Cruise ships bring in tourists by the actual boatload. Cape Town has its sights set on becoming the top destination for these ships coming to Africa. Here are the city’s plans to bring more ships to its shores, in an effort that will further boost the tourism industry.
Cape Town cruises, a collaborative effort
Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities & Asset Management, James Vos says the city is working with its tourism partners and the V&A Waterfront to promote Cape Town as the cruise destination of choice. He says: “The city of Cape Town is actively working to promote Cape Town as the top cruise destination on the continent because this sector has the potential to grow even further with significant economic spin-offs for the city and its residents.”
“We need to position Cape Town as a home port for world and regional cruises. To do this, we need to understand what cruise companies want and to match our tourism experiences accordingly,” says Vos.
Cruise tourism brings waves of benefits to the Mother City. https://t.co/Il0QejYRo6
— James Vos (@VosJames) November 21, 2019
This follows on the success and subsequent economic benefits of the Cape Town Air Access model, which brought direct air links into the city. This collaborative model is the same one which will be utilised for the cruises.
.@Vosjames 32 vessels,incl 67 stop-overs have been confirmed for the 20-21 cruise season.CT is poised to become a homeport for specialist cruises.A dedicated cruise terminal,funded by @VandAWaterfront has put Cape Town in the running to become the cruise destination of choice pic.twitter.com/ssKzOehQVn
— Invest Cape Town (@InvestCapeTown) November 19, 2019
“We have noticed the significant economic benefits of the Air Access initiative, which included 15 direct flights and 21 exiting route expansions,” says Vos.
Vos beleives that a dedicated strategy in cruise tourism is needed and will yeild the similar results. There is now a dedicated cruise terminal funded by the V&A Waterfront. Along with the increased connectivity to Cape Town with the direct flights, the city is an especially ideal port to embark or disembark.
All relevant industry stakeholders have been convening for this collaborative effort, said Wesgro’s CEO Tim Harris. Wesgro has met with most of the international and local cruise tourism operators to gain a better understanding of the industry. This is a joint effort by government and businesses, with the ultimate view of increasing the routes and stop-overs in Cape Town.
“We’ve had a series of meetings with Transnet, the V&A Waterfront, the provincial government and SAMSA (the SA Maritime Safety Authority). The effort is led by the City of Cape Town. We’re busy putting in place a collaborative model to facilitate growth of the cruise industry,” said Harris at the annual Wesgro review.
This will involve marketing efforts to appeal to international cruise industry players, growing the local industry and improving the current barriers presented by the likes of infrastructure.
Cruising to the Cape
Speaking on the year-on-year growth in the cruise industry in the Cape, Vos says:
“We have seen a tremendous increase in this sector. Just this season alone (October to April), 30 vessels are expected to make 49 stopovers in Cape Town. We have also witnessed a steady increase in cruise passenger arrivals, from 47 145 during the 2017/18 season, to 52 580 during the 2018/19 season. An additional 32 vessels and 67 stopovers have been confirmed for the 2020/21 season.”
Cape Town Tourism estimates that the value of the cruise tourism industry between 2017 and 2027 will be in the region of R220bn. A ship carrying about 2 000 passengers results in spending to the value of approximately R2m per day.
Vos recently welcomed the MS Queen Elizabeth cruise liner back to the Cape. “I am delighted at the opportunity to welcome the crew and passengers of the MS Queen Elizabeth to our shores today,” said Vos. The cruise liner carries 2 068 passengers and 996 crew members.
Expect to see more cruise liners headed to the shores of the Mother City in a tourism opportunity for locals and foreigners alike.
