Yesterday I was part of the welcome reception held at the Cape Town International Airport for the new non-stop route between New York and Cape Town by United Airlines.

It will serve to strengthen the existing partnership between Cape Town and New York to drive visitor numbers.

The shared marketing agreement between the two global tourism giants is spearheaded by the respective destination marketing companies, Cape Town Tourism, and NYC & Company.

The agreement has seen the destinations collaborating by using their respective resources to market each other. Cape Town’s many attractions are displayed on bus shelters and kiosks across New York’s five districts to introduce U.S. locals to the Mother City. Similarly, the Big Apple is highlighted to Capetonians and visitors through mobile information centres, branding on MyCiTi buses, various billboards in the Cape Town CBD, and extensive branding at the Cape Town International Airport.

The partnership received an extra boost with the direct flight between Cape Town and New York.

The objective of this partnership, which started three years ago, was to increase the demand for travel between the two cities and ultimately for a direct flight between Cape Town and New York City.

In addition to marketing Cape Town as a tourism destination to the millions of New Yorkers and the millions more who visit the Big Apple, the partnership between Cape Town Tourism & NYC Company has been integral for access to the North American market.

The City of Cape Town is a proud funder of the Air Access initiative located within Wesgro as part of our strategy to connect Cape Town with key destinations around the world for tourism and trade benefits. This newest addition with New York will assist in attracting foreign direct investment and will be a catalyst for economic growth in the city.

We are gearing up for an additional 24 000 inbound passengers from the new direct route from New York which will be serviced by United Airlines. Travellers from the United States will grow by an estimated 20%, and about 900 jobs will be created during the first year. The flight will also contribute to an approximate R421 million boost in tourism spend by 2021.

The launch of the route is proof of the importance of partnerships between cities.

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