The launch of United Airlines’ first-ever direct flights between New York and Cape Town in December has already led to an 11% increase in forward bookings by US tourists to the Mother City for the upcoming summer season.

Wesgro CEO Tim Harris revealed this during a media briefing on the new route hosted by the US-based airline in Cape Town on Monday. Wesgro is the trade, investment and tourism promotion agency of the Western Cape, and played a key role in securing the route.

United Airlines’ inaugural flight to Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) will take off from Newark Liberty International Airport in New York on December 16. The airline will operate a seasonal service on the route between December and March, with three flights a week.

Speaking to Moneyweb on Tuesday, Harris said having the direct flights between the US financial capital and SA’s legislative capital is a major triumph.

“The US is a key tourism source market for Cape Town and the Western Cape, with around 200 000 American tourists coming here annually,” he notes.

Harris says the new route comes at an opportune time, with the Western Cape coming out of one of its worst droughts, in addition to the decision by the Department of Home Affairs to scrap unabridged birth certificates for foreign minors travelling to SA.

“All this is going to no doubt bolster tourist arrival numbers to Cape Town and the country as a whole. The drought and the unabridged birth certificate issue negatively impacted our international tourist numbers here in the Western Cape, but we believe that we are turning the corner.

“Forward bookings to Cape Town are not only up from the US, but also 30% up from the UK and 20% up from Germany – which are all major tourism source markets for us,” he adds.

“This points to a bumper peak summer season from December to March. We are coming off a lower base following the drought but are now seeing an increase in forward bookings by foreign tourists. United Airlines’ new route to Cape Town will also boost trade.”

Commenting on the December launch of the route, Bob Schumacher, United Airlines’ regional managing director of sales, said (in a statement) that the new service will provide its business and leisure customers with a seamless and more convenient way to travel between South Africa and North America.

“We look forward to offering our customers in North America easier access to South Africa with its incredible tourism attractions and business opportunities,” he added.