Mixed-use commercial property company the Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront says it experienced increased footfall and trade over the traditional festive December period, mainly owing to easing Covid-19-related restrictions.
December footfall numbers reached just over 2.2-million visitors, which is a 30% improvement on 2020 figures, but 34% down on the same period in 2019.
Daily visitor numbers peaked with average daily footfall of 79 000 people a day over the Christmas and New Year’s period.
"The increased footfall also translated into an improved performance compared with 2020, but remained far behind our last normal pre-Covid-19 season in 2019. Annual footfall numbers for the V&A property as a whole reached nearly 15.6-million visitors, a 9% increase from the same period in 2020, but 41% down from 2019," the company says.
At the Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre, December footfall was 47.8% better than in November in absolute numbers.
Improved trade towards the tail-end of December was driven by a strong influx of domestic travellers from across all provinces who chose to holiday in Cape Town this year, the V&A Waterfront says.
"New Year’s Eve saw people returning to the Waterfront because of the relaxation in curfew times and, as a result, we saw almost 100 000 people in a single day. However, the change in the curfew times was made literally days before New Year’s Eve, making it impossible to plan or organise significant people-attracting events," the company highlights.
As expected, in mid-January, numbers dropped off from the highs of the festive season as the holiday season drew to a close.