The City of Cape Town and the Western Cape have welcomed US airline United Airlines' decision to provide year-round flights between New York and Cape Town from June.

The airline's flights between the two destinations had previously been on a seasonal basis.

In a statement released on Monday, the Western Cape Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Wesgro) said United Airlines' continuous service to Cape Town and the Western Cape will add a big boost to the Western Cape economy, adding capacity to further boost the total air cargo value between the US and Cape Town.

Cape Town and the Western Cape being an attractive, bucket-list destination for the US will also increase the opportunity for growth in the tourism sector, Wesgro added.

A projected R191-million worth of direct tourism spend will be generated by United Airlines' direct route to the Mother City for the current season ending in March 2022. With a year-round service, the route is expected to generate R523-million worth of direct tourism spend within its first year of operation, the agency pointed out.

Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities David Maynier said that the Western Cape aviation landscape had seen many positive developments in recent months and the early return of United Airlines showed promise for continued expansion of international arrival numbers.

“The recovery of the Western Cape economy was dependent on international travellers visiting the province, both for business and leisure purposes, and especially during the peak tourism season in summer.

"People can now enjoy the natural beauty, award-winning food and wine, rich cultural heritage and diverse and affordable travel options available to all in the Western Cape,” said the Minister.

The City of Cape Town’s Economic Growth MMC Alderman James Vos noted that the added capacity on the route would also boost the total air cargo trade value between the US and Cape Town.