The Western Cape hospitality industry has reported positive numbers for the past festive season and these have been sustained into early January.

While most industry members maintained a steady occupancy rate, a number actually had an increase in revenue. “This was driven by holiday-makers from other provinces, as well as international travellers such as the English cricket team supporters who visited South Africa for a test series between the two countries,” said a statement from the Cape Chapter of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa)

Speaking to Tourism Update, Jeff Rosenberg, Chairperson of Cape Fedhasa, described the festive season’s figures as “a great start to the first quarter”, highlighting that there had been a definite influx of tourists from Europe.

A statement from Bantry Bay’s President Hotel said the hotel had seen 5.5% growth in occupancy compared with December 2018. This was attributed to the hotel’s revised marketing strategy and competitive market rate.

“Domestic travellers make up the largest percentage of our key source market,” highlighted Jeremy Clayton, Director of the President Hotel and a board member of Fedhasa. He said the hotel’s dynamic pricing best suited price-sensitive South African consumers.

Concluding the statement from Fedhasa, Spokesperson Richard Lyon said: “The industry as a whole is feeling positive about the upcoming year. Tourism is a key sector to improve economic growth and we believe that, despite the various challenges faced by the industry, there is nowhere better to visit than the Western Cape.”