Over the past few months, we have seen amazing growth in the tourism sector. As we know, tourism generates income for a variety of businesses and creates a wide range of employment opportunities.
Therefore, James Vos, Mayoral Member for Economic Growth, reminds us that repeat tourism, when tourists visit a destination on multiple occasions, can result in more rands in our communities.
‘’When people come here from the other side of the country, continent or world, they don’t come to only lay on our beaches or go up the mountain,’’ Vos said.
‘’They buy the products made by our businesses and visit our communities, thus enjoying our history and cultures.’’
Travel allows us to experience various things in one destination, especially experiencing the various famous dishes and cultures.
‘’Through travel, malva pudding goes from being a locally-loved delicacy to a global gastronomic phenomenon; a design goes from Khayelitsha’s streets to London’s catwalks.’’
Furthermore, Vos stated that it’s his mission to help secure a tourism related job in every household in Cape Town, and there are three important factors to keep in mind.
The first is to have more flights land in Cape Town. It is noted that there have been more flights landing every week than before Covid, which is already a good sign.
Vos added: ‘’Between now and March 2023, we have 1.68 million two-way seats available and will land 191 international flights per week, generating approximately R8 billion in tourism spend.’’
The second is to dock more cruise liners from all over the globe. This will bring many spin-offs from passenger spending to ship maintenance and provision of supplies.
He adds that cruise bookings for the 2023/24 season indicate 120 ship visits to Cape Town. With an estimated R100 million in total passenger spending per port visit, which is a significant market for Cape Town.
Lastly, to secure more events and conferences, ‘’I am excited to share that we have an incredible line-up and packed programme with many of our conference venues fully booked until the end of next year.’’
This will have a positive financial impact on the hotels and attractions within the city. All in all, it looks like it’s going to be a good year for the tourism sector. I think it’s safe to say that we are finally experiencing the calm after the covid storm.
‘’Through tourism, we can continue to economically empower communities while showcasing and sharing Cape Town’s rich cultural and historical heritage with visitors,’’ Vos concludes.