Cape Garden Route & Klein Karoo Visitor Trends January - June 2021
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Cape Garden Route & Klein Karoo Visitor Trends January – June 2021
Contents
1. Methodology
2. Participation and Sample size
3. Executive Summary
4. Cape Garden Route & Klein Karoo Visitor Trends & Patterns
4.1. Origin of visitors
4.2. Average daily spend
4.3. Group size
4.4. Mode of transport
4.5. Main purpose of visit
4.6. Top activities
4.7. Top information sources
4.8. Overnight stay
4.9. Average length of stay
4.10. Accommodation usage
5. Cape Garden Route & Klein Karoo Attractions
6. George Airport Passenger Movement
7. Acknowledgements
1. Methodology This report provides an overview of the tourism trends and patterns in the Cape Garden Route & Klein Karoo. The findings will illustrate key visitor trends obtained from the regional visitor tracking survey. Responses to the regional visitor tracking surveys are used as a proxy to indicate the key trends within the Western Cape and the various regions. It is important to note that absolute figures cannot be determined from these surveys, as the survey responses are a sample of the tourists into the respective tourism offices across the Western Cape, and would thus represent a sample of the visitors. Therefore, where statistically relevant absolute numbers may be given, however, a share is provided to indicate the trend. This is based on international best practice in the use of surveys within the tourism industry for determining key trends. Definition: Tourist: refers to any visitor travelling to a place other than that of his/her own environment for more than one night, but less than 12 months and for whom the main purpose of the trip is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated for from within the place visited. 2. Participation and sample size Between January and June 2021, a total of 204 responses to the regional visitor tracking survey was received from the George Tourism Office.
3. Executive Summary
• Stretching from Witsand to Plettenberg Bay, Oudtshoorn Calitzdorp and Ladismith on
the world renowned Route 62, the Garden Route and Klein Karoo is a place of immense
natural beauty; offering and abundance of adventure, world class golf courses and
award winning dining experiences.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly had a devastating impact on the tourism
economy. On 15 March 2020, the South African Government declared a national state of
disaster in response to the coronavirus pandemic. A nationwide lockdown then came
into effect on 26 March 2020, resulting in a complete standstill of all tourism activity until
31 May 2020. In line with government’s risk adjusted strategy, limited tourism activity
was introduced as of 1 June 2020.
• The region is slowly recovering, visitors to the participating Cape Garden Route and
Klein Karoo attractions decreased by 24,5% going from a combined total of 174 492
visitors between January and June 2020 to 131 805 over the same period in 2021. All
attractions in the region were closed throughout quarter two of 2020 due to the
nationwide lockdown.
• During the first half of 2021, January saw the highest recorded number of visitors (37
537 visitors) to the region followed by April with 32 069 visitors and March with 21 404
visitors.
• Tsitsikamma National Park was the most visited tourist attraction in the region with a
total of 55 365 visitors over the period January to June 2021. Wilderness National Park
followed with a total of 41 399 visitors.
• The Cango Caves welcomed a total of 17 809 visitors over the period January to June
2021. The highest recorded number of visitors occurred in April with 5 417 patrons
visiting the attraction.
• Overseas visitor numbers were significantly lower than previous years due to COVID
related travel restrictions. Germany, USA and France were the top three international
source markets who visited the attraction, although the numbers were small.
• George Airport reached its highest share of domestic arrivals at 28 789 passengers in
April 2021, and an 87% recovery rate in passenger movement from its 2019 figure.
• Passenger movement (arrivals and departures) through George Airport reached just
over a quarter of a million in the first half of 2021, a 63% recovery rate on its 2019 figure.
4. Cape Garden Route & Klein Karoo Trends & Patterns
4.1. Origin of visitors
% SHARE OF OVERSEAS AND DOMESTIC VISITORS TO THE CAPE
GARDEN ROUTE & KLEIN KAROO, JAN-JUN 2021
• Domestic visitors made up 72,1% of travellers to the Cape Garden Route & Klein Karoo in 2021, likely due
to international travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overseas;
• Germany ranked as the region’s top international market followed by traditional markets such as the 27,9%
United Kingdom, and Netherlands.
