The Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions hit Cape Town’s tourism sector hard but the recovery is underway.

Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos says: “2021 proved to be yet another challenge for our hospitality and tourism industries. But thanks to the success of our collaborative campaign efforts to attract local tourists, this past December holiday was much more positive for the local industry. Judging by the demand that we saw, I believe that there will continue to be an upward trajectory for travel to Cape Town and South Africa.”

CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Enver Duminy says: “We’re delighted to see recovery in our visitor economy, with domestic and international tourists injecting some sorely needed capital into the city. We do understand that recovery will take a little longer than we had hoped but we are optimistic that this trend towards recovery continues in February, as we enter our ‘second’ peak season. While the numbers look better, we need sustained tourism to really impact our local small business sector and start turning the devastating blows dealt by Omicron-linked travel bans around.”

The V&A Waterfront reported a year-on-year percentage increase of 31% and attributed it to increased footfall and eased restrictions. They also reported a strong influx of domestic travellers that helped drive the improved figures.

Overall, the tourism sector contributed R5.8 billion to Cape Town’s economy in 2021. In December, tourism contributed R800 million to Cape Town’s economy and the domestic campaign resulted in bookings valued at just over R40 million.