Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Two Queens in port together
THE drive into the Cape Town CBD was rather different yesterday morning when motorists were greeted by the beautiful sight of the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria cruise liners. For the very first time, two of Cunard Cruises' Queens, graced the same African port simultaneously.
While curious onlookers watched in awe, the Queen Mary 2 arrived in Cape Town on April 11 as the final destination port of her 30-day one-way trip from Hong Kong to Cape Town, then the Queen Victoria arrived a day later as part of her 55-day one-way trip from Sydney to Southampton, England.
This is viewed as a monumental milestone not only for the Port but also for Cruise Cape Town, the public-private partnership dedicated to nurturing the cruise economy and sustainability of the industry.
Queen Mary 2 will undertake a turnaround call in Cape Town, facilitating the disembarkation and embarkation of passengers for her next voyage bound for New York, USA.
Queen Victoria will also make a brief stopover for a turnaround call before continuing her voyage to Walvis Bay, Namibia.
Wesgro CEO and official spokesperson for Cruise Cape Town, Wrenelle Stander, said: “We are immensely proud to welcome both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. This historic occasion underscores Cape Town and the Western Cape's growing stature as a premier cruise destination, reflecting the efforts of all our partners in fostering the growth and sustainability of the industry.”
Cruise Cape Town, powered by Wesgro, and in collaboration with partners including the Western Cape Government, the City of Cape Town, Transnet Ports Authority, the V&A Waterfront, and the South African Maritime Safety Authority, has been steadfast in its efforts to bolster competitiveness, drive economic growth, and generate employment opportunities within the cruise sector for Cape Town and the Western Cape.
Each cruise ship visit translates into tangible economic benefits, with one full-time provincial job created for every 30 arriving cruise passengers.
The current 2023/24 season is seeing 65 confirmed ship visits, attracting an estimated 90 000 two-way passengers and 38 000 crew members.
From an average of 35-40 cruise visits per season between 2016-2019, the Port has seen a substantial increase, with 70 and 65 confirmed ship visits for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 cruise seasons respectively.
Provincial MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Mireille Wenger said: “This exciting occasion shows that tourism and cruise tourism is on the up in the Western Cape.
“This is great news because more tourists mean more jobs in the Province. With an expected 90 000 passengers in 2023/24 cruise season, and based on Wesgro's estimates, we know roughly 3 000 new permanent jobs have been created in this season alone.
“As the Western Cape Government, we will continue to partner with the private sector to continue on our path to enable the kind of breakout economic growth we need to help create many more jobs across this wonderful and sought after province we proudly call home,” she said.