Candy and Jonty King, who became overnight travel influencers in Laos during lockdown last year, are returning to Durban this week.
The travel influencers, famously known as Candy and the King on social media, hope to entice millions of their fans to visit Africa once they return home.
@candy_and_the_king Mingalarbar ##🇲![CDATA[]]>🇲 ##🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦
♬ original sound - Candy and the King
The pair will travel from Laos via Kuala Lumpur, Doha and Johannesburg before they arrive in Durban on February 25.
"We'll be travelling for around 30 hours. Although we only need to show negative Covid-19 tests upon entering SA, we've decided to self-isolate at an Airbnb for a few days before seeing friends and family," said the couple.
The duo were hired as teachers at an international school called Panyathip in Laos in 2017. They hoped to return to South Africa last year. However, due to travel bans and restrictions in Laos and South Africa, this wasn't possible.
@candy_and_the_king Happy Chinese New year from The River Resort, Laos. ##🇱![CDATA[]]>🇦 ##🇨![CDATA[]]>🇳 ##🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦
♬ original sound - Candy and the King
Candy and Jonty decided to use the time to help rebuild tourism in the destination. They hoped to highlight the attractions to entice travellers to explore safely.
“We wanted to make the most of the situation. We dove into photography, video editing, and we even learnt how to code websites. At the same time, we saw that people around the world were slipping into depression.
“We could also see that in Lao. We decided to learn a bit of the Thai/Lao language and use our new photography and videography skills to inspire and make people in this region happy through ridiculous TikTok performances. Of course, it also kept us busy and laughing too," Candy told IOL Travel last year.
The pair, who have grown their TikTok account to over 1.6 million fans, hope to bring their fans to Africa. They also plan to host social media workshops once they arrive back in sunny South Africa.
"We will host the same workshops to impart the skills and knowledge that we've learnt abroad.
"Our students will be treated to a luxury lifestyle for five days at a resort or villa with a private chef. We will teach them all the skills needed to start an online business. We believe that the classroom is no longer confined to four walls and people learn best in an environment that is comfortable with everything provided and surrounded by like-minded individuals," said Candy.