With most of us back at work by now, the December holidays are all but a distant memory – except for the leftover Christmas cake still haunting us from its tinfoil packaging in the fridge. But, as is tradition for January, local tourism authorities are tooting their horns once more about Cape Town’s festive season visitor numbers. To be fair though, I don’t blame them.

The Table Mountain Cableway claims to have had a 32% increase in visitors in December 2015 compared to the same period in 2014. The Cableway’s marketing manager, Collette van Aswegen, says the glorious sunshine and complete lack of wind over the December holiday period (thanks, El Niño) brought 149,000 people to our famous rock, with the Cableway itself being operational 92% of the time – a new record.

shop at the top

Van Aswegen also says in a statement that ‘retail is king’, with the Shop at the Top (of the mountain) enjoying the sale of more than 68,000 items over the course of the month, including 2,857 t-shirts and 1,422 jackets.

Around 6.5 tons of food and drink was also brought up to the Table Mountain Café, with more than 5,000 litres of soft drinks and beers sold (that’s around one soft drink or beer per visitor for those keeping score), and around 8,700 soft-serve ice creams.

table mountain cableway

So, congrats to the Table Mountain Cableway. It’s always a good thing to see Cape Town’s most famous attraction perform so well, and we expect the overall holiday figures to be a bit higher once the January numbers are included

Don’t forget as well that the Cableway Summer Sunset Special is on again until 26 February, meaning you can score a ticket to the top for half price after 6 pm.

Photography courtesy Table Mountain Cableway on Instagram

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36 Comments
  • Jeanette Robertson
    Jeanette Robertson
    January 12, 2016 at 10:18 am

    That is wonderful for them. I just wish that it could be a WHOLE LOT cheaper for Capetonians to use the facility. For the uk tourist, it very cheap, given the exchange rate. For us it is far too expensive to use it on a regular basis. Add to that the cost of going into SAN parks contolled areas and we are totaly ripped off. 🙁

  • Charmie Botha
    Charmie Botha
    January 12, 2016 at 10:35 am

    what is the price now

  • Zeerp Ud Ettena
    Zeerp Ud Ettena
    January 12, 2016 at 10:38 am

    THAT is a lot of people!

  • Duke Von Danville
    Duke Von Danville
    January 12, 2016 at 10:59 am

    I guess now we expect a 32% increase in the price??? That is how it works not so?

  • Cape Town Etc
    Cape Town Etc
    January 12, 2016 at 11:21 am

    If you take advantage of the summer special it’s just R120 to go up (after 6 pm). I honestly don’t think that’s too bad, and as a special treat it really is worth the money.

  • Myrtle Ball
    Myrtle Ball
    January 12, 2016 at 11:58 am

    What a magnificent site

  • Elaine Ridgway
    Elaine Ridgway
    January 12, 2016 at 12:23 pm

    Also don’t they still run the special that one can go up free when it’s your birthday!

  • Elaine Ridgway
    Elaine Ridgway
    January 12, 2016 at 12:24 pm

    Why do so many people always look for the negative in everything!

  • Faghmeda Miller
    Faghmeda Miller
    January 12, 2016 at 12:46 pm

    I fully agree with Jeanette, it is a shame that locals cannot enjoy their own beautiful city !!!!!

  • Stephanie Wilson
    Stephanie Wilson
    January 12, 2016 at 12:52 pm

    Something needs to be done about the horrendous traffic jam up Kloof Nek. Maybe they can plough some of their profits into another access road via Vredehoek.

  • Ruben Farmer
    Ruben Farmer
    January 12, 2016 at 1:21 pm

    Elaine. When it is my birthday I have to prepare to entertain guests. I dont have time to go cable-carring up the ,ountain.

  • Viola Franco
    Viola Franco
    January 12, 2016 at 1:21 pm

    I adore that xxxxxxxxx

  • Jeanette Robertson
    Jeanette Robertson
    January 12, 2016 at 2:08 pm

    R120 to go up per person for just an hour or so? For 2 adults and 2 teenage children is R480 just for a short time. Do you think that is reasonable?

