The launch of flights from Germany to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport is set to boost tourism.
The flight by Lufthansa leisure carrier subsidiary Eurowings Discover landed at Kruger airport from Frankfurt on Wednesday, after a brief stopover in Windhoek, Namibia.
Recent Stats SA figures show that 58.7% of overseas tourists to SA are from Europe with Germany being the third-largest overseas source market after the US and the UK.
The new operator offers a convenient way to travel to Kruger National Park, one of the most sought-after tourist destinations. This boosts the Mpumalanga regional economy and promotes SA as a destination that is easy to access for those who want to avoid the country’s cities.
According to big players in the tourism sector, SA’s natural and cultural assets are the strongest drawcards for inbound international travel, and Mpumalanga offers both.
The new service, on an Airbus A330, will operate three times a week, adding 30,000 passengers a year from Frankfurt to Kruger airport, near Mpumalanga’s capital, Mbombela.
Rosemary Anderson, national chair of the Federated Hospitality Association of SA (Fedhasa), said the direct flight introduces convenience for the traveller for whom ease of access and affordability are factors when deciding to travel to the park that is home to the big five.
“The new flight also bodes well for other destinations that have good access to and from Mpumalanga — such as areas in and about Limpopo — as typically these travellers will visit more than the Kruger National Park on their trip,” said Anderson.
Anderson’s claims were echoed by Suzanne Benadie, director of Sense of Africa — an inbound destination management consultant company in Sub-Saharan Africa, saying it is vital that SA creates ways in which travellers can get into the heart of all the country’s nine provinces.
“A flight into Kruger airport speeds the trip to Mpumalanga and Limpopo primarily, but with other routes operating from the airport, travellers can connect all over SA,” said Benadie.
Stats SA figures show that in “normal” economic conditions the tourism sector is a main economic driver and an important job creator, contributing 3.7% of GDP in 2019 — more than agriculture, utilities (electricity, gas & water) and construction. Tourism activities and associated expenditure contributed R209bn directly to the economy that year.
For much of the past two years, tourism has been hit by Covid-19 lockdowns and international travel restrictions that triggered a fight for survival even among leisure heavyweights such as Sun International and Southern Sun, and forcing many smaller establishments such as bed-and-breakfasts to shut.
After tourism’s Covid-19 difficulties, the arrival of Eurowings is uplifting for all in the tourism and hospitality sectors, and “just the news we need”, said Cindy Walker, CEO of Extraordinary, a Johannesburg- and Cape Town-based company offering hospitality and tourism reservation services.
“Airlift is such an important aspect of tourism, and Kruger airport has been waiting patiently for a direct connection to Europe,” said Walker.
Players in the sector say the launch of the new flight is unlikely to take away from other players such as tour operators in Johannesburg or Cape Town where international flights normally land.
A new air route is like a new road — a catalyst for economic growth and employment, said Anderson. “Our tourism and hospitality industry, and the people who are employed indirectly and directly within it, will greatly benefit from it.”
Benadie said the launch of the new flight is positive for Johannesburg. “With a 10- or 12-night itinerary, a traveller can include Kruger, sights of Limpopo, the North West and visit Gauteng. Almost any round trip is possible from Kruger airport as the arrival and departure point,” said Benadie.
“Wherever opportunity can be created to add airlift, it is vital to explore it. Eurowings will ultimately attract travellers not only from Germany but from all of Europe, expanding the market.”
Anderson said: “With SA still among the best and most affordable countries to visit, we can expect twin destinations like Cape Town, Gqeberha and East London to benefit from the international leisure traffic that a schedule like Eurowings introduces.” She said the variety provided for short- and long-trip visitors alike.
Kruger airport is now the seventh destination offered by Eurowings Discover in Africa. Services began from Frankfurt to Mombasa, Zanzibar, Mauritius, Windhoek, Victoria Falls and Kilimanjaro.
“The fact that this airline also connects Namibia and Victoria Falls is a bonus for our tourists who enjoy combining the safaris of the Kruger area through to one of the seven natural wonders of the world,” said Walker.
Correction: November 22 2022
An earlier version of this story said the Frankfurt-Kruger flight service was three-weekly but it is in fact three times a week.
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