South Coasts were for accommodation and things to do.

The Drakensberg had the highest number of enquiries for accommodation and was the best performing inland destination. uShaka Marine World also reported that, despite the rain, numbers were better than last year.

Nelson Mandela Bay outperforms 2022

Acting Executive Director for Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture at Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Mpho Pebane, told Tourism Update that the metro’s tourism industry had performed well over the holiday season, with an increase of 0.9% in the number of tourists compared with 2022.

“The City had an increase in the number of visitors over the holiday season. In addition, the cruise liner season, Uitenhage Picnic, and Ebubeleni music festival also had a huge impact on the number of tourists visiting the city, and tourism economic injection.”

Pebane added that it was projected that several seasonal job opportunities had been created, although the exact number would only be known once the complete audit had been carried out by the end of January.

“We strive to bring visitors to the city throughout the year, and this is inclusive of leisure, agriculture, investments, business and events. In doing so, the Department works closely with government departments, provincial entities, district and local municipalities, and the private sector to showcase the City and its potential locally, nationally and internationally,” concluded Pebane.