Two iconic cruise ships arrive in Cape Town
For the first time in African maritime history, the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria cruise ships have docked simultaneously in Cape Town.
The iconic Queen Mary 2 cruise ship has arrived in Cape Town as the final destination port in a 30-day one-way trip from Hong Kong to Cape Town.
Meanwhile, following closely in the Queen Mary’s wake, another stunning cruise ship Queen Victoria arrived in Cape Town on the 12th of April as part of a 55-day one-way trip from Sydney to Southampton, England.
YOU CAN SEE SOME STUNNING PICTURES OF THE TWO CRUISE SHIPS IN CAPE TOWN BELOW:
SPECIAL VOYAGES
Queen Mary 2, concluding her 30-day voyage from Hong Kong, will undertake a turnaround call in Cape Town, facilitating the disembarkation and embarkation of passengers for her next voyage bound for New York, USA.
Meanwhile, Queen Victoria, on a 55-day journey from Sydney to Southampton, will also make a brief stopover in Cape Town for a turnaround call before continuing her voyage to Walvis Bay, Namibia.
“We are immensely proud to welcome both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria to the Port of Cape Town. This historic occasion underscores Cape Town and the Western Cape’s growing stature as a premier cruise destination, reflecting the concerted efforts of all our partners in fostering the growth and sustainability of the industry,” said Wrenelle Stander, Wesgro CEO and Official Spokesperson for Cruise Cape Town.
Alderman James Vos, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, added: “The arrival of these two beloved ships in Cape Town signifies our growth in the cruise tourism market and our strength as a destination. The City is proud to stand alongside its partners in the Cruise Cape Town initiative in further bolstering our region’s profile as a destination of choice for cruise travellers from all over the world.”
Each cruise ship visit translates into tangible economic benefits, with one full-time provincial job said to be created for every 30 arriving cruise passengers.
The current 2023/24 season is seeing 65 confirmed ship visits, attracting an estimated 90,000 two-way passengers and 38,000 crew members.
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) reports that 63% of cruise passengers are likely to revisit destinations they have encountered through cruise tourism.
Provincial Minister for Finance and Economic Development, Mireille Wenger, stated: “It is very exciting to be able to welcome both the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria at the same time for the first time to the Cape Town cruise terminal. This exciting occasion shows that tourism and cruise tourism is on the up in the Western Cape. This is great news because more tourists mean more jobs in the Province. With an expected 90,000 passengers in the 2023/24 cruise season, and based on Wesgro’s estimates, we know that roughly 3,000 new permanent jobs have been created in this season alone. As the Western Cape Government, we will continue to partner with the private sector to continue on our path to enable the kind of breakout economic growth we need to help create many more jobs across this wonderful and sought-after province we proudly call home,”