Jan 9, 2016

BUMPER RETURNS FOR CAPE TOWN TOURISM

The Cape Town tourism attractions reported bumper holiday season so far..

According to preliminary figures and sentiments from Cape Town’s attractions, it appears as though the city has enjoyed one of the busiest ever holiday periods so far. Table Mountain Cableway and Robben Island have revealed record-breaking visitor numbers, with other big attractions also sharing positive forecasts.

Table Mountain Aerial Cableway had a record December with 28% more visitors than in
December 2014, reportedly because the weather was extremely favourable and they were
open every single day in December.

Robben Island Museum (RIM) recorded the highest increase in number of visitors in December 2015, an increase of 43% more tourists visiting the museum than in the same period in 2014. A total of 46,793 tickets have been sold compared to the 33,495 in December 2014; this number being the highest ever, beating the 2010 record of 43,208 tickets when the country hosted Soccer World Cup.

The V&A Waterfront’s visitor figures measured on the Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre only,
have shown an increase year on year for the month of December. They also welcomed
approximately 180 000 visitors on New Year’s Eve, over the 24 hours.

In 2014 24 million visitors visited the property, and all indications are that 2015’s numbers
will be roughly the same. Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens have welcomed almost 115 000
people over December 2015, excluding the very popular Summer Sunset concert
audiences.Since the opening of the Tree Canopy Walkway or ‘Boomslang’ in May 2014,
Kirstenbosch has seen a staggering increase in annual visitors from 800 000 to just over 1
million.

Events, the rand and school holidays
The increased numbers can be attributed to a variety of factors, including events such as
Cape Town 7’s at the beginning of December, and then the England vs SA test which saw a
strong contingent of English supporters taking advantage of the strength of their currency.
The weakening rand definitely boosts the local tourism sector as the exchange rate remains
favourable to international visitors, who can then afford to spend more; with locals opting to
rather holiday in their home country. The school holidays once again ensured a big amount
of domestic visitors.


source: Cape Town Tourism 

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