New direct flights to Cape Town had given the tourist industry a "fabulous boost" when it was most needed‚ Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Janine Myburgh said in a statement Tuesday.

Last year saw a sharp 15.71% rise in international arrivals to the Mother City‚ significantly higher than the 5.41% increase in the number of domestic passenger arrivals. Most of the tourists were from Europe.

"Every month from June to December last year [we] saw record numbers of international passengers arriving at the Cape Town Airport. In June international passenger numbers increased by 21.8% and this was followed by increases of 27% in July‚ 23.6% in August‚ 26.6% in September‚ 21.4% in October and 17.2% in November‚" Myburgh said.

"December saw the biggest increase ever when the number of incoming international passenger rose from 88 608 to a staggering 114 208‚ an increase of 28.9%.

"These figures are exciting and I am sure they will justify further investment in tourism facilities and that should mean even more visitors in the future."

Myburgh said that Cape Town had a growing international reputation as a quality destination which had been marketed successfully. Also‚ airlines had increased the number of direct flights to the city and Myburgh suggested that the time was perhaps ripe for a direct flight to the US.

"There used to be an SAA flight between Cape Town and Miami and it was always fully booked. There was an outcry when it was cancelled so I don’t see why the route should not be re-opened. It would be a great boost for the growing film industry and the local economy‚" she said. - TMG Digital