Cape Town: Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth and Tourism – Alderman James Vos unveiled the Airport stats that represents about the visitor economy of Cape Town.
Reportedly, Airport arrivals at Cape Town continues to provide one of the strongest signals of growth in the visitor economy of the city. He said that, with 2024 closing at record levels and all indicators pointing to passenger volumes by exceeding 11 million in 2025, air access remains a critical lever for tourism growth, job creation and economic opportunity.
According to Vos, tourism always remains one of the most practical and powerful drivers of economic growth in Cape Town, and airport arrivals are among the clearest indicators of how the visitor economy is performing.
In 2024, Cape Town International Airport was consistently recognised as the best airport in Africa. It processed approximately 10.4 million passengers, including a record of three million international two-way travellers. These numbers reflect the strength of Cape Town’s visitor economy, the success of their air access strategy and the growing appeal across key global markets of the city.
Looking ahead to 2025, while the Airport Company South Africa (ACSA) will release the official passenger figures in the coming weeks. James Vos is personally holding thumbs that they will surpass the 11 million mark.
Based on his conversations with aviation stakeholders and role players, the momentum in air access and connectivity is very encouraging, and he is optimistic that Cape Town will build on the strong gains made in 2024. They now await ACSA’s final figures, which will provide definitive confirmation, and Vos will look forward to celebrating the official announcement when it comes.
They have also reached another important milestone for Cape Town’s tourism economy, with 228 international flights, which is now landing at the airport every week, representing peak levels of international connectivity. These services link Cape Town to 31 destinations and are operated by 24 airlines.
James Vos with his team, together they are making the city more accessible than ever and directly supporting growth in arrivals, jobs and economic opportunity. He expressed that one of the most favourite aspects of his job is working alongside the Wesgro Air Access team in engagements with airlines, where they negotiate for new routes, increased frequencies and additional direct services into Cape Town.
This focused work, combined with strong partnerships across the aviation and tourism sectors, continues to play a central role in strengthening access and supporting long-term growth.
Last year, Vos also had the opportunity to launch the City’s most ambitious place-marketing campaign to date, activating across six continents and 55 cities. He is firmly focused on conversion-driven campaigns that go beyond awareness and deliver measurable outcomes, including forward bookings, increased demand and sustained growth across a range of market segments.
In the year ahead, a key priority for James Vos is continued engagement with national government on the implementation of an Open Skies policy. A more open and competitive aviation framework is essential to attract additional airlines, expand direct connectivity, increase competition and support tourism and trade growth.
While more detailed data on accommodation performance, visitor stays and tourism experiences will be released later once all partner inputs are finalised through Cape Town Tourism, the airport arrival numbers already provide a strong early signal of momentum.
The continued growth in passenger volumes demonstrates that focused collaboration between government and industry is delivering results. They will continue to use air access as a strategic lever to unlock jobs, investment and inclusive economic growth for Cape Town.