02/09/2026
๐จ๐ป๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ง๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐บ, ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐
Tourism is more than the places people visit and the experiences they enjoy. It is a significant contributor to the Western Cape economy, supporting businesses, creating opportunities for communities and driving spending across the province.
As we celebrate the launch of Tourism Month, weโre highlighting the immense value that visitors bring to Cape Town and the Western Cape.
The latest tourism performance figures for 2025 show the scale of the opportunity:
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1.5 million international tourists visited the Western Cape in 2025, an 11.1% increase year-on-year.
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These international visitors generated R25.9 billion in foreign direct spend in the province, a 14.4% increase on 2024 and 25.4% of South Africaโs total foreign direct spend from international tourists.
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Domestic tourism added another 4.0 million overnight trips to the province, up 15.4% on 2024.
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Domestic visitors contributed R12.7 billion in overnight spend, while generating 14.3 million bed nights, up 10.2% year-on-year.
Unlocking further tourism growth will require strong coordination across the public and private sectors, alongside improved access and connectivity, to ensure that we can continue growing demand and maximising the economic value of tourism.
Behind every one of these numbers are businesses, employees, entrepreneurs and communities that benefit from tourism activity, from accommodation and restaurants to attractions, transport, retail, tour operators and local experiences.
When visitors explore our small towns and townships, the economic value of tourism can reach even further, creating opportunities for communities across Cape Town and the Western Cape.
This is the business of tourism: growing demand, supporting local enterprise and ensuring that the economic value generated by visitors creates opportunities across our destination.
We celebrate the people and businesses at the heart of the Western Capeโs tourism economy because behind every experience is a local story, a local business and an opportunity to grow โ With Love from the Locals.
Wrenelle Stander Western Cape Government City of Cape Town Love Cape Town Visit South Africa Ivan Meyer James Vos Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth and Tourism Tourism Business Council of South Africa SATSA Fedhasa