• Over the period January to June 2021, the largest share of domestic travellers to the region originated
from the Western Cape, which indicates that the Garden Route & Klein Karoo is a popular destination for Domestic;
locals in the province. Gauteng and Eastern Cape were the other popular source provinces to the region. 72,1%
TOP INTERNATIONAL VISITORS TO THE CAPE GARDEN ROUTE & KLEIN % SHARE OF DOMESTIC VISITORS TO THE CAPE GARDEN
KAROO, JAN - JUN 2021 ROUTE & KLEIN KAROO, JAN - JUN 2021
80,0% 73,7%
Western Cape 85,7%
70,0%
60,0% Eastern Cape 6,1%
50,0% Gauteng 2,0%
% Visitors
40,0%
Free State 1,4%
30,0%
Limpopo 1,4%
20,0%
10,5% 8,8%
10,0% Northern Cape 1,4%
1,8% 1,8% 1,8% 1,8%
0,0%
Germany UK Netherlands Botswana Hong Switzerland USA Did not specify 2,0%
Kong/China
4.2 Average Daily Spend
29,9%
• Visitors to the Garden Route & Klein Karoo spent less than R200 on average
(29,9%) while 20,6% of visitors spent more than R2000.
20,6%
• Just over half of respondents travelled alone and 38,7% in pairs.
15,7%
14,2%
11,3% • Majority of respondents travelled to the region via their own motor vehicles
8,3% (67,6%) or rented cars.
0-R200 R201-R500 R501-R1000 R1001-R2000 More than Did not specify
R2000
4.3 Group size 4.4 Mode of transport
Groups of 4; Groups of 5+;
Groups of 3;
4,9% 0,5%
3,9% 67,6%
Alone; 52,0% 30,4%
Pairs; 38,7%
1,0% 0,5% 0,5%
Own motor vehicle Rented Car Mini bus taxi Public transport Did not specify
4.5 Main purpose of visit
Sport; 0,5%
Seasonal/migrant
worker; 0,5%
Did not specify;
Religion; 0,5% 19,6% • The most prominent motivating factor for travel to the Cape Garden Route & Klein
Events/festivals; Karoo was for the purpose of holiday/leisure (47,5%) followed by business (24,5%).
0,5%
Leisure/Holiday; • Scenic drives (31,4%), outdoor activities (26,5%), and business (20,1%) were the top 3
Education; 2,0%
47,5% activities undertaken in the region.
Visiting
Friends/relatives;
• Visitor information centres (42,6%), word of mouth (24,5%) and internet/websites
4,4%
Business; 24,5% (15,7%) were the top 3 sources used by visitors to gather information about the region.
4.6 Top activities 4.7 Top information sources
31,4%
Visitor Information Centres 42,6%
26,5%
Word of mouth 24,5%
20,1%
Internet/websites 15,7%
7,8% 6,9% Return visit 12,7%
4,9% 3,9% 3,4% 2,9% 2,9%
Travel Agent/tour operator 1,0%
Social Media 1,0%
Unspecified 2,5%
4.8 Overnight stay
• There was an even split between overnight (49,5%) and day visitors (50,5%) to the
Cape Garden Route & Klein Karoo over the Jan – Jun 2021 period.
Overnight • Majority of overnight visitors stayed for one night (14,9%), two nights (13,9%), or three
visitor; 49,5% Day Visitor; nights (13,9%).
50,5%
• Respondents indicated their preferred accommodation type to be hotel (36,6%),
followed by holiday rental/ Air B&B (8,9%), and staying with friends/ relatives (8,9%).
4.9 Average Length of Stay 4.10 Accommodation Usage
43,6% Hotel 36,6%
Holiday rental/Air B&B 8,9%
Friends/relatives 8,9%
B&B 7,9%
Self Catering 4,0%
14,9% 13,9% 13,9%
Guesthouse 2,0%
9,9%
Backpackers 2,0%
4,0%
Did not specify 29,7%
One night Two nights Three nights Four nights 5 to 6 nights 7+ nights % Visitors
5. Cape Garden Route & Klein Karoo Attractions
TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS TO THE GARDEN ROUTE & KLEIN KAROO
ATTRACTIONS, JAN - JUN 2021
16 000
• The Garden Route & Klein Karoo attractions received a total of 131 805 14 000
visitors over the period January to June 2021.
Number of Visitors
12 000
10 000
• Visitor numbers show an overall decrease of 60% over the same period 8 000
in 2020. 6 000
4 000
• During the first half of 2021, January saw the highest recorded number of
2 000
visitors (37 537 visitors) to the region followed by April with 32 069
0
visitors and March with 21 404 visitors.
Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21 Apr-21 May-21 Jun-21
• Tsitsikamma National Park was the most visited tourist attraction in the Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21 Apr-21 May-21 Jun-21
region with a total of 55 365 visitors over the period January to June Cango Caves 4 003 1 394 2 789 5 417 2 288 1 918
2021 followed by Wilderness National Park with 41 399 visitors.
