African destinations are actively working to attract more cruise liners, but experts believe the greater potential lies in how passengers spend their money after disembarking.
Ports such as Cape Town, Mossel Bay, Mombasa, and Walvis Bay are investing in infrastructure and excursion programs to connect cruise ship visitors with local businesses, cultural sites, restaurants, and wildlife viewing opportunities.
The economic potential of this sector is considerable; for instance, the South African cruise sector has shown steady growth in passenger traffic over the last three seasons.
Cape Town opened its 2026/27 cruise season on September 17 when the liner Pacific World arrived with 1,397 passengers, predominantly from Japan, and 655 crew members, according to data from Wesgro, the agency promoting tourism, trade, and investment for Cape Town and the Western Cape.
In the 2022/23 season, the city hosted 70 cruise ships carrying approximately 78,000 passengers. By the 2024/25 season, this number increased to 79 ships and 127,000 passengers, according to the Seatrade Africa E-report.
Cruise tourism generated approximately 4.34 billion Rands to the Gross Domestic Product of the Western Cape and 5.32 billion Rands to the South African economy over three seasons. Furthermore, according to Wesgro, the sector contributed 3.04 billion Rands in foreign exchange earnings.
The benefits of cruise tourism are increasingly extending beyond major terminals. In the 2024/25 season, Mossel Bay, Hermanus, and Saldanha Bay collectively welcomed 32,000 passengers during 26 ship visits, generating 47.5 million Rands in local spending, according to Seatrade.
Infrastructure investments are helping accommodate more guests. The Cape Town cruise terminal at E-Berth is part of a R20 billion land redevelopment, while Mossel Bay opened a new cruise reception area in 2025. Saldanha Bay is also working towards obtaining official entry and exit port status.
Shore excursions allow passengers to see places outside the harbor. In Cape Town, this includes heritage walking tours in Bo-Kaap, culinary tours in the settlements of Lange and Hout Bay, and trips to wine regions around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.
In Ghana, excursions to Cape Coast and Elmina combine historical heritage with local markets and cultural events, including drumming workshops.
These experiences can generate income for local guides, transport operators, restaurants, craft vendors, and cultural attractions. However, cruise passengers often have only a few hours ashore, making accessible transport and well-planned excursions crucial.
Kenya is striving to integrate cruise tourism more closely with its safari industry. In March, the Kenya Wildlife Service introduced a 30% group incentive for cruise passengers visiting national parks, including Tsavo East, Tsavo West, and Amboseli.
Currently, about 20% of cruise passengers extend their stays in parks and reserves. The government hopes to increase this share to 40%, which could potentially boost park revenues. This initiative, developed in collaboration with Pollmans Tours & Safaris, aims to streamline excursion organization according to cruise schedules. International operators, including Abercrombie & Kent, are also being attracted to the market.
According to estimates cited by the Kenyan News Agency, a short cruise stop can bring approximately 50 million shillings (about 6.45 million Rands) into the economy. A group of 70 tourists visiting Maasai Mara is estimated to inject 23 million shillings into the economy over several hours. Kenya aims to generate 2 billion shillings in revenue from 12,000 cruise tourists.
The challenge is to transport passengers from Mombasa to inland attractions and back to the ships before departure. Longer itineraries and carefully coordinated transport can facilitate inclusion in wildlife viewing programs.
Longer and specialized cruise routes create additional opportunities for African destinations. The number of expedition cruises to Cape Town has grown from five in the 2023/24 season to 16 in the 2024/25 season, according to Seatrade. These trips can include extended land experiences alongside time at sea.
Namibia is also working to strengthen Walvis Bay as a gateway to the country's desert landscapes, wildlife, and coastal attractions. At the end of 2025, European Cruise Service established African Cruise Service in Walvis Bay, reflecting growing interest in expedition travel and land experiences around African ports.
AmaWaterways added four 'Africa Safaris & Wildlife' itineraries in August 2026, combining its Chobe River cruise with land programs in destinations such as Namibia, Kenya, and Victoria Falls. One itinerary links the Chobe River and Victoria Falls with the NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia, Etosha National Park, and the Skeleton Coast. Another combines a river cruise with visits to Amboseli and Maasai Mara.
Besides wildlife, visitors to the Walvis Bay area can explore Harbour Sandwich, where towering dunes meet the Atlantic Ocean, and experience the characteristic landscapes of the Namib Desert.
In July, the Namibian Tourism Board and the Ministry of Internal Affairs gathered port authorities, tour operators, and other stakeholders to discuss ways to improve passenger handling and promote the country in the cruise tourism sector.
West Africa is also attracting increased interest from cruise operators. Cabo Verde recorded 110,554 cruise ship passengers and 250 port calls in 2024, compared to 86,945 passengers and 171 calls in 2023, according to Seatrade.
Global Ports Holding expanded its operations in Africa to Mindelo in 2025, adding an island destination to its international port network.
Benin is also working to develop its cruise tourism offering. The visit of Seabourn Sojourn in 2025 marked a significant return of international cruise tourism after many years of limited activity. The country exempts cruise passengers staying less than 72 hours from visa requirements and plans to establish a dedicated cruise berth by 2027. These changes aim to simplify short visits while encouraging passengers to explore local attractions.
Further south, Mozambique seeks to spread the benefits of cruise tourism through Maputo. The port anticipates 15 cruise calls and nearly 16,000 visitors in 2026. Authorities are collaborating with tourism organizations and FEIMA, a market where visitors can discover local handicrafts, food, and culture. In 2024, Mozambique hosted nine cruise ships with 4,492 tourists, of whom 2,069 disembarked to visit attractions and spend money on local experiences.
Tanzania offers opportunities to combine coastal trips with inland adventures. Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar serve as cruise gateways, and excursions from Dar es Salaam can connect visitors with national parks such as Mikumi and Ngorongoro.
The Maldives focuses on smaller, premium, and expedition vessels. The island nation recorded 41 cruise calls in the 2025/26 season, up from 35 in the previous season, including eight first-time visits. An economic analysis by the UN Economic Commission for Africa estimated that cruise tourism could directly contribute $531 million to the Maldivian GDP between 2026 and 2033. Including broader economic effects, the contribution could reach $1.247 billion. The analysis also highlighted environmental and social costs, emphasizing the need to ensure tourism benefits reach local communities.
Attracting cruise ships is only one part of the equation. Destinations must also find ways to ensure that passenger spending goes to local businesses and does not leak out of the local economy through international suppliers and operators.
Excursions, local restaurants, cultural experiences, craft markets, and partnerships with local guides can help destinations retain most of the money spent by visitors.
Changes in international cruise itineraries are also opening up additional opportunities. MSC Cruises altered its 2026 world cruise aboard the MSC Magnifica to avoid the Red Sea, adding ports in the Maldives, Mauritius, Reunion, Durban, Cape Town, Walvis Bay, and Cabo Verde. The revised itinerary incorporates additional African destinations into the long-haul cruise as operators adjust their plans in light of Red Sea security risks. These visits provide destinations across the continent with the opportunity to introduce travelers to local landscapes, wildlife, and culture. The long-term goal is to transform a few hours in port into a meaningful experience that benefits the places visited by passengers.