CAPE Town’s particular blend of scenic beauty, Mediterranean weather, interesting cultural mix, cleanliness, affordability, world-class facilities, historic appeal, strong Muslim connections and availability of Halaal meat will appeal to visitors from Dubai and the rest of the UAE, says Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates’ executive vice president, commercial operations worldwide, at a media briefing in Cape Town.  He said there was “lots of demand” among Dubai residents to visit Cape Town during its traditional low winter season when the climate was unbearably hot in the Gulf. Emirates intends to capitalise on this perfect fit with daily direct flights between Cape Town and Dubai from March 30.

Al Ghaith said Emirates intended to emulate the “phenomenal success” of its operation to Australia. “Our flights to Australia are full and we are hoping for a similar success in South Africa. We are very confident that we will get lots of people from Dubai and the Gulf region to come here. We will also get traffic from around the world from as far as China, Canada and the US,” he said. Emirates started flying to Johannesburg almost 14 years ago. Cape Town will become its 100th global destination.