Top SA travel trends

Published Jun 28, 2017

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South Africans are travelling abroad more than ever despite tough economic times, but knowing where to find the cheapest flights to favourite destinations such as the UK and US is key. 

This has now become easier with the release of a new travel deals report by Cheapflights, a global flight search and travel deals platform, which has just published its first analysis of inbound and outbound travel trends for South Africa. 

The Cheapflights Compass Report South Africa crunched nearly 600 000 hours of search data accumulated by South Africans between April 1, 2016 and March 31 this year, across the Cheapflights desktop and mobile websites and its apps, to help travellers make good choices for their future travel plans and to help travel industry professionals build profitable strategies. 

The rand may have taken hard knocks in recent months, and the world may feel like an uncertain place, but that hasn’t affected South Africans’ wanderlust. 

Quite the opposite. 

“Our data indicates that more than 86 000 times in the last 12 months, our South African users went on from our platforms to make a flight or travel booking – a 51% increase from the corresponding period the previous year,” said Andrew Shelton, managing director of Cheapflights. 

In this period locals spent some 592 292 hours searching for flights on the co.za site and apps, the equivalent of an astonishing 68 years. 

The most desirable travel times for South Africans corresponded directly with holidays on the school calendar. 

December, June, July and March accounted for 49% of all departure month searches all of which are periods during which there are significant breaks in the school year.

These times are also the most expensive to travel. January, July and December are the most popular and the most expensive periods to travel from South Africa, with the average international airfare edging close to R10 000 in January.

At a steady 29%, the UK is the most searched for destination by South Africans – more than double its closest competitor, the US at 14%. Other popular destinations include Thailand, France and Italy.

When to fly

The cheapest month is May at an average fare of R7 414, then November (R7 659), with October third (R7 732). 

Travellers can save 14% in airfare by booking plane tickets three to six months in advance, compared to 9% when making reservations between one and three months in advance.

“Travellers can save if they’re prepared to fly in the middle of the week on Wednesdays. 

"Mondays are the second cheapest day to fly and Tuesdays the third,” says Shelton.

Dubai is the cheapest destination for South Africans to travel to, at less than R6 000 a flight from OR Tambo International. The second most affordable destination is Italy at R6 891, followed by the Netherlands at R7 652. 

During peak holiday periods – specifically June, July and December – the Netherlands falls away and makes room instead for Thailand (R7 851) and Hong Kong (R8 009). 

Even during peak season, the United Arab Emirates remains affordable for South Africans at R6 608. Flights to all other destinations during this period are above R8  000, with the US, Canada and Australia topping the most expensive list. 

While the most-searched-for destination by South Africans is the UK, the converse is also true – 65% of searches to South Africa originated in the UK. The US and Germany are in second and third place, at 11% and 10% respectively. 

Searches from the UK are so prevalent that they account for almost double the number of searches originating from the other six counties, combined. 

The Australia-Pacific region accounts for less than 15% of all flight searches, with the breakdown as Australia 7%, Hong Kong 3%, China 3% and Japan 1%. 

Local travel

Cape Town may be renowned for its natural splendour, but it seems the more bustling Joburg is the city of choice for foreigners travelling to the country. More than half (62%) of inbound searches favour flights to Johannesburg over Cape Town. 

But it is worth noting that this number is heavily skewed by search data from the UK, from which there are more direct flights to Johannesburg than to Cape Town. 

At 83% and 80% respectively, travellers from China and Hong Kong strongly favour flying to Johannesburg, rather than the Mother City. Given China’s growing interest in the investment and economic growth possibilities in Africa, the preference for Joburg may well be business related. 

Germans, on the other hand, are twice as likely to choose Cape Town over Johannesburg, which suggests travel for pleasure rather than business. 

“The most popular time for travelling to South Africa, December, suggests that the bulk of visitors are here on holiday. 

Nineteen percent of travellers want to visit the country in December, right in the middle of summer, with Christmas and New Year falling over this period,” Shelton said.

March and September are popular times to visit too, with 11% of searches for March and 10% for September. 

The preference for March is likely related to the Easter holiday, while September is the beginning of spring, which typically brings more moderate weather.

“Despite the economic uncertainty South Africa is currently experiencing, South Africans are still travelling abroad, possibly saving up to do so instead of travelling more frequently within the country," Shelton said. 

"And clearly international tourists still view South Africa as a prime destination, both for work and play.

“The data also shows the enduring attraction of South Africa, especially in lucrative markets like the UK and US. 

"The country is still seen as a safe, good-value destination that almost guarantees good weather, great food and a warm welcome to the sensible traveller, which is positive news for the travel industry here as global competition for tourism spend increases,” Shelton said.

Cheapflights is part of the privately-owned online travel search and inspiration network, Momondo Group.

 

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