Cape Town’s ‘off-season’ fades as airlines boost capacity and extend tourism demand

While Cape Town is a notoriously popular international and domestic tourist destination as its tourism landscape continues to evolve and develop.

David King, head of strategic projects at Wesgro, explains that the traditional off-season is becoming less pronounced due to airlines increasing capacity.

He notes Lift Airlines, which recorded one million passengers for the first time ever in October.

This is a figure typically seen during the December and January period.

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“They are expanding the season and brining capacity into Cape Town very early, earlier than usual and also flying later.”

King adds that the growth of the airport’s effective management and the addition of charter airlines have also increased capacity.

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“For the international terminal, last year we had a 10% growth for 2024 compared to 2023. This year we have seen a 6% growth on top of that,” he says.

He highlights the importance of spreading the seasonality of tourism rather than relying on the traditional peak season of November to March. 

This is being achieved through initiatives like Wesgro’s Cape on Air Access project, which aims to bring in more routes and airlines to the city.

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“This growth comes with obvious challenges with the Cape Town airport team are doing a great job and have even partnered with the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government to supply additional staff during this summer peak season to assist the airport and immigration.”

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To listen to in conversation with CapeTalk’s John Maytham, click the audio player below: