Cape Town Tourism reports a recovery rate in April 2022, compared to April 2019, of 74% for international arrivals and 76% for domestic arrivals.
This continues an upward trajectory in local and international passenger movements seen since January.
Easing of Covid-19 restrictions, coupled with the lure of a South African summer, has meant many booked their bucket-list trips to the Mother City. And Cape Town Tourism has launched a first-of-its-kind experience to keep the visitors coming.
This immersive, choice-driven travel journey lets prospective visitors experience the city, virtually, their way. An innovative take on the “choose your adventure” idea, is designed to appeal to millennials with “revenge travel” in mind.
“Revenge travel refers to people ‘rebelling’ against the lockdown of the last few years, and consciously choosing to explore more. We expect to see a surge of people coming to Cape Town this year, as the industry opens, and people feel safe to set forth and travel with purpose, ” says Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism.
“We are committed to moving from tourism recovery to a chapter of tourism readiness. In March, we saw a 72% recovery in domestic arrivals and 62% in international arrivals. In April, our domestic recovery numbers increased by 4%, alongside an impressive 12% jump in international arrivals. The numbers are looking extremely positive, and we hope to keep the momentum going, even with the inevitable impact of winter, ” he says.
According to City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos, the figures and number of visitors coming to Cape Town is a great gain for the economy, at the same time reinforcing the support for local tourism.
“The positive figures are the result of targeted and effective campaigns and strategies implemented by the City and Cape Town Tourism that capture the variety of our destination and we will continue working hard to ensure we reach greater heights,’’ Vos says.
The Cape Town Tourism accommodation report indicates that the Mother City is also looking good with occupancy rates for March reaching 66.6% – up from 39.8% in March 2021 with the average room rate for that month rising to R1 972, up from R991 in 2021. And last year, despite the pandemic and lockdown, tourism drove R5.8 billion into the City’s economy.
Find Your Freedom
Cape Town Tourism recently launched Find Your Freedom, an immersive travel experience that uses game-style graphics and an interactive interface to take people on a journey of the best of Cape Town.
The landmark initiative is their most important to date, offering a pioneering user experience. Global travellers select their persona – the Fearless Foodie, Nature Warrior or Urban Adventurer – then go down a rabbit-hole of rapid videos, showing top Cape Town offerings tailored to their interests. Users can then easily book these experiences via Expedia.
“Find Your Freedom presents an array of unique Cape Town choice-driven video experiences to viewers via the latest digital technologies. You choose your adventure. It’s an interactive journey from start to finish,” Duminy says.
GoPro Partnership
The Find Your Freedom immersive travel experience also leans on the idea of co-creation. CTT (Cape Town Tourism) partnered with six global GoPro ambassadors to showcase what "Find Your Freedom" means in Cape Town.
Hosted by the destination marketing organisation, GoPro legends Hellah Sidibe, Matthias Weger, Jakob Weger, Nick Pescetto, Alannah Vellacott, as well as local GoPro Ambassador Chris Rogers, were taken on a week-long, adventure-packed deep dive to show the world Cape Town through their lens.
TikTok launch
CTT has also partnered with TikTok to launch its new account, which will appeal to its millennial audience – the cornerstone of its Find Your Freedom experience.
The TikTok channel includes a unique Branded Effect which features the same Afrofuturistic visuals and allows users of the app to interact and choose their path, with a call to action to play the game and discover their freedom in the Mother City.
“Cape Town represents freedom for all and now’s the time to find your freedom!” Duminy says.