Cape
Town - The Western Cape had a bumper tourism period
with an increase of almost 30 percent in international visitors says Cape Town
Tourism.
Cape Town Tourism released
the preliminary figures this week for visitor traffic at Cape Town International
Airport and at the city's
major attractions.
December 2016 arrivals
showed an 8 percent increase in total arrivals (year-on-year) at the airport
(522 659), domestic arrivals increased by 3 percent (398 245), regional
arrivals showed a 1 percent decrease (8 795) and international arrivals
increased by 29 percent (84 493).
Visitor numbers to the
city's six major attractions showed there were 49 738 visitors to the Robben Island
Museum this past festive
season, 4 percent more than in December 2015. Kirstenbosch saw a record
December with the most visitors in a month with 118 699, a 6 percent increase
year-on-year, Groot Constantia with 79 000 visitors, a 25 percent increase on
December 2015. Cape Point also experienced a record December with 129 039
visitors, a 15 percent increase, Table
Mountain received 150 201
visitors, a 0.3 percent increase, year-on-year. The Waterfront had a 1 percent
decrease in visitors, however, for last year in total, they had almost 1
million more visitors than 2015.
Read also: Tourism arrivals on the rise
Cape Town Tourism said
tourism organisations cited locals preferring to stay within South Africa in
December and the exchange rate, which remains favourable for international
visitors as contributing to the favourable results.