Cape Town: an all year round tourism destination

3 Nov 2015

Cape Town is truly becoming an all year round destination with a holistic approach to tourism taken over the past year.

Enver Duminy

Speaking at Cape Town Tourism's recent AGM, CEO Enver Duminy said that the latest statistics indicate positive growth year-on-year in air travel to Cape Town and that Cape Town Tourism's strategies in combating seasonality had paid off.

He highlighted a successful 'Hello Weekend' campaign that resulted in 21% increase in domestic bookings and the impact that this had in combating seasonality in tourism. The campaign was specifically designed to attract visitors in off-peak season.

These achievements were made despite the current tourism industry climate which has taken a significant knock from the birth certificate requirements, biometric visas and the tail-end of the Ebola crisis. Duminy thanked David Frost of the South African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) for his commitment to the industry in light of Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom's announcement that some of the visa and birth certificate regulations will be relaxed.

New board members

He also welcomed the newly-elected board members selected at the AGM who will assist in driving efforts to get visitors and locals exploring the city. The new board members are Enver Mally, director at African Eagle Tours; Jonathan Jacobs, director at Skylar Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd; and Michellene Leo, marketing manager at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront.

Key statistics and highlights include:

Total airport arrival figures are up 3.4% year-on-year - domestic arrivals by 2.9%, regional arrivals by 6.4% and international arrivals by 6.1%.

Cape Town Tourism achieved an unqualified audit as an organisation, and, in addition, achieved a level 4 BEE status.

Of the big attractions, Kirstenbosch Garden showed a favourable 29% increase in visitors.

95% of visitors polled said that they were either very satisfied or satisfied with their Cape Town experience.

Increased capacity at Cape Town International Airport had a positive effect on regional and international arrivals.

Garreth Bloor, Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Economic Development concurred, stating that a long-term strategy aimed at counteracting seasonality is already in place and that this is encouraging tourists to stay longer, spend more and visit more places. He mentioned the specific targeting of niche tourist markets as one means of growing tourism in the city.

"Cape Town Tourism is closely monitoring visitor trends, and is cautiously optimistic about the upcoming holiday season, especially since domestic tourism remains the focus during December and January. Placing the emphasis on campaigns such as 'Hello Weekend', the 'Love Your Neighbourhood' video series which showcases select city suburbs and a drive to encourage visitors to 'travel like a local' will add impetus to tourism-related businesses," Duminy stated.