Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) says it expects 175 vessel calls at South African port cities in the 2023/24 cruise liner season, which opened earlier this month.

The vessels are expected to bring an estimated 166 933 passengers to local shores.

The opening of this year’s cruise season was marked by the arrival of the Vasco da Gama at the Cape Town Cruise Terminal, voted Africa’s Leading Cruise Port in the 2023 World Travel Awards.

“At the core of our readiness for this year’s cruise season is to ensure that our port infrastructure is reliable and efficient to handle passenger vessels of any size,” says TNPA Western Region Ports managing executive advocate Phyllis Difeto.

In six of South Africa’s commercial seaports, TNPA will sail and dock 175 scheduled vessel calls, with 59 call-ins planned for Cape Town, 33 for Durban, 28 for Port Elizabeth, 25 for Richards Bay, 22 for Mossel Bay and 8 for East London.

TNPA anticipates that more vessels will be confirmed as the season progresses.

“As we start this season, together with our public and private sector partners, Cruise Cape Town, powered by Wesgro, is committed to continuing its cruise development efforts in the region,” says Wesgro CEO Wrenelle Stander.

“Building on the success of the previous season, which injected an estimated R1.2-billion into the Western Cape economy alone, the team is dedicated to facilitating continued sustainable growth, as we anticipate even greater achievements in the seasons to come.”

City of Cape Town Economic Growth MMC James Vos adds that an economic impact study found that for every 30 cruise passengers arriving in the Western Cape, the provincial cruise industry created one full-time job. 

“Forward bookings for the season are looking excellent. These gains didn’t come out of nowhere; it’s by design, where we work around the clock on clever campaigns that drive more bookings. 

“We are now landing 215 international flights every week in Cape Town,” adds Vos.

“These flights are bringing 31 000 passengers per day. Now we are looking to build on this growth, exceed those figures of the previous great season, and realise our goal of creating a tourism-related job in every household.”