The USA ranked as the third largest market for inbound passengers to Cape Town International Airport in 2017 with over 120,000 inbound passengers recorded between January to September 2018 - a confirming need for a direct connection between the United States and the Mother City.
At the New York Times Travel Show, the team will present the Nowhere Better campaign, which showcases the depth and breadth of experiences on offer in the province; to travellers, travel trade and media. The campaign, which is supported by both the public and private sector, aims to put Cape Town and the Western Cape back on travellers' consideration list post the drought by demonstrating that there is simply nowhere better to visit in the world.
"The USA is a key market for our province - between January 2003 and February 2017 a total of 76 foreign direct investment projects were recorded from the United States to the Western Cape amounting to a total capital investment of $1.9bn. During this period, a total of 7,510 jobs were created," said Harris.
"New York presents opportunities for increased tourism, trade and investment with the Western Cape. We look forward to strengthening ties with key industry players during our trip, with the goal to soon consolidate a direct flight between our two cities."
Minister Beverley Schäfer added: "The United States is a key market in for tourism and the New York Times Travel Show is an excellent opportunity for us to market the province as a destination and show that we are open for business.
"The establishment of a direct route will also go a long way towards meeting our Project Khulisa goals of growing the tourism sector and creating new jobs. The Western Cape is also focused on driving investment and this trip will provide an opportunity to market all that our province has to offer in the US market."
Dan Plato, executive mayor of Cape Town added: "Cape Town’s attractiveness to the rest of the world as a place to do business and a place to visit and relax in does not just happen. It takes work to promote our beautiful city and to show the world that we are open for business, because with more investment and more visitors to Cape Town we will see more job creation and skills development opportunities for our communities."
"Attending travel shows of this nature gives Cape Town and the Western Cape the opportunity to engage with the rest of the world, showcasing the top class offerings available in the Mother City across the tourism, trade and investment sectors. Our message is simple; Cape Town means business," concluded Alderman Vos.
