London’s famous black cabs will carry the “Choose Cape Town” message in November as part of a joint campaign between the City of Cape Town and Norse Atlantic Airways attracting tourists to the city.

Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth James Vos announced this at the launch of the new campaign, which will feature on 40 branded black cabs.

The timing of the campaign coincides with World Travel Market in London on November 5-7. This will be the city’s first campaign featuring a direct conversion mechanism and the new international Cape Town logo.

“Imagine this: You’re in one of the busiest cities in the world and a sleek black cab wrapped in Cape Town’s vibrant imagery passes by, encouraging you to book your next adventure. It’s a visual reminder of the unmatched experiences Cape Town offers from ocean safaris to urban culture and investment opportunities. Once passengers hop into the cab, they will see further branding inside with a QR code that will take them directly to a booking platform to secure a Norse Atlantic Airways flight to Cape Town,” Vos said.

The campaign will also include a special offer for flights booked using the code, added Vos.

Norse Atlantic Airways will offer three-times weekly flights between London’s Gatwick Airport and Cape Town during the peak season, starting from October 28.

Bård Nordhagen, Chief Commercial Officer for Norse Atlantic Airways, said: “Since launching ticket sales for this new route, it has quickly become one of our most popular destinations.”

The Norse route is part of an increasing number of flights between Cape Town and London in the upcoming summer season, which will see 31 flights per week at peak.

British Airways, which currently operates daily flights on the route, will expand to double dailies at the end of October. A third daily flight will be added in January, bringing the airline’s total weekly Cape Town-London flights to 21.

Virgin Atlantic has also announced plans to increase its daily service until April 30 next year.

Key data

According to Wesgro data, more than 210 000 two-way passengers travelled between Cape Town and London in the first half of this year – 7% more than the same period in 2023.

The UK is also one of the Western Cape’s largest tourism source markets with close to 90 000 visitors travelling to the region in 2023.

Commenting on the new logo, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said: “With millions of eyes on Cape Town at big-ticket events, there was a need for an easily recognisable brand for the city. This logo will be seen throughout the world at sports events, conferences, on all our campaigns and marketing material and international billboards and TV screens.”

The city’s targeted destination marketing campaigns have reached more than 25 million people and play a key role in developing the tourism industry in the city.

Through the targeted content campaigns, more than 25 million people across the globe have been reached.

“We are standing at the threshold of a new era for Cape Town’s tourism industry. Every initiative we launch today is about unlocking potential – not just for our city but for the people of Cape Town. Last year, tourism employed more than 91 000 Capetonians,” Vos said.