Cruise season generates R300 million towards Cape Town economy

The past cruise season in Cape Town has done good things for the city’s economic growth, generating a whopping R300 million for the economy.

City of Cape Town reports great tourism growth

Cruise tourism has done great things for the City of Cape Town’s economy, as revealed during a recent Cruise Tourism Workshop hosted by South African Tourism.

According to the City, the past cruise season has seen 70 ships dock in Cape Town, resulting in over 145 000 passengers and 42 000 crew passing through the Cape Town Cruise Terminal.

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This, of course, translated to a generated R300 million (€14.4m) in annual economic impact for the City and the Western Cape province, according to tourism facilitation agency, Wesgro.

It was also interesting to note that, according to Cruise Lines International Association’s State Of The Cruise Industry 2023, average spend per passenger in a port city is US$750 (around R14 000).

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‘A key to growth’

Alderman James Vos said that the cruise sector was another tourism opportunity that was key to growing Cape Town’s economy.

“Overall, this sector has the potential to grow even more with huge economic spin-offs for our province and country. The City will continue to work with our tourism partners and the V&A Waterfront to promote our region as a destination of choice globally for cruise tourism. The City will continue to invest in tourism programmes and projects that drive demand and make business sense, as tourism sustains about 150 000 jobs in Cape Town.” Vos said in his speech.

“Through tourism, we can continue to economically empower communities while showcasing and sharing South Africa’s rich culture, natural beauty, adventure, luxury, and heritage with visitors,” Vos added.

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