From July 2, LATAM will launch three weekly direct flights between São Paulo and Cape Town, giving the tourism industry renewed optimism about inbound leisure and MICE travel from Latin America.
South African Tourism COO Ismail Dockrat told Tourism Update the size of the Brazilian economy and growing South-South tourism and trade relations make the market increasingly attractive.
“With the current geopolitical crisis affecting air connections to South Africa from other markets up North, we’ll be looking closely at performance from Brazil.”
Dockrat said SA Tourism expects the new route to have a “significant, sustained positive impact” on arrivals from Brazil, noting that Brazilians tend to favour travelling on their national carriers because of language familiarity and loyalty programmes.
“Having direct flights to Cape Town shortens the distance between Brazil and South Africa and helps us, as a destination, address the perception of distance, which we know is also a barrier.”
South Africa’s mix of safari, shopping, food, entertainment and cultural experiences resonate strongly with Brazilian travellers, he added.
“Brazilians are emotional and fun, and typically enjoy connecting with people and places. This is what we have in common, and the warmth of South Africans resonates strongly with them. For Afro-Brazilian travellers, a visit to South Africa is described as ‘coming back home’. They enjoy learning about our country’s history, experiencing its culture and lifestyle.”
Dockrat also revealed that SA Tourism is negotiating a joint marketing agreement with LATAM to support the route and encourage Brazilian trade partners to package and sell South Africa more aggressively.
“Following the March memorandum of understanding signed by Brazil and South Africa to foster tourism between our two countries, we are confident this market will continue to grow.”
André Laget, MD of Akilanga DMC & Events, described the route as “extremely positive” for tourism flows between South Africa and South America.
He said the additional capacity will improve competitiveness and accessibility while simplifying travel logistics for South American visitors.
He also noted that safari experiences, alongside Cape Town and the Winelands, remain the strongest drawcards for South American travellers while destinations such as Namibia and Botswana are also gaining traction.
“We have seen approximately 35% growth in South American travellers compared with the same period in 2025, which reflects the positive momentum currently visible towards Southern Africa.”
While Laget does not expect a major increase in traditional multi-country itineraries due to shorter average stays among Latin American travellers, he believes the route will strengthen Cape Town’s role as a regional gateway into Southern and East Africa.
“We do expect to see more stopover combinations, as Cape Town now serves as a stronger gateway into Southern and East Africa with direct onward connections to destinations such as Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya and Mauritius.”
He also highlighted the route’s potential to stimulate inbound leisure and MICE travel demand from Latin America.
“Cape Town is already one of Africa’s leading MICE destinations and a direct 7h30 flight will significantly strengthen its attractiveness for the Brazilian market. An additional advantage is LATAM’s extensive regional feeder network across South America combined with the popularity of its LATAM Pass frequent flyer programme, which will also stimulate short-stay leisure travel into Cape Town and the Western Cape.”
