Cape Town has been enjoying improvements in the tourism industry. This year so far there has been a 26.6% increase in foreign spending and the well-known US travel magazine “Condé Nast” has publically recognised the South African coast town as the number 1 destination in the whole of Africa and the Middle East. The magazine, which carried out a survey based on numbers of visitors, prices and general ambience, concluded that there are only 7 better cities to visit in the world.
One of the reasons is that Cape Town has the tendency to host important events. The recent World Diabetes Congress has brought 12.000 delegates to the city. Similarly, there has been an increase in cruise line events and more and more holiday makers are flocking on cruise ships. For example, over 2 million people are expected to occupy the cruise ships in December alone.
The football world cup 2010 is not the first important event in the history of South African tourism. But it might become a huge global celebration, most probably the greatest entertainment the country has ever hosted.
A further reason for the increased number of visitors to Cape Town is the weakening of the South African currency. Rand has dropped by 20% since December last year, making foreigners attracted to a cheaper visit, either for business or pleasure, and discouraging locals from venturing to more expensive places abroad.
