Cape had lively holiday season despite drought

LOCAL tourism operators in the Western Cape have reported sound results for the month of December, as tourism offices and attractions saw increased numbers.

The drought, however, had some negative impact, said Economic Opportunities MEC Beverley Schäfer.

She said Wesgro, the Western Cape government’s tourism marketing partner, conducted a survey of tourist offices across the province this week.

“Tourism is a key sector in the Western Cape, responsible for creating over 300 000 direct and indirect jobs,” she said. “But 2018 was a difficult year as a result of the drought, and the tight economic situation South African consumers found themselves in.”

Franschhoek reported a slower start to the season but said activity picked up drastically from December 25 to January 6. Accommodation establishments were 90% full. Staff reported that while the season was shorter than in 2017, the town was busier. In Stellenbosch, guest houses reported being fully booked; Vredenburg’s tourism office received more visitors than in December 2018, with international visitors mostly coming from Germany, the UK and the Netherlands. Lambert’s Bay reported an increase of around 10% in visitor numbers, with about 25% being international visitors, while Doringbaai saw an increase of 7% in visitor numbers. Gansbaai reported being very busy over the Christmas and New Year weekends – 5 700 people went shark cage diving and 1 260 went whale watching at Kleinbaai.

In Knysna, walk-in statistics at the tourism office were down, but accommodation was fully booked over the peak period, and many of the popular tourism activities were also fully booked.

The Karoo, which is still experiencing extreme drought conditions, reported that numbers of visitors at accommodation establishments and restaurants had declined. Langebaan also reported that visitor numbers were down, though attractions like Club Mykonos and the West Coast National Park were well supported.

In Cape Town, Table Mountain reported a 5% increase in visitor numbers compared to 2017, while almost 25 000 people visited the Zeitz art Africa museum. The V&A Waterfront recorded a slight decline in overall visitor numbers of between one and two percent. New Year’s Eve was the Waterfront’s single biggest day, attracting 157 000 visitors.

Wesgro’s Tim Harris said they still had a lot more to do to recover from the drought. |