Tsitsikamma National Park 13 642 6 949 9 708 13 869 5 996 5 201
Wilderness National Park 13 624 5 154 6 621 8 641 3 995 3 364
Knysna National Park 6 268 1 461 2 286 4 142 1 813 1 262
TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS TO THE GARDEN ROUTE & KLEIN KAROO ATTRACTIONS, JAN-JUN 2019 - 2021
90000
79121
80000
70000 75047
58057 71323
60000
61992
50000
54486
37312
40000
37537
30000 32069
32850 33723
20000 21404
14958 14092
10000 11745
0 0 2
0
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN
2019 2020 2021
Source: SANParks, Cango Caves, 2021
TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS TO THE CANGO CAVES: JAN - JUN 2021
6 000 25,0%
• The Cango Caves welcomed a total of 17 809 visitors over the
% Share of Overseas Visitors
5 000 20,0%
Number of Visitors period January to June 2021. The highest recorded number of
4 000 visitors occurred in April with 5 417 patrons visiting the
15,0% attraction.
3 000
10,0% • Overseas visitor numbers were significantly lower than
2 000 previous years due to COVID related travel restrictions.
1 000 5,0%
• Germany, United States and France were the top three
international source markets over the period January to June
0 0,0% 2021, although the numbers are small.
Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21 Apr-21 May-21 Jun-21
Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21 Apr-21 May-21 Jun-21 • South African visitor numbers were highest in April and
January, which coincides with the school holiday breaks.
Total Visitors 4 003 1 394 2 789 5 417 2 288 1 918
Overseas Visitors 221 217 306 313 486 379
% Share of Overseas Visitors 5,5% 15,6% 11,0% 5,8% 21,2% 19,8%
CANGO CAVES VISITOR DISTRIBUTION BY TOP SOURCE MARKETS: JAN - JUN 2021
6 000
Number of Visitors
5 000
4 000
3 000
2 000
1 000
0
Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21 Apr-21 May-21 Jun-21
South Africa 3 782 1 177 2 483 5 104 1 802 1 539
Germany 35 46 51 48 66 33
India 4 3 0 15 0 2
United Kingdom 8 9 71 49 16 3
Netherlands 5 21 8 10 14 2
United States 6 9 36 30 19 169
Nordics 10 2 14 3 9 12
Asia 4 20 20 4 10 0
France 8 6 18 52 135 16
Source: Cango Caves 20216. George Airport Passenger Movement
GEORGE AIRPORT ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES, JAN - JUN 2021
70000
• George Airport reached its highest share of domestic arrivals at 28 789
60000
passengers in April 2021, and an 89% recovery rate in passenger
movement from its 2019 figure. 50000
30660
40000
• There was a total of 119 423 in the first half of 2021 and grew by 33,4% 23327
when compared to the same period in 2020. 30000 23444
22048 17247
20000 14734
• Overall passenger movement through George Airport reached just over a 28789
10000 24997 20604
quarter of a million passengers in the first half of 2021, a 63% recovery rate 15093 16988
12952
on its 2019 figure. 0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Arrivals Departures
GEORGE AIRPORT PASSENGER MOVEMENT (ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES), JAN - JUN 2019-2021
80000 100%
70000 90%
80%
60000
70%
50000 60%
40000 50%
30000 40%
30%
20000
20%
10000 10%
0 0%
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
2019 67098 61694 72634 66853 63118 65153
2020 75236 67547 48009 0 0 0
2021 35000 29827 48324 59449 44048 34235
Recovery % 19/21 52% 48% 67% 89% 70% 53%
Source: ACSA, 20216. Tourism Sentiment in Knysna
• TOURISM SENTIMENT SCORE® is a consolidated measure of a destination’s ability to generate positive word of mouth about its tourism offering. It focuses solely on online conversations
that reference or affect a potential traveller’s perceptions of a destination’s tourism offering.
• Knysna’s Tourism Sentiment score is considered high at 33, compared to the rest of the world. More than a third of online conversations were actively recommending or speaking positively
about the destination and 2% were actively discouraging or speaking negatively. The rest (63%) spoke about the destination from an indifferent point of view.
• Over the period January to June 2021, Tourism Sentiment in Knysna was driven by positive conversations around beaches, festivals, events and concerts as well as restaurant and dining
experiences.
Source: Tourism Sentiment Index, 20217. Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements and many thanks go to the following for supplying the data which made this publication possible and whose continued and unwavering support will sustain the forthcoming
issues.
The participating local tourism offices in the Cape Garden Route & Klein Karoo:
• Calitzdorp Tourism
• George Tourism
• Knysna Tourism
• Oudtshoorn Tourism
• Pacalsdorp Tourism
• Plettenberg Bay Tourism
• Uniondale Tourism
• Wilderness Tourism
The participating attractions in the Cape Garden Route & Klein Karoo:
• Cango Caves
• South African National Parks
• Tsitsikamma National Park
• Wilderness National Park
Additional Data Sources:
• Airports Company South Africa (ACSA)
• Tourism Sentiment Index (TSI)
For more information on this publication and other Wesgro publications please contact research@wesgro.co.za.
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