Cape Town Hopes Muslim Travelers Can Stave Off Winter Woes
Photo Credit: Mosque Dargan Kramat on Signal Hill. Tourism bosses in South Africa’s Western Cape region are hoping that growth in the Muslim travel market can bolster the winter market doldrums. Cape Town Tourism / Craig Howes
Skift Take
Touting the city’s attractiveness for Muslim travelers — particularly in markets that are already strong drivers of tourism — is a savvy move by tourism authorities and operators in Cape Town.
Winter in the Southern Hemisphere has always been a lean time for the hospitality business in South Africa’s Western Cape region, but tourism bosses are hoping that growth in the Muslim travel market can help to plug the gap.
“At the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai this year, we saw that South Africa is ideally placed to take advantage of the shift to Halaal tourism,” said Khalid Vawda of Cape Town-based Islamic Travels and Tours. “June to August is a popular time for people from the Gulf traveling to the United States and Europe. But Trump’s ban on some Muslim travelers, and rising Islamophobia in Europe, means Muslim travelers are looking for alternatives.”
While local operators are hoping Cape Town will be that alternative destination for well-heeled Gulf travelers, it’s not the only source market the city is looking at.
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