Portugal will soon be only one flight away, thanks to the Western Cape Government. Premier Alan Winde announced that they have secured a deal with Portugal’s flag air carrier, TAP Portugal, to start a direct flight from Cape Town to Lisbon starting November 2021.
Speaking during his State of the Province address on Wednesday [February 17], Winde said that the Western Cape government will be largely be focusing on rebuilding the tourism industry in 2021. The first critical step toward achieving this is through ensuring our air network recovers after a number of routes were suspended or cancelled last year.
The Air Access team, housed at Wesgro, continues to engage with the aviation industry and there are some promising signs emerging.
“We have been able to secure a direct route from Cape Town to Atlanta on Delta Airlines, which plans to commence this year,” he said. “We have also secured TAP Portugal, with a direct flight to Lisbon, starting November 2021.”
Winde added that Airlink has added a connection between Cape Town and Harare, as well as Cape Town to Walvis Bay, commencing next month which will further connect Cape Town to the rest of the continent.
The Premier also noted plans to lobby for a ‘Remote Working Visa’ to encourage more foreign workers to visit the province.
“Cape Town has made the 2021 list for the 50 “Best Cities for Remote Working”. These ‘digital nomads’ are a new kind of tourist, who will stay in our province for 3 months instead of 3 weeks, enjoying our tourism offer while working on their laptops. To do so, South Africa urgently needs to introduce a ‘Remote Working Visa’ and we will lobby both the President and the Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, to introduce this visa as soon as possible. ”
Picture: Twitter / TAP Air Portugal
