Awards' positive impact on Cape Town

Inflationary pressures see alcohol and fast food purchases decline

Danette Breitenbach

According to a recent poll conducted by a leading South African hotel, 48% of travellers will consider Cape Town as a tourist destination due to the spate of recent accolades bestowed on the city.

The poll also revealed that 38% surveyed have not heard about any of the awards to date and 14% said that they would not consider Cape Town as a tourist destination on the strength of the awards.

According to Nick Seewer, CEO of Pepper Club Hotel, recent high-profile accolades such as the announcement of Cape Town as the World Design Capital 2014, the Telegraph Travel Awards' second favourite city in the world and Table Mountain becoming a New7Wonders of Nature are strengthening the city's appeal among local and international tourists alike.

Interesting results

"While the poll yielded some interesting results, the majority indicated that the recent awards will influence their decision to visit Cape Town. Many of these awards have achieved positive global publicity for the city and also build on the positive marketing of South Africa that was achieved during our successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup," says Seewer.

Seewer adds that the hotel has already noticed a year-on-year increase of 21% in occupancy during December 2011 and a 53% increase during January 2012. "This is in line with December 2011 year-on-year domestic and international arrival figures which have increased by 5% and 17% respectively.

"In addition, various Cape Town tourism hotspots such as the V&A Waterfront and Table Mountain also recorded a vast increase in visitors during December 2011 and January 2012. The momentum gained globally from Cape Town's recent awards is certainly a contributor to these increased numbers," concludes Seewer.