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Extreme weather events have been current in the southern African region and beyond for the past decade. Before tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth, no major extreme weather event had attracted as much international media attention as did the Cape Town drought, popularly known as Zero Day. Day Zero was the day Cape Town’s taps were anticipated to run dry.
Extreme droughts have been on the rise in southern Africa with far-reaching socio-economic and environmental implications for the region. The evaluation and documentation of the impact of these extreme droughts has lagged behind, a situation that has been lamented by academics and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
To fill part of the gap, our study examined the causes and effects of climate change-induced droughts on the tourism industry in the Western Cape, a regional and continental tourist hub. Tourism is an important economic sector for Cape Town and South Africa in general. The Western Cape attracted around 1.7 million international tourists in 2018 and generated R16.3 billion (around US $ 985 million) in external spending in 2019.
Our research found that the drought in Cape Town was caused by both natural and human (anthropogenic) drivers of climate change. This was exacerbated by population growth and increased demand for water in the province and Cape Town in particular.
How the drought affected the tourism sector
The 2015-2018 drought was one of the longest and worst to hit Cape Town and the region in recent times. Rainfall decreased from an annual average of about 493mm in 1993 to about 149mm per year in 2017. The drought turned into a crisis, given the magnitude of the water shortage, and received wide media attention.
Politics around the issue made the situation worse. Since the Western Cape is run by the country’s opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, there were delays in declaring the water situation in the province a national disaster. This limited the deployment of resources to the city, paralyzing its response to the disaster. Declaring the drought a disaster would have facilitated the procurement processes and provided the necessary resources to deal with it. There were constant discussions about the cause of the disaster, the scope and who was responsible for managing it.
International media coverage and the phrase “Day Zero Water Crisis” painted a bleak picture of the situation. This image of Cape Town as a city in crisis damaged the perception of destiny. This resulted in tourists postponing or canceling their trips to what was one of the most popular destinations in the world. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town. Fake images
Our study found that there was a decrease of between 1.3% and 12.6% in month-to-month tourist arrivals to the province in 2017 and 2018 at the peak of the drought. This resulted in a decrease in hotel occupancy and the arrival of tourists to the most popular tourist sites in the city, such as the V&A Waterfront, Table Mountain Cableway, Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, Cape Point and other destinations.
The decline in arrivals seriously undermined revenue generation for most tourism businesses and for the city, national parks and other private nature reserves in the area. The average tourist expenditure of the international tourist decreased by 30% between 2017 and 2018. The decrease in arrivals, on the other hand, somehow saved the situation by reducing the demand for water since the consumption of water for the city decreased by 50%.
We found that the impact on tourism businesses was disproportionate, with the smallest and lowest rated tourist accommodation establishments being the most affected. Four- and five-star accommodation establishments were less affected.
This could be attributed to the perceived ability to provide water from alternative sources to ensure a comfortable stay for guests. Our study found that some of the best hotels had invested in water harvesting technologies that allowed them to operate without depending on the city’s water supply.
Collaborations
Cape Town water supply and demand from 2008 to 2020. Provided by the author.
The City of Cape Town and tourism industry stakeholders led by WesGRO, the Western Cape’s official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency, provided leadership that ensured that the city took action to reduce water use to avoid Day Zero. Public-private partnership was crucial to ensure the sustainability of the water.
Universities also played a crucial role in terms of research, innovation and agenda setting. The tourism sector took measures, including a well-coordinated campaign to encourage tourists to use less water, modernization of toilets to ensure water savings, investment in water harvesting technologies, and investment in water harvesting technologies. water from the oceans.
As seen in the graph, water levels have improved since the cancellation of Day Zero. Cape Town and the Western Cape Province must continue to defend and ensure water efficiency, implementing measures to reduce water demand in all economic sectors and build water resilience. Since the drought is over, for now, there is a need to use the drought taxes that were established to put in place infrastructure that increases the current water supply to build a water resistant city.
As we found in our study, in the event of future droughts, the use of alarmist terms and messages that may scare investors and tourists should be avoided. The Zero Day experience is not a one-time event. As climate change continues, there will be many other day zeros on the way in many cities around the world.
The authors do not work, consult, own shares or receive funding from any company or organization that benefits from this article, and they have not disclosed relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
By Kaitano Dube, Professor of Ecotourism Management, Vaal University of Technology and
Dr. David Chikodzi, researcher at the University of South Africa and
Prof Godwell Nhamo, Professor and Exxaro Professor of Business and Climate Change, University of South Africa
