
The sustained tourism recovery in international arrivals seen over the last few months, when compared to pre-pandemic levels, has continued with recovery rates at Cape Town International Airport’s (CTIA) international terminal reaching the highest level over the last five months.
Domestic two-way passengers at CTIA increased from 407 626 in June 2022, to 456 785 in July. Total two-way domestic passengers in 2021 reached 4.2 million. It is encouraging to see that total two-way domestic passengers between January and July of this year already stands at 3.4 million, and bodes well for the rest of the year.
The findings are included in Wesgro’s July 2022 report, which is a monthly publication providing valuable insights into tourist arrivals and trends in the Western Cape.
Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger said: “I am very pleased with the continued recovery we are seeing in the tourism and hospitality sector, across many indicators such as air travel, key source markets, hotel occupancy as well as visitors to our many and diverse attractions.”
Minister Wenger continued: “I am also thrilled that passengers through George Airport have essentially fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, reaching a recovery rate of 99%. I met with the management of the George Airport this week and heard that between January and March of this year, an impressive 190 000 passengers passed through the airport and that they have exceeded their capacity and hope to implement expansion plans over the next few years.”
Minister Wenger kicked-off her Tourism Month Tour in George on Monday, visiting local tourism attractions and meeting with George Airport management.
Key findings included in the Wesgro report for July 2022 are:
Minister Wenger added: “A key focus of our tourism strategy will be for the Western Cape to match the increase in recovery rates for international visitors, with an increase in domestic tourism recovery rates, which is critical for the growth and the sustainability of the sector. That is why this tourism month, our message to South Africans is to explore the remarkable beauty our province has on offer.”
Minister Wenger concluded: “The tourism and hospitality sector contributes significantly to our economy. In fact, in 2019, the gross value added by this sector was R15.5 billion and supported 174 982 direct jobs, which does not even consider indirect jobs created across the entire tourism value chain. We have everything we need to not only recover to pre-pandemic levels but to far exceed them, boosting our economy and creating many more jobs for residents in the Western Cape.”
Georgina Maree
Spokesperson for the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities
(Responsible for the Provincial Treasury and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism)
Cell: 076 423 7541