Early data, released by Cape Town Tourism, reveals largely positive trends for the peak season but weather did slightly dampen some of the city’s major attractions.
Cape Town Tourism said the city was “lively” over December but, as Airports Company of South Africa and the V&A Waterfront have not yet published data, the city’s visitor volumes cannot be accurately tracked at this stage.
Attractions record mixed results
The January Domestic Travel Take-Up Report, which surveyed 1 100 South Africans, found more than half (54%) travelled over December. The Western Cape emerged as the most popular destination with 29% of respondents indicating they visited the province.
The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway also experienced strong local support with 70% of December visitors South African.
Cool Runnings Cape Town, in Tygervalley’s Toboggan Family Park, saw similar local support.
“About 70% of our business over December and early January came from South Africans. Overall, the property was slightly busier than in 2023, especially in the winter months when we had a lot of visitors from outside South Africa. Overall, there is a promising outlook for the next season,” Toboggan Family Park Managing Director Frank Unger said.
Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Executive Director Selma Hercules said: “Despite some disruptions due to weather, we came close to pre-COVID numbers and even saw a slight increase compared to last year.”
Weather also had an impact on other outdoor activities. The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and Groot Constantia both saw dips in visitor numbers – attributed to weather and fewer events compared to 2023. Robben Island, which reported fully booked tours, had to cancel tours on nine days in December due to weather conditions.
However, Cape Point Nature Reserve reported significant growth of 15% in visitor numbers. The Two Oceans Aquarium (up 5%) and Chapman’s Peak (up 2%) also recorded more visitors.
Local spending trends
Cape Town Tourism said local tourists are beating financial pressure by using alternative accommodation and discounts.
The most recent data indicates 36% used self-catering accommodation, 35% stayed with friends and family and 14% used guesthouses. Hotels accounted for 11%, Airbnb 7% and camping or caravans 6%.
Almost half (49%) spent less on eating out while travelling and 44% cut down on gifts and shopping. Over 60% reduced travel spend with discounts and specials.
Cape Town Tourism CEO Enver Duminy said: “The data shows people are more geographically spread, which has always been our mission: to encourage visitors to explore further and spread the love. It is also clear that visitors carefully consider what they spend their money on and there’s something here to suit every pocket. We’re famous for luxury but plenty of gems exist.”
Despite the budget-conscious focus, businesses reported increased spending compared to previous years. International visitors, primarily from the US, UK and Germany, were the largest contributors identified by Cape Town Tourism members.
