Western Cape hotel occupancy up and outshines South African averages over December 2023

6 February 2024

Hotel occupancy in the Western Cape in December 2023 stood at 73.4%, up from 71.6% in December 2022, compared to 62.4% for South Africa in December 2023, slightly up from 62.2% in the same month in 2022.

This puts hotel occupancy in the province a full 11% higher compared to the average for South Africa during December 2023.

This is according to data compiled by the South Africa Hotel Review.

Commenting on the impressive results, Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger noted that, “The Western Cape is topping many bucket list-destinations globally. The growth in hotel occupancy across the province is very good news for our provincial economy and job creation because more tourists mean more jobs.”

Of particular interest is that hotel occupancy at 5-star hotels in Cape Town outperformed all other major South African cities measured, with impressive occupancy rates of 73.6%, followed by 5-star hotels in Kwa-Zulu Natal at 70.8%, and South Africa as a whole at 69.1%.

“We are on a mission to double the number of tourists to the Western Cape, by 2035. This aim is one of the core undertakings of the Western Cape economic action plan, ‘Growth For Jobs’, which plots our course to realising a jobs-rich, inclusive, diverse and thriving economy that is growing by between 4% and 6%,” continued Minister Wenger.

“We continue to celebrate the different aspects of the record-breaking tourism summer season in the Western Cape, with much more to come no doubt. This good news would not be possible without the incredibly warm welcome given to visitors by our tourism and hospitality businesses. We are a destination in demand, and I extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every Western Cape resident, business and visitor who made this season such a success,” concluded Minister Wenger.

Issued by Mireille Wenger, Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, 6 February 2024