Cape Town Tourism Report Shows Surge In International Visitors While Domestic Spend Falls

At the same time, domestic tourism spend declined, driven by real household economic pressure on South African families. Cape Town Tourism is responding proactively, with campaigns already in market designed to grow visitor volumes and spend.

What the numbers say

The newly released 2025 Economic Value of Tourism report from Cape Town Tourism reveals two distinct stories: one of accelerating international appeal, and one shaped by economic pressures bearing down on South African households.

Foreign visitors came in greater numbers and spent more. Domestic travellers came just as often but stayed for shorter periods and spent less. Together, these forces define both where Cape Town’s tourism economy stands today and what is needed to grow it.

A destination the world wants

Cape Town continues to attract high-value, long-haul international visitors. In 2025, foreign overnight visitors reached 1.44 million, staying an average of 9.5 nights and spending R1,390 per day, bringing total foreign direct spend to R19bn.

Data released by Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) shows a record 11.1 million two-way passengers in 2025, with 3.3 million two-way international passengers passing through the airport’s international terminal over the year.

This represents a 7% increase compared with 2024. Domestic two-way passenger numbers reached 7.8 million, also a 7% year-on-year increase.

The city’s top six source markets were the United Kingdom (210,932 arrivals), the United States (167,053), Germany (161,271), the Netherlands (70,818), France (68,348), and Australia (51,971).

Supplied by Cape Town Tourism

South Africans are still travelling, just differently

The headline challenge in 2025 was a significant decline in domestic tourism spend, reflecting the economic reality facing South African households.

While the number of domestic overnight trips to Cape Town reached 1.42 million, a recovery to 98% of the 2019 total, the average stay fell from 5.2 nights to 4.4 nights and daily spend dropped to R882.

Data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) and South African Tourism (SAT) indicate that visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel has increased.

In contrast, discretionary holiday travel declined, with hosts absorbing accommodation costs and activities trending toward lower-cost options.

South Africans are still choosing Cape Town; they are simply spending more carefully. Total domestic spend declined from R8.0 billion to R5.5 billion, contributing to the overall dip in Tourism Gross Value Add (GVA) and employment.

This is not a reflection of weakened demand for Cape Town as a destination, but of constrained household budgets across South Africa.

What we are doing about it

Cape Town Tourism and the City of Cape Town are not waiting for conditions to improve. Three active initiatives are already working to grow visitor volumes and spend:

1. CTT Domestic Campaign: Inspiring South Africans to visit

Cape Town Tourism has recently launched a dedicated domestic tourism campaign under the banner 'You don’t need a holiday. You need My Cape Town,' to capitalise on the clear opportunity before us: South Africans want to travel, and Cape Town is the destination they want to visit.

The campaign speaks to the full range of Cape Town experiences, from high-value city breaks to accessible outdoor adventures, with messaging designed to meet households where they are economically and to inspire them to make the trip.

2. Regional partnership with Zimbabwe and Namibia: New source markets

Cape Town Tourism and the City of Cape Town have formalised a partnership with tourism counterparts in Zimbabwe and Namibia to increase visitor flows to Cape Town from across the African continent.

Regional arrivals grew by 17% in 2025, confirming that our neighbouring markets offer real opportunity. This partnership deepens the collaboration needed to convert that momentum into sustained growth through joint trade engagement, shared marketing platforms, and coordinated destination development.

Cape Town’s appeal across Africa is growing, and we are investing in relationships to build on this further.

3. One Small World Campaign: Positioning Cape Town Globally

The One Small World campaign is Cape Town’s international brand platform, positioning the city as a place of extraordinary human connection, natural beauty, and world-class experiences.

It speaks to high-value, long-haul travellers who already make up our strongest international source markets: the UK, USA, Germany, Netherlands and France.

It also works to deepen Cape Town’s presence in the consideration sets of travellers who have not yet made the journey. This is the creative and strategic engine behind our international growth trajectory, and it is working.

Tourism’s weight in Cape Town’s economy

Tourism remains one of Cape Town’s most significant economic sectors, accounting for 6.3% of the city’s total Gross Value Add and more than 106,000 jobs.

The decline in Tourism GVA to R23 billion (-11% YOY) and employment (-8.5% YOY) is directly attributable to a 32% drop in domestic tourist spend, partially offset by an 18% increase in foreign tourist spend.

The employment decline mirrors the national South African figure, indicating that Cape Town’s performance is consistent with broader sector trends.

“Tourism is one of the most powerful tools we have for creating jobs and driving economic growth in Cape Town,” says Alderman James Vos, the Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth and Tourism.

“These results show that our strategy is working. By focusing on the right markets and campaigns that convert interest into bookings, we are seeing stronger growth in international visitor numbers and spending. As I put the final touches on Cape Town’s new Tourism Framework 2030, my focus is on growing visitor numbers, increasing tourism spend, and creating more opportunities for local businesses and residents. Cape Town does not stand still; we invest, innovate and compete. My ambition is simple: to see tourism create opportunities in every community and support more jobs across our city,” says Vos.

The numbers behind a thriving destination

Beyond the headline spend figures, the 2025 data confirm Cape Town’s destination health. Table Mountain recorded 1.19 million visits (+19% YOY), and Chapman’s Peak Drive recorded 1.05 million (+23% YOY).

Hotel average annual occupancy reached 61.7%, peaking at 81.5% in February with an average room rate of R2,574.

Tourism accounts for 6.3% of Cape Town’s total Gross Value Add and more than 106,000 jobs. These are the foundations of a resilient sector.

“The world is voting for Cape Town with its feet and its wallet,” says Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism. “Foreign tourist spending grew significantly in a single year. These are not the numbers of a destination under pressure; they are the numbers of a city the world wants to visit. Our domestic campaign, our regional partnerships, and One Small World are all built on the same conviction: we do not wait for conditions to change, we go out and create them.”

The path forward is clear: deepen Cape Town’s position in high-value international markets, accelerate domestic recovery through targeted campaigns, grow the city’s regional African footprint, and ensure that tourism growth translates into durable jobs and economic benefit for Cape Town’s residents.