International arrivals, including MANY expats, bring billions to Western Cape economy

International arrivals at Cape Town International Airport helped inject R24-billion into the Western Cape economy in 2022. The arrivals include many SA expats holidaying back home. According to Wesgro, 39% of passengers arriving in Cape Town from overseas, are South African.

Cape Town Air Access, powered by Wesgro, has released updated figures for the estimated economic impact of international passengers travelling to Cape Town and the Western Cape. The figures highlight the remarkable economic contribution of air travel to the local economy, emphasising its role in job creation, direct tourism expenditure, GDP growth, and air cargo transported.

The latest statistics show that:

• 605,000 foreign passengers arrived at Cape Town airport
• These visitors injected a whopping R24.3 billion into the Western Cape economy in 2022
• Thanks to this injection, they supported 10,600 jobs

For every 100 international passengers travelling to Cape Town and the Western Cape:

• R2.1 million is generated in direct tourism spend.
• The movement of R1.4 million worth of air cargo is supported for the province.
• It enables an injection of R500 000 to the provincial GDP (Gross Domestic Product) through direct and indirect aviation value chains, enabling two local jobs.

The demographic breakdown of these travellers show that for every 100 passengers:

• 39 are South African nationals
• The remaining 61 are of foreign origin
• For the top five markets the distribution includes, on average: eight passengers from the United Kingdom; six from Germany; five from the United States; three from the Netherlands; and three from Namibia.

“With the upcoming peak summer season expected to surpass 2019 passenger levels, it is clear this number will continue to grow in 2023,” says Wrenelle Stander, Wesgro CEO and official spokesperson for Cape Town Air Access.

Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth at the City of Cape Town, James Vos, says his goal is “to help create a tourism-related job in every household in the metro, because when we land more flights, multiple industries benefit.”

“The incredible work that Cape Town Air Access has been doing since 2015 continues to pay dividends with the province currently capturing a large share of South Africa’s business and tourism traffic,” says Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger.