Cape Town is heading into another strong visitor cycle, with cruise tourism emerging as one of the fastest-growing contributors to the city’s economy and a major boost for hospitality, retail and tourism businesses in the CBD.
Cape Town Cruise Terminal/Cape Town Etc
According to the Cruise Cape Town report powered by Wesgro, the 2024/25 cruise season, which concluded on 29 June 2025, was the longest and most successful on record. The season delivered new highs in ship calls, passenger arrivals and economic impact, highlighting the scale and long-term potential of the cruise sector for the city.
“The CBD is uniquely positioned to benefit from cruise tourism,” says Grant Elliott, deputy chairperson of the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) and COO of Thibault Investments.
“With its walkable streets, top-class hotels, diverse short-term accommodation, excellent shopping, dining and rich cultural attractions, the city centre becomes a natural extension of the cruise experience for visitors.”
The latest State of Cape Town Central City Report 2024 – A Year in Review (SCCR) further notes that the cruise season, traditionally concentrated between October and April, extended well into May and June. This shift points to the emergence of a longer, more evenly spread tourism season for the CBD.
Ship calls and passenger numbers on the rise
Between September 2024 and June 2025, the Cape Town Cruise Terminal recorded 83 ship calls, an 18 percent increase from the 67 calls logged in the previous season. Passenger numbers climbed to 127 000, up 16 percent year on year.
Long-haul world cruises linking multiple continents accounted for 42 ship arrivals, reinforcing Cape Town’s status as a premier global cruise destination. Eleven vessels made their maiden call to the city, while March alone saw a record-breaking 22 ship visits. Notably, this peak occurred outside the traditionally busiest tourism months, underlining the shift towards year-round cruise activity.
Strong economic impact for the city centre
Passenger and vessel spending reached R1.99 billion during the 2024/25 season, a 32 percent increase from the R1.5 billion generated the previous year. The cruise sector also supported 1 234 direct full-time equivalent jobs, with the majority created in retail and markets (44 percent), followed by hotels and restaurants (27 percent), and tour operators and related services (9 percent).
With longer seasons, higher visitor volumes and growing economic returns, cruise tourism continues to play an increasingly important role in strengthening Cape Town’s CBD and broader visitor economy.
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