On commencement of the 2017 winter schedule, AF KLM will be adding three new destinations, including Mauritius. It will also increase capacity by over 5% to the following destinations:

In South Africa, Air France will increase the number of frequencies to Cape Town from three to five weekly flights, while Johannesburg will be served by the Airbus A380.

In Angola and the DRC, Air France’s Paris-Charles de Gaulle-Luanda-Kinshasa service will be replaced by direct three times a week flights from Paris to both Luanda and Kinshasa, in continuation of the 2017 summer season.

To the Indian Ocean, the group will respond to the strong demand from leisure travellers by launching flights to two new destinations.

Air France will serve Malé (Maldives) with two weekly flights from November 1 and KLM will launch a thrice weekly Amsterdam-Mauritius service operated by a Boeing 787 from October 30.

Air France will also operate 11 weekly frequencies to Mauritius during the high season in addition to those operated by Air Mauritius as part of their joint ventur

Offering reasons why AF KLM may be increasing its investment in Cape Town, Wesgro said. “The metro remains a top tourist destination globally. In 2016, Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) experienced a 16% growth in international passengers. From January until August 2017 international passenger traffic grew by 24%. In 2016, two million international passengers were recorded. In 2017 this is expected to rise to 2,5 million. Routes are being expanded to match this demand.

“The new flights and route expansions secured by Cape Town Air Access have meant that more than 130 000 international seats will be added to CTIA’s capacity during the upcoming South African summer season, starting in October 2017.”

Wesgro says this will influence traveller spend as, when it is easier to access the Western Cape by air, more tourists will pick the province as their preferred holiday destination during the Northern hemisphere winter months. “In 2016, two million passengers were recorded at Cape Town International, and more routes and expansions mean this number is set to grow even further. The economic benefit of this is significant.” Tourists on average stay 11 days in the Cape, boosting local economies, and helping to create jobs.

For the period January to July 2017, according to Wesgro, South Africa already welcomed a total of 105 494 tourist arrivals from France, reflecting growth of 31.3% compared with the same period in 2016. The significant growth from this market indicates strong prospects for the remainder of 2017.

“Travel is a very important factor for the French people, who enjoy discovering new places and immersing themselves in the local culture. The Western Cape, and South Africa as a whole, offers unique cultural diversity and experiential travel experiences, as well as world-class tourism infrastructure,” said Wesgro.

It added that Cape Town was also good value for money for French travellers and was rich in unique culinary offers. “It is also worth noting that the Western Cape offer is appealing to the French consumer as part of a greater package combined with the Seychelles, Réunion and Kenya.”