It’s been a year of tourism wins so far for the Western Cape, and this summer is set to be a record-breaker for the province’s tourism. Inbound International seats booked for the province, for the first time ever, will exceed 1 million!
Western Cape, South Africa (23 October 2023) — It’s been a big and bold year for the Western Cape in tourism so far, and the positive momentum doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. From a sparkling display at the World Tourism Awards to Cape Town being voted the Greatest City in the World (Again), it comes as little surprise that this summer is set to be a record-breaker for the coastal province as people from around the world flock to the West Coast.
According to the provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mirelle Wenger, projections for the Summer of 2023/2024 are looking brighter than a day at the Cliftons, with a record-breaker in tourism numbers.
“Cape Town International Airports (CTIA) seat capacity for summer 2023/24 is estimated to increase by an impressive 25% compared to the same period last year. This means that inbound international seats this summer will exceed 1 million, for the first time ever,” Minister Wenger shared.
With over 1 million seats destined for the Western Cape already, the tourism economy is gearing up for a summer like no other.
But, this wouldn’t have been possible without the worldwide celebrations the Western Cape has relished in, which in turn, wouldn’t have been possible without the communities that take care of their homes, the environmentalists that tackle unsung missions and beautify the natural wonders we all get to enjoy, hospitality’s most-dedicated and the dreamers who turned ideas into sought after experiences.
Some Achievements from 2023:
Eight Wins at the World Tourism Awards
Including Africa’s Leading City Destination.
Cape Town Voted the Greatest City on Earth
The 2023 Telegraph Awards once again crowned Cape Town the winner as voted by their readers.
Cape Town Voted the Fourth-Best City in the World
Per the Condé Nast Traveller’s 2023 Reader’s Choice Awards.
Cape Town Scooping Second Place for the City Nature Challenge
Beating out nearly 500 global cities.
“This world-wide recognition has not happened by chance,” shared Minister Wenger.
Wenger furthered that Visa setbacks are being focused on, noting that the long overdue Remote or Digital Nomad Visa will be live by the end of March 2024.
On the topic of safety, Wenger said that 250 tourism monitors are set to be deployed across the Western Cape to identified hotspots, with tech that links them to security services.
“In all that we do, we cannot lose sight of why we continually strive to do even better than before. At the end of the day, more tourists mean more jobs. When tourism flourishes, so too does our economy, and so too do the people of the Western Cape and South Africa. This is what we are working towards, so let’s get bus doing what we do best: welcoming millions of tourists to our outstanding, tenacious and world-class home.”—Minister Wenger concluded.
Considering that the Jan-July report revealed that for every 100 international passengers travelling to Cape Town and the Western Cape, R2.1 million is generated in direct tourism spend, this is soaring good news for SA.
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