Direct flights from the United States to Cape Town could be on the cards if lobbying efforts pay off.
Cape Town Air Access had prioritised a non-stop flight between the United States and Cape Town International, Wesgro said on Friday, following a meeting with stakeholders. Cape Town Air Access is a collaboration between the Western Cape Provincial Government, the City of Cape Town, Acsa, Cape Town Tourism and Wesgro.
“The business case for a route to the United States is strong, given that it is the Cape's third-largest tourism source market (200 000 arrivals in 2015), our fifth-largest buyer of Western Cape products, and our largest foreign direct investor,” Wesgro said in a statement.
When questioned by Tourism Update on potential airlines and airports the group was having discussions with, Judy Lain, Chief Marketing Officer of Wesgro, remained tight-lipped saying only: “Miami is a great one we would love.”
Craig van Rooyen, Director of Tour d’Afrique, who attended the meeting, said Miami seemed to be the destination being focused on at the presentation. He added that possible airlines could include American Airlines and United Airlines, while there was also the possibility of approaching Delta Air Lines. “They are definitely approaching all the other airlines to see who would be prepared to fly in here,” said Van Rooyen.
He also pointed out that there was still a long way to go before flights were up and running
“Being a long-haul destination, one of the key challenges is convincing people to take that long-haul flight to South Africa,” said Craig Drysdale, General Manager Global Sales at Thompsons Africa.
Drysdale said a direct flight to an east coast destination would be the better option for a long-haul flight. He added that this would also give the option for itineraries to start in Cape Town and work their way up to the north.
Van Rooyen said any direct flight would increase numbers to the country. “The Miami flight would also open up a lot of South American business,” said van Rooyen.
“The more direct airlines, the better,” said Drysdale.
According to Brett Omdahl from the US Commercial Service, American businesses have shown strong investment numbers for the region and a direct flight would drive exponential growth.
Tim Harris, CEO of Wesgro, asked Western Cape businesses to help land this route by assisting with lobbying, sharing data to support the business case, or giving insights into US marketing plans.
Abigail Ellary from Enterprise Florida conveyed strong support for the route, highlighting that Florida was the fourth-largest economy in the United States and that, with over 19 million residents, there was definitely pent-up demand from this market.
