The FIFA World Cup 2010 saved many attractions in the Western Cape from having had the worst winter in many years, according to Cape Town Routes Unlimited (CTRU) CEO, Calvyn Gilfellan.

Opening a Tourism Business Conference in Cape Town yesterday, he said 2010 second quarter statistics due for release the following day would show that if it wasn’t for the World Cup, some Western Cape attractions would have had a close on 10% decline in visitor numbers this winter. For example, the V&A Waterfront had a 3.3% decline in visitors in April and May, but visitors shot up by 20% in June, while Robben Island visitors declined by 7% in April and May, but rocketed by 81% in June. Year-on-year growth in visitors in June was 12.2% at Kirstenbosch and 16.7% at the Table Mountain Cableway.

However, 5-star hotel average occupancy during the World Cup did not exceed 35% and questions are being asked about their sustainability after the event. Gilfellan said CTRU was calling together a few think-tanks around business- and events tourism to devise a way to step up marketing of the destination in order to keep hotels and stadia full.