Cape Town - Following a recent slew of accolades awarded to Cape Town International Airport, Cape Town restaurants and the Winelands town of Franschhoek, the Western Cape’s hospitality, tourism and events sectors are leading the province’s post-Covid-19 economic recovery.
The pandemic had a damaging effect across these sectors with numerous job losses and business closures, however these sectors have been fighting back since the lifting of the regulations.
Premier Alan Winde’s spokesperson Regan Thaw, said they believed the hospitality and tourism sectors were important aspects of getting the provincial economy back on its feet.
Just three years after opening, the FYN restaurant in Cape Town placed 92nd on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 50-100 list.
FYN founder and managing director Peter Tempelhoff said: “When you consider how many restaurants there are in the world, it truly is a big deal. I hope this will prove to be a catalyst to reignite conversations about food, and get people out and eating in Cape Town restaurants again.”
Thaw said the same list also featured two more restaurants in its top 100, La Colombe in Constantia and Paternoster’s Wolfgat.
In addition, Thaw said international visitors were once again discovering the many attractions on offer in the Cape; in April 2022 arrivals through Cape Town International Airport soared to 98% of pre-pandemic levels.
“Cape Town International Airport also continues to impress. Last month, it was once again ranked the best in Africa for the 7th consecutive year in the 2022 Skytrax World Airport Awards,” he said.
Economic growth and tourism Mayco member James Vos said: “Cape Town’s visitor economy is a pillar of the city’s wider economic landscape. Prior to Covid-19, the sector contributed between 2% and 3.5% annually to the local economy.”
Thaw added that Franschhoek also recently made it on to Time magazine’s list of “World’s Greatest Places” for 2022, which proved the attractiveness of the scenery, restaurants and hospitality in other areas in the province.