The tide has finally begun to turn for South Africa’s beleaguered tourism sector. Airlines and tourists from the United Kingdom (UK) are returning to South Africa, with the United Kingdom’s decision to remove SA from its restrictive red list in October.
Cape Town’s tourism and hospitality sectors have been hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown restrictions over the last year and a half. The resumption of British Airways’ direct flights between the Mother City and the UK comes just in time for SA’s peak summer season.
The relaunched national carrier South African Airways, is not likely to start up flights between SA and the UK in the near future.
BA’S BOOST FOR TOURISM
Cape Town’s prospects are improving with British Airways resuming direct flights from London. The United Kingdom was South Africa’s primary tourism source country prior to the onset of the pandemic, with more than 400 000 visitors from the UK travelling to these shores in 2019.
British Airways, which returned to Cape Town on Wednesday, will operate three flights a week to the Mother City until 13 November, when it will increase the frequency to daily direct flights. From 10 December British Airways will operate two flights a day between London and Cape Town.
Mayoral Member for Economic Opportunities, Tourism & Asset Management in the City of Cape Town, James Vos applauded British Airways’ decision to resume flights to the city and said that the move would promote travel and tourism.
TURNING THE TIDE
The city is reliant on international visitors to fill its hotels which have for the past year been battling to maintain profitable occupancy levels. Sadly, Cape Town has bid farewell to a couple of hotels since the onset of the pandemic. Hotels such as the Hilton and more recently, the Victoria Junction Hotel have closed their doors due to the difficult trading conditions.
The restart of direct flights between United Kingdom and Cape Town may help to end an extended period of depressing trading conditions for the city’s tourism and hospitality sectors. The Mother City is set to benefit from the increased number of tourists choosing to travel to Cape Town.
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