Lufthansa is recording a sharp rise in intercontinental and intra-European bookings for the upcoming Christmas and New Year travel season, with South Africa and Namibia among the most popular destinations.

Last week, up to 400% more people booked destinations overseas compared with the previous week. "The longing to travel is great worldwide. As soon as travel restrictions fall, we see a significant increase in bookings. This is especially true for the vacation season around Christmas and New Year,” said Harry Hohmeister, member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

“Taking into account the highest hygiene and safety standards, we want to fulfil our guests' vacation dreams wherever possible. In the coming weeks, we will therefore continue to flexibly adjust our flight schedules to demand at short notice."

General Manager Southern Africa and East Africa of Lufthansa Group Airlines, Dr André Schulz, said the group was pleased to see an increase in bookings on the Cape Town, Johannesburg and Windhoek routes over the festive season.

“As we see more European travellers returning to South Africa and Namibia, the Lufthansa Group is proud to be actively supporting the restart of the local tourism industries in southern Africa and we will closely monitor demand and adjust our capacity according to market demands,” he said.