 The City of Cape Town is gearing up for, and already welcoming scores of local and international visitors as they arrive in the mother city for its traditional peak tourism season.
Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Marketing, Councillor Grant Pascoe, says the City’s tourism industry has been enjoying a steady annual increase in visitor numbers.
Over two million people have already visited Cape Town’s six biggest attractions in November alone. All of Cape Town’s ‘Big Six’ icons reported growth on 2011’s November figures.
The numbers for November 2012 are:
Groot Constantia recorded above-average sales in the month and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens visitor numbers were up by more than 13% from last year. While reporting increases from last year, the ‘Big Six’ destinations added that they were poised for another good month in December. “Cape Town as a city has already proven that it is ready to host the throngs of tourists who traditionally visit the city during the summer months,” says Pascoe.
In the run-up to the festive season, several major events attracted over 200 000 visitors. This includes the switch-on of the festive lights; where over 120 000 people flocked to the city centre to enjoy the spectacular event.
Pascoe says the latest figures came on the back of a positive year for local tourism. “Between January and March this year, over 420 000 people visited the Western Cape. This is an increase from just over 379 000 over the same period in 2011. Together these tourists spent more than R5 billion in the Province over just three months,” Pascoe explains. These figures were obtained from the Western Cape Destination Marketing Investment and Trade Promotion Agency South Africa (Wesgro).
Cape Town offers domestic and international tourists the full package.
Pascoe also adds that Cape Town was also named the World Design Capital host City for 2014 – this is another international accolade which has boosted the city’s profile internationally. With the City’s award-winning Blue Flag beaches added to the mix, Cape Town has become the ideal destination for any kind of traveller.
Cape Town Tourism has reported that there could be an increase in visitor numbers this year. Accommodation establishments, especially in the City Bowl and along the Atlantic Seaboard, are predicting a strong demand over the next two months. Overall, they expect an average occupancy of more than 70%.
“While the bulk of the visitors come from the United Kingdom (UK), Germany and the Netherlands, there is also steady growth from Asian countries. Already there is a visible increase in the number of visitors and the City hopes this continues for the rest of the peak season,” Pascoe says.
|
| Published by the City of Cape Town. |
Politics And Cape Town 