Cape Town welcomed 2.4-million overnight visitors last year, this according to the latest ‘Economic Value of Tourism Report’, said City of Cape Town Economic Growth MMC James Vos as he launched Tourism Month.

These visitors injected R24.5-billion directly in the city’s economy, supporting more than 106 000 jobs – nearly 7% of all employment in Cape Town.

Cape Town is now connected to 31 global destinations, with 226 international flights each week during peak season, noted Vos.

He also announced that the Cape Town & Western Cape Convention Bureau had secured 36 new global conference bids, worth R745-million, set to attract more than 27 000 delegates through to 2028.

“Our hospitality sector is thriving, with April 2024 hotel occupancy at 64.6%, well above the national average of 56.3%,” he added.

Vos said he would soon publish Cape Town’s new draft Tourism Development Framework.

“This framework is the result of extensive research and consultation and will serve as our roadmap to grow both visitor volumes and value.

“It brings the public and private sectors together to tackle the big issues, from seasonality and barriers to growth, to better transport links and product development.

“The framework is about getting everyone to pull in the same direction – marketing Cape Town with one strong voice, clustering products so we offer a richer experience, and making sure decisions are driven by solid research.

“Anchored in international benchmarking and best practice, it lays out clear actions and outcomes so that we can create more jobs, support local businesses, and make sure communities right across the metro share in the benefits of tourism.”

Vos noted that one job is created or sustained for every 10 tourists who arrive in Cape Town.

As a matter of comparison with one of the world’s top tourist destinations, the city of New York received 62.2-million visitors in 2023.

Domestic visitors stood at 50.6-million, while international visitors reached 11.6-million.

Visitor spending was estimated to amount to more than $48-billion in 2023.

Tourism-related employment numbered 254 000 jobs.

In 2023, the New York City hotel market recorded an occupancy rate of 81.6%.