Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has welcomed the announcement by United Airlines that it will be increasing its flights to South Africa.
“On behalf of the entire tourism sector, we welcome the recent announcement by United Airlines that it will be increasing its flights to South Africa,” De Lille said.
United Airlines recently announced that it will be expanding 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 operated daily since June 2021 and this route will also be expanded by the airline.
In 2024, arrivals from the United States of America stood at over 430 000, up by more than 21 000 or 5.2% compared to 2023. A further testament to the impact of direct flights on arrivals is that in 2023, arrivals from the USA stood at over 409 000, an increase of more than 111 000 or 37.4% compared to 2022, when direct flights between South Africa and the USA 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.
“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.”
She said they were excited about this development and looked forward to the positive impact it will have on arrivals to South Africa.
“The USA is one of South Africa’s top source markets and we will continue efforts to grow arrivals even more from the USA to South Africa,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za
