Minister Winde to Take Cruise Liner Fight to Next Level

On Friday, 10 May 2012, Western Cape Minister for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde, will attend the Tourism MINMEC, a high-level meeting between National Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk and the provinces' tourism ministers at which national tourism priorities are discussed. Minister Winde will use the opportunity to put Cape Town's cruise liner docking situation front and centre of the national agenda and demand immediate clarity on the way forward.

Minister Winde said: "In discussion with National Home Affairs Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, she indicated that under no circumstances would she reconsider her decision to allow cruise liners below 200 metres to dock at the V&A, a prime tourism and economic site that has fulfilled this function for over ten years without incident. Her decision has caused much embarrassment for our destination with visiting passengers being based in a working port. There is also the potential of a decrease in cruise liner bookings. I will be requesting Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk to take the issue up at national cabinet level. If his department is serious about cruise liner tourism, as they claim to be, they will work with us to find a solution that will allow us to grow our cruise liner tourism industry, whether it be a lift of the V&A docking ban, or the building of a world-class multi-use facility in a suitable location in the port that can be used as a cruise liner terminal."

Minister Winde added: "The multi-billion cruise liner industry has been identified as one of the fastest growing sectors in the worldwide travel and leisure industry. It would be misguided not to take the opportunity to make full use of the economic growth and job creation benefits afforded by this sector, especially considering the potential of our destination."

Minister Winde will be attending Tourism Indaba in Durban this weekend, and will use the opportunity to visit the cruise liner terminal at the Durban Harbour to assess its infrastructure and see how it is managed.

"During my recent official trip to Miami, I conducted a site inspection of their cruise liner facilities, which deal with 4 million cruise liner passengers a year, and gained a thorough understanding of what it will take to compete against these top-notch locations," Minister Winde added.