New direct flights to Cape Town gave the tourist industry a "fabulous boost" when it was most needed, Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Janine Myburgh says. Last year there was 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," Myburgh said on Tuesday. "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. "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 t...
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