South Africa’s major coastal holiday destinations are rubbing their hands in glee after a bumper tourist season that promises to have surpassed pre-Covid levels.
Although South African Tourism is still finalising December data, early indicators from eThekwini, Cape Town and Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) suggest visitors arrived in their masses.
Winile Mntungwa, the deputy head of Durban Tourism, said the city “experienced a significant surge in tourism during the recent peak season, with a bumper festive season not seen since before the Covid pandemic”.
In the three weeks leading up to Christmas, about 873,000 people visited the beaches, and 490,152 visitors to the city were recorded. “Hotel occupancy was at 70%, and visitor spend has reached R1.8bn, contributing over R6bn to the city’s GDP,” Mntungwa said.
“These indicators reflect strong festive season performance and indicate a robust recovery and growth in tourism compared with previous years, especially considering the post-pandemic rebound,” she said. “A comprehensive report on the overall festive season performance is forthcoming, which will give a broader perspective on the economic impact of this peak period.”
These indicators reflect strong festive season performance and indicate a robust recovery and growth in tourism compared with previous years, especially considering the post-pandemic rebound
— Winile Mntungwa, Durban Tourism
Mntungwa said the city’s most popular attractions included beaches such as uShaka, North Beach, South Beach and Umhlanga.
“Factors contributing to their popularity included accessibility, quality of amenities, safety measures and natural beauty. uShaka beach, in particular, attracted many visitors due to its proximity to uShaka Marine World and vibrant entertainment options.”
“Domestic travellers, especially from other provinces within South Africa, accounted for a larger share of visitors, driven by accessibility and affordability,” said Mntungwa.
She said beach safety and cleanliness measures were effective, supported by the city’s festive season management plan and intensified, independently verified seawater quality testing.
“Safety measures included increased law enforcement visibility, multidisciplinary operations with over 2,000 officers deployed for patrols, and the establishment of the coastal and tourism policing unit to patrol 100km of coastline.”
Mntungwa said eThekwini deployed 650 seasonal staff and implemented child safety measures such as providing 200,000 ID armbands for children and tents for those who got separated from their parents. There were no major security incidents despite the large crowds, she said.
BCMM spokesperson Bongani Fuzile said “preliminary tourism performance figures during December 15 to January 2 show a positive upward trend, with accommodation occupancy estimated at 79%, reflecting a 14% increase compared with the previous festive season.”
Fuzile said the metro had accommodation for about 7,200 visitors. He said strong occupancy performance translated into notable economic gains.
“We have an estimated direct overnight visitor spend of R51.2m and direct day visitor spend of R14.4m. These figures are expected to rise further, as the festive season continues until [Thursday],” said Fuzile.
“BCMM is encouraged by the strong tourism performance, the safe festive environment and the positive economic spin-offs for local businesses, traders, accommodation establishments and informal operators. No major incidents were recorded in the Ebuhlanti area during the festive period, apart from one assault case which is currently being handled by SAPS.”
James Vos, Cape Town’s MMC for economic growth & tourism, said airport arrivals provide one of the strongest indicators of growth in the city’s visitor economy.
“With 2024 closing at record levels and all indicators pointing to passenger volumes exceeding 11-million in 2025, air access remains a critical lever for tourism growth, job creation and economic opportunity,” he said.
“In 2024, Cape Town International Airport processed approximately 10.4-million passengers, including a record 3-million international two-way travellers. These numbers reflect the strength of Cape Town’s visitor economy, the success of our air access strategy, and the city’s growing appeal across key global markets.”
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