In a bid to entice intra-provincial travel, The Flight