According to South Africa Tourism, domestic tourism is undergoing a tough time this festive season.Published on : Friday, December 29, 2017
According to South Africa Tourism, domestic tourism is undergoing a tough time this festive season.
Preliminary figures show that popular spots like Durban and Cape Town are doing “quite well”, but the challenge is to sustain the interest for other provinces.
SA Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona believes that there are a number of factors behind people cancelling trips across the country, which include high fuel prices and mobility not being ingrained in South Africans due to apartheid legacy.
Ntshona said that many people looking to travel around the country don’t have access to information about more affordable packages. December is also a popular period for overseas visitors, hiking the prices for locals. In recent years, domestic tourism has weakened. There has been a decline in local spending on travel with the figure plunging from R110bn in 2014 to R87bn in 2016.
Ntshona said SA Tourism will launch a smartphone application in mid-2018. This will allow travellers to search for accommodation according to geolocation or specific interests. It will also help in finding out “hidden gems” away from popular tourist spots.
South Africa has big plans to attract tourists in 2018, the centenary year of the late president Nelson Mandela, who was born in Mvezo in the then Transkei on July 18 1918.
Tags: South Africa