Cape Town - Tourism to the to the Mother City is on the rise with visitors flocking to the city by air and sea to see the sights across the Western Cape.
On Saturday sees the first of a series of daily non-stop flights by Delta Air Lines, which is expanding its service to South Africa.
Until now the airline has only flown between the US and Johannesburg.
From Saturday travellers between the two cities can have dinner in Cape Town and breakfast in Atlanta, a hub from where they can make connections to scores of destinations across the US.
Announcing the launch in Cape Town on Thursday, Delta Europe, Middle East and Africa director Paul Hassenstab said: “We are already seeing tremendous demand for our flights to South Africa.”
Hassenstab said in the past year they had increased capacity to South Africa by a staggering 67%, contributing to the recovery of the tourism sector in South Africa and the region overall.
The new flight builds on the airline’s commitment to the South African market and its current service between Johannesburg and Atlanta, which launched in December 2006.
This summer, the airline will operate up to 10 times weekly between South Africa and the US with a triangular service that kick-starts Delta’s operations in Cape Town.
Delta’s non-stop flights from Cape Town to Atlanta will start on December 18, and will operate three times weekly with departures on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC Mireille Wenger has spoken of “strong signs that a bumper summer season can be expected for the Western Cape”.
Quoting from the latest Wesgro report, Wenger said two-way passengers through Cape Town International Airport’s (CTIA) international terminal reached a recovery rate of 83% in October this year compared with October 2019.
“International two-way passengers through CTIA reached 1.41 million between January and October 2022 and hotel occupancy for the Western Cape stood at 65.6% in October 2022, representing a recovery rate of 95% when compared with October 2019.”
#ICYMI ✈️ | Celebrating the arrival of two services - a triangular and a direct flight - between Cape Town and Atlanta - @Delta Air Lines hosted an exciting networking event at Gusto, in Century City, Cape Town. 🥂
— Wesgro - Cape Town & the Western Cape (@Wesgro) December 2, 2022
Read more 👉🏽 https://t.co/0ktPGOuMI5 #CTAA #CTIA #CapeConfidence pic.twitter.com/lMfgSWc4oD
Delighted to be a guest speaker tonight as was we mark the take-off of @Delta's direct flight between Atlanta, US, and Cape Town. Thank you Delta for choosing Cape Town. But if you ask me, Cape Town has chosen you pic.twitter.com/l7AYHQ5Gvu
Meanwhile, Cape Town’s cruise economy is on the rebound after three disastrous years with more than 239 cruise ships expected to dock in the city from now to April 2023.
City of Cape Town mayco member for economic growth, James Vos, said that with an estimated R100 million in total estimated passenger spend per port visit, a number of jobs in a variety of related industries would also result.
CCID CEO Tasso Evangelinos said the return of ocean liners was heartening as the ships brought thousands of visitors to Cape Town.
“The cruise economy complements the hospitality industry in greater Cape Town and the central city, as these visitors stay in our hotels and guest houses, thereby boosting various economic tourism sectors.”