Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism

1. What is his Department’s preliminary assessment on the structural damages sustained by tourism enterprises across the hardest-hit regions. 

The Department’s preliminary assessment is that structural damage to tourism enterprises is highly localised but significant in a few specific nodes, with most formal facilities remaining operational and primarily affected by access constraints, damaged trails, and utility disruptions rather than widespread building failures.

Overall preliminary picture

Across the hardest‑hit regions, most tourism businesses have remained structurally intact, with damage concentrated in particular facilities, road sections, bridges, and outdoor infrastructure such as trails and adventure products. The dominant impacts at this stage relate to access (road closures, stop‑and‑go controls, and detours), erosion of tourism routes, damage to selected accommodation units and restaurants, and prolonged electricity outages that constrain normal operations. Where towns and coastal areas have been cut off, or where bookings and events have been cancelled, direct financial losses have also been incurred.

Notable structural impacts on enterprises

In the Theewaterskloof area, eco‑tourism infrastructure has been directly damaged, including Pom Gratz Eco Domes in Tesselaarsdal, which sustained wind damage requiring repair before reopening. Cycle and trail networks around Grabouw and Oak Valley have suffered route erosion and closures, affecting the operational capacity of these nature‑based tourism products. (Most of the damage to the Grabouw Forest Trails has now been addressed, while the Oak Valley Trails remain closed.”)

In the Witzenberg Valley around Wolseley, at least one mixed‑use tourism enterprise, Die Boord Restaurant, Farmstall and Accommodation, has closed until further notice due to significant storm and flood damage to its infrastructure. In the Ceres area, products such as Ceres Zipline Adventures and Eselfontein’s MTB routes have been forced to suspend activities as a result of damage to trails and associated infrastructure, indicating localised but material impacts on adventure‑tourism assets.

Protected areas and nature‑based facilities

Within the Garden Route, certain attractions, including Cango Wildlife Ranch, have reported significant infrastructure damage, with broader tourism and financial impacts still under assessment as access routes are progressively reopened. Widespread flooding has also been reported within the Garden Route National Park, Robberg Nature Reserve and Knysna Forest, where eco‑tourism operations were temporarily halted.

Table Mountain National Park has experienced damage to buildings, tracks and trails, leading to the temporary closure of facilities such as People’s Trail Hut, Cape Point overnight trail huts, and sections of Back Table Road, with restoration timelines estimated at three to six months. CapeNature reserves have, in several cases, closed selected facilities and products where infrastructure and access have been compromised.

Anysberg, Assegaaibosch, Cederberg (Algeria), Cederberg (Kliphuis), De Mond, Gamkaberg, Grootvadersbosch, Hottentots‑Holland, Jonkershoek, Keurbooms, Kogelberg, Limietberg, Marloth, Matjiesrivier, Stony Point, Rooisand and the Whale Trail remain closed to the public. Current road infrastructure damage exceeds R20 million, with assessments still underway. Several areas remain inaccessible due to high water levels. Further assessments will be undertaken once water levels drop and engineers can access the sites safely. In addition, severe damage has occurred at staff and management facilities across the Western Cape.

SANParks’ Agulhas, West Coast and Tankwa Karoo National Parks report only minimal damage, with no major restrictions to visitor access. At Bontebok National Park, flooding from the Breede River has caused substantial damage to rest camp infrastructure, picnic facilities and trails, necessitating the suspension of bookings and a phased reopening approach once repairs and further assessments are completed.

Regional variation and access‑related impacts

In the Overstrand, road and tourism infrastructure have largely withstood the storm, with only temporary reserve closures and no major structural damage to tourism facilities reported, although extended electricity outages continue to disrupt business continuity. In parts of the Cape Winelands and West Coast (for example Franschhoek Pass, Green Valley Road, the Klawer and Vredendal bridges, and several gravel routes), structural damage to key access roads and bridges is constraining visitor movement, increasing travel times and complicating logistics for otherwise functional attractions.

The Klawer Bridge, which provides access to towns such as Vredendal, Lutzville, Doringbaai, Strandfontein and surrounding areas, has been severely damaged and will not reopen to traffic in the short term. It is expected to take some time before traffic can safely be allowed over the bridge again. A major impact is expected on the wine and leisure tourism sector, as many wine farms are located along this access route. Flower season is approaching, and this area is known as one of the Western Cape’s key flower hotspots. Although alternative routes do exist, the detours are likely to influence travellers’ decisions on which regions to visit during the season.

The main bridge linking Vredendal Noord with Vredendal town has also been compromised. While consideration will be given over the next two weeks to implementing a stop‑go system, the situation is already having a significant impact on tourism, particularly access to the N7 highway from the coastal areas. One of the detour routes currently under consideration also relies on the Klawer Bridge, which is similarly compromised. This is expected to have a major impact on flower season and broader seasonal tourism activities in the northern part of the region. While visitors travelling along the N7 corridor itself may not be severely affected, coastal destinations such as Doringbaai and Strandfontein could experience reduced visitor numbers and accessibility challenges.

In the Swartland and Bergrivier areas, municipal reports indicate no structural damage to tourism infrastructure and no major tourism facilities closed, underscoring the uneven spatial distribution of impacts across the province. Overall, the Department’s preliminary view is that while there are pockets of severe structural damage to specific enterprises and public tourism infrastructure, the majority of the tourism plant remains intact, with short‑ to medium‑term recovery hinging on clearing access routes, repairing damaged nodes and restoring basic services.

Garden Route tourism revenue impacts

In the Garden Route, severe tourism revenue losses have been recorded stemming from:

• Event cancellations (for example the Meiringspoort Challenge and the 36ONE MTB Challenge).
• Route closures, with major passes such as Meiringspoort, Robinson Pass, Seven Passes Road, Outeniqua Pass, the R328 (to Cango Caves) and the Swartberg Pass experiencing severed access.
• Financial shocks from sudden road closures, which triggered cancellations, shortened stays or early departures during vital tourism periods.
• Golf course infrastructure damage across the Garden Route; for example, George Golf Course recorded 263 fallen trees, while coastal golf courses experienced severe soil erosion.
• Significant tourism assets such as the Cango Caves remains closed.

Preliminary conclusion

Overall, the Department’s preliminary view is that, although there are pockets of severe damage affecting specific tourism enterprises, reserve infrastructure, trails, roads and bridges, the majority of the province’s tourism asset base remains intact.

In the immediate term, recovery will depend on restoring access, repairing damaged public and private infrastructure, clearing debris, and re-establishing service reliability in the affected areas.

The Department will continue to liaise with the Department of Infrastructure and municipalities as impact assessments are conducted and completed.

This report was prepared on 27 May based on stakeholder information received during the week of 18 and 25 May. The status of individual facilities may have changed in the interim.

2. what comprehensive (i) travel advisory, (ii) safety directives or (iii) status reports has Wesgro or his Department issued to tourists navigating the affected areas?

Given the fluid nature of the situation, no formal advisories or directives were issued outside of the official Western Cape Government disaster warnings. These notices were widely distributed to industry bodies and stakeholders.

The Department, Wesgro, regional and local tourism organisations and industry bodies have been in constant communication with the travel and hospitality value chain regarding affected facilities and areas. This communication continues as updates are received. The primary channels used for such communication are via existing WhatsApp groups. Department of Infrastructure status reports on road closures are also regularly distributed to these groups.