South African cruise tourism stakeholders gathered in Cape Town for the Cruise Tourism Workshop 2026, an industry meeting convened by South African Tourism’s Global Trade team to discuss strategies for attracting more cruise visitors to the country.
Held at the five-star graded Pullman Hotel, the workshop brought together provincial tourism authorities, cruise industry representatives and destination management companies involved in promoting South Africa as a cruise destination.
Among the organisations represented were Wesgro, Visit KZN, the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) and Cruise Cape Town. Their participation brought together representatives from different parts of the country’s tourism sector to exchange industry insights, discuss current approaches and explore opportunities to increase cruise arrivals.
The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation across the cruise tourism industry and identifying ways to attract more international visitors arriving by sea. The involvement of provincial tourism organisations was particularly relevant to discussions about promoting destinations beyond individual ports and connecting cruise passengers with experiences across different regions of South Africa.
Bronwen Auret, Chief Quality Assurance Officer at South African Tourism, highlighted the importance of the annual workshop as an opportunity for industry representatives to assess their strategies and consider how to increase cruise arrivals.
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“It’s a really important moment for us to meet on an annual basis to review and reconsider our approaches and strategies and how we create this movement to grow cruise arrivals into South Africa,” Auret said.
Her remarks underscored the need for continued engagement between the organisations responsible for promoting and supporting the country’s cruise tourism sector. Regular discussions allow stakeholders to share perspectives, review their approaches and consider areas where closer cooperation could support the industry’s development.
For South Africa, cruise tourism brings together several areas of the wider travel industry, including destination marketing, port-related services and the businesses responsible for organising experiences for visiting passengers. Collaboration between provincial tourism authorities, destination organisations and private-sector operators is therefore an important part of efforts to attract cruise visitors.
The 2026 workshop provided another opportunity for these industry players to discuss their shared priorities and consider how a more coordinated approach could contribute to growing cruise arrivals into South Africa.