  • Duke Von Danville
    Duke Von Danville
    January 12, 2016 at 2:43 pm

    It’s called “REALITY”. You’re welcome.

  • Don Fraser
    Don Fraser
    January 12, 2016 at 3:25 pm

    Interesting – well done guys. Funny that Gigaba only allowed a 3% increase in tourists into the country with his nonsense.

  • Sylvia Ellman
    Sylvia Ellman
    January 12, 2016 at 3:55 pm

    Love it ,That is wonderful .A must

  • Ruben Farmer
    Ruben Farmer
    January 12, 2016 at 4:36 pm

    Verstaan jy Jeanette……

  • Lope Bestwick
    Lope Bestwick
    January 12, 2016 at 6:05 pm

    I hear no closures for wind in December helped the totals.

  • Cape Town Etc
    Cape Town Etc
    January 12, 2016 at 6:51 pm

    Jeanette Robertson As a special treat once or twice a year? Yep.

  • Cape Town Etc
    Cape Town Etc
    January 12, 2016 at 6:52 pm

    No one seems to have responded to our calls to send the unfinished highways in the CBD up there 😛

  • Cape Town Etc
    Cape Town Etc
    January 12, 2016 at 6:52 pm

    R240, but R120 after 6pm (till 26 Feb)

  • Cape Town Etc
    Cape Town Etc
    January 12, 2016 at 6:53 pm

    Yea, this past week has been pretty bad 🙁

  • Elaine Ridgway
    Elaine Ridgway
    January 12, 2016 at 7:09 pm

    Ruben as far as I know it doesn’t have to be on the day of your birthday.

  • Jenny G van Deventer
    Jenny G van Deventer
    January 12, 2016 at 7:24 pm

    R120 return from 6 until nearly 10p.m. is not a bad price at all. I love my mountain and the view from up there is absolutely priceless!!

  • Jeanette Williams
    Jeanette Williams
    January 12, 2016 at 7:51 pm

    And I was one of them U0001f60e

  • Debbie Clark
    Debbie Clark
    January 12, 2016 at 8:06 pm

    No hired cars available at all so thank you for visiting Cape Town all you Out of towners!

  • Ruben Farmer
    Ruben Farmer
    January 12, 2016 at 8:31 pm

    Elaine. Then tell me how this birthday free ride works.

  • Jeanette Robertson
    Jeanette Robertson
    January 12, 2016 at 9:09 pm

    I would like to be able to go up with my family more than once a year 🙂

  • Cavin A Bowerman
    Cavin A Bowerman
    January 12, 2016 at 9:43 pm

    Agree..the weak rand has realy boosted visitors to these shores!

  • Cynthia Riggs
    Cynthia Riggs
    January 12, 2016 at 10:19 pm

    This is superb

  • Vic De Valdorf
    Vic De Valdorf
    January 12, 2016 at 10:36 pm

    I can vouch for that having experienced a gridlocked kloof nek road a few times heading to cook in Camps Bay.

  • Vic De Valdorf
    Vic De Valdorf
    January 12, 2016 at 10:37 pm

    Stop moaning. Free on ones birthday and half price after six. Or you can always walk up.

  • Elaine Ridgway
    Elaine Ridgway
    January 12, 2016 at 10:44 pm

    Why can’t locals enjoy our city?

  • Bernard Martheze
    Bernard Martheze
    January 13, 2016 at 12:27 am

    We pay the rates and taxes for our beautiful CT U0001f600

  • Pearl Mason
    Pearl Mason
    January 13, 2016 at 7:44 am

    A very beautiful pic i just love pics of clouds, sun, moon, and skies

  • Elaine Ridgway
    Elaine Ridgway
    January 13, 2016 at 9:19 am

    Ruben Farmer it seems I was wrong. You can only go up on the day of your birthday unless they are closed. If you google cable car birthday special it’s the first link that comes up.

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