By Staff Reporter
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has welcomed an announcement by United Airlines that it will be increasing its flights to South Africa.
United Airlines recently said that it would expand its African network by introducing a new long-haul service from Washington Dulles Airport to Cape Town International Airport. This route was launched in November 2022, operating three times a week and has been hugely successful.
United Airlines’ second African route, linking Newark with Johannesburg, has been operating daily since June 2021 and will also be expanded.
The Tourism Department said that arrivals from the United States stood at over 430,000, last year, which was up by more than 21,000 or 5.2% compared to 2023.
It said a further testament to the impact of direct flights on arrivals was that in 2023, arrivals from the US stood at over 409,000, which was more than 111,000 or 37.4% increase compared to 2022, when direct flights between South Africa and the United States were introduced.
“We welcome this development and announcement by United Airlines to increase the number of flights between South Africa and the USA as the route has been in high demand and has made travel significantly more seamless between the two countries,” De Lille said in a statement.
“Airlift is a crucial factor for the tourism sector as direct flights make travel between destinations more desirable and is proven to increase tourism arrivals between countries. We are excited about this development and look forward to the positive impact it will have on arrivals to South Africa.”
The US is one of South Africa’s top source markets.
INSIDE POLITICS