Domestic terminal passenger movement reached a recovery rate of 75% in April 2022 when compared to the same month in 2019 and international terminal passenger arrivals and departures recovered to 76%.

Monika Iuel, Wesgro’s chief destination marketing officer, is encouraged by new growth in the return of international and domestic visitors to the Cape. Commenting on behalf of the Best Of Wine Tourism & Ambassador Awards, of which Wesgro is the custodian, she says: “The recent rise in tourism arrivals certainly bodes well for South Africa’s wine tourism sector.”

In addition, recent data on arrivals recorded in April 2022, released by Statistics South Africa, confirms a strong recovery for leading Western Cape source markets. Most notably, visitors from the United Kingdom arriving at Cape Town International Airport recovered to an almost perfect 98% of pre-pandemic levels.

Establishing market distinctiveness

Furthermore, anecdotal reports from wine tourism providers indicate an increase in overseas bookings for summer 2022/3. “This is welcome news after the many setbacks endured by the wine tourism industry over the past two years and more.”

Iuel notes, however, that while lockdown and the alcohol bans are over, South Africans still face the impact of cost-of-living increases that might make potential domestic tourists review any travel plans.

“In order to remain relevant, with enticing offers too often hard-pressed travellers, it is essential for industry players to monitor closely their competitive environment. One simple, effective step involves benchmarking. Evaluating yourself against the best of the best provides useful context in testing claims of uniqueness or distinctiveness.”

Courtesy of Bizcommunity – read full article here.