Travel in Mzansi is at an all-time high – from January to August, South Africans booked 21.3 million overnight trips, compared to the 8.9 million in the same period last year (2021) and 13.8 million in 2019.<\/p>\n
In terms of holiday trips, 5.3 million trips were taken from January to August compared to 1.5 million in 2021.<\/p>\n
South African holidayers are rediscovering that local is indeed lekker, and South African Tourism is taking advantage of this trend by promoting its Gimme Summer that Sho\u2019t Left<\/em> campaign – which offers South Africans affordable and accessible travel deals.<\/p>\n This campaign runs throughout the summer travel season, and all tourism industry members are encouraged to upload their deals to the Sho\u2019t Left<\/em> platform.<\/p>\n If you are wondering what South Africans are looking for when it comes to their travels, Sho\u2019t Left<\/em> has your back.<\/p>\n Below, it has detailed five essential things South Africans deem important when making travel plans this festive season.<\/p>\n This tip is at the top of the list for a reason.<\/p>\n South Africans are willing to travel, but the cost-of-living crisis and rising inflation make it very difficult to do so.<\/p>\n It should therefore be unsurprising that the world\u2019s largest travel intentions survey<\/strong><\/a>, conducted by Travel Lifestyle Network, revealed that South Africans value budget-friendly travel and are opting for local travel due to financial constraints.<\/p>\n You should therefore make sure your deals and offers suit the South African pocket without compromising on quality.<\/p>\n Everyone wants to feel like they are special, and this is no different for travellers.<\/p>\n People crave flexible experiences tailored to their needs \u2013 so offer your guests a customer-oriented service to meet and exceed their expectations.<\/p>\n You should also tailor your marketing strategy to reach your preferred audience.<\/p>\n Consumers are looking for more convenient ways to do everything – from making payments to booking flights.<\/p>\n An estimated 700 million people<\/strong><\/a> will make a booking online by 2023 \u2013 and South Africans are aligned with this global trend.<\/p>\n This makes it important that you give travellers a seamless, efficient, and digital booking system.<\/p>\n Staycations spiked in popularity during the pandemic, and research suggests this global travel trend is here to stay.<\/p>\n A staycation is when travellers travel domestically, often involving day trips and exploring local restaurants and attractions.<\/p>\n Staycations provide a more accessible and affordable change of scenery and make travellers feel safe and secure as they are travelling closer to home.<\/p>\n South Africans experience enough load-shedding when they\u2019re at home \u2013 they don\u2019t want to sit in the dark when on holiday, too.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve planned your travel offerings with these points in mind, you should upload these offerings to the Sho\u2019t Left<\/em> platform.<\/p>\n Here are some key points about Sho\u2019t Left:<\/em><\/p>\n\n
Promoting your holiday packages<\/h3>\n
1. Budget-friendly travel and activities<\/h3>\n
2. Personalisation<\/h3>\n
3. Less fuss<\/h3>\n
4. Staycations<\/h3>\n
5. On-the-grid stays<\/h3>\n
What to know about Sho\u2019t Left<\/h3>\n
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