In The News: A further R37 million for the V&A Waterfront–operated cruise liner terminal

Passengers disembarking from the German luxury liner Europa received a warm welcome at Cape Town’s Cruise Terminal in E Berth at the Port of Cape Town, marking the first arrival of the 2016/17 season.

In December 2015, the Transnet National Ports Authority handed over the operation of the Terminal to the V&A Waterfront, as the preferred bidder of a Terminal Operator agreement.

The 20-year Terminal Operator Agreement (TOA) covers both the 23,407m² land and building area, as well as phased upgrades of the 8292m² building. The existing portion of the building housing the Cruise Terminal was upgraded by the V&A Waterfront in time for the 2015/16 cruise season, and measures 4777m².

Initial upgrades included reception and waiting areas, baggage handling services and immigration and customs facilities, as well as infrastructure.

The majority of ships calling carry under 1,000 passengers, although the number can vary between 200 and 3,000. Given the reality of the seasonality of the cruise industry, the V&A Waterfront intends to develop and run the terminal building as a multi-use facility to bring activity year round.

According to V&A Waterfront CEO David Green, the initial upgrade was focused primarily on enhancing the experience for these visitors: “The Cruise Terminal represents our first opportunity to welcome visitors to Cape Town, so it is important that their first impression is a good one. From international experience, we know that the cruise line industry offers enormous potential for tourism growth, so our intention is to ensure that we extend the V&A Waterfront experience to the terminal.

“The experience we gained from operating the Terminal over the 2015/16 season has enabled us to gauge the size of the industry, as well as the space required to house the various Government departments, as well as the ships agents who attend to passengers, ‘’ said Green

Today, a further R37-million investment was announced that will see a facade upgrade to ensure that the Cruise Terminal can match international standards. The two floors immediately above the Terminal portion have remained largely untouched and will now be developed to accommodate a restaurant and events space. The investment of phase one and phase two totals R50-million.

Plans to deal with the remaining space are currently being tested and will be announced as the next phase of development.

During the 2015/16 season, the Terminal received a total of 44 vessels. The terminal processed 86 400 passengers, including approximately 37 655 crew members who are effectively tourists when they arrive in Cape Town. The average time of processing visitors through customs, from entry to exit, was 20 minutes.

The number of liner arrivals in the 2016/17 season is expected to equal that of last season, including visits from the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Elizabeth.

The V&A Waterfront believes in the power of the cruise industry, and its need for a well-managed terminal in Cape Town, and will work with the likes of South African Tourism and Wesgro to grow demand.

ENDS

Issued by Corporate Image on behalf of: 

Carla White

PR & Communications Manager

V&A WATERFRONT

Email: cwhite@waterfront.co.za

Tel: 021 408 7631

ABOUT THE V&A WATERFRONT

The V&A Waterfront is a 123-hectare mixed-use destination, and one of Africa’s most visited cultural and historical hubs. Set on the edge of a natural, historic working harbour with the iconic Table Mountain as its backdrop, it offers local and international visitors a cosmopolitan mix of experiences ranging from leisure, shopping and exclusive entertainment. It also offers prime residential and commercial property. The prime positioning of the V&A Waterfront boasts sweeping views of the ocean, city bowl and mountain peaks. Up to 100 000 people visit every day during peak season.

Contributing R259.1 billion in nominal terms to the South African economy over the last 12 years, the V&A Waterfront’s cumulative contribution to the provincial GGP since 2002 was over R227 billion. An economic impact assessment released in 2015 showed that the V&A Waterfront was directly responsible for the creation of more than 19 000 jobs across the property.

Retail trade results at the V&A Waterfront continue to climb each year, and 2015 saw a 13% year-on-year increase in retail trade sales, marking five consecutive years of consistent growth since 2011.

By end 2015, total visitor numbers to the property had grown to 24 million a year. Although the V&A Waterfront remains South Africa’s favourite attraction for international visitors, they account for only 23% of all visitors. Visits by locals increased to 63%, while 14% of visitors were from upcountry.

With 22 official landmarks on-site, it is also part of South Africa’s historical legacy. Jointly owned by Growthpoint Properties Limited and the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), represented by the Public Investment Corporation Limited (PIC), the V&A Waterfront was developed in 1988 by the state-owned transport corporation, Transnet Limited, while official commercial trading commenced in November 1990.

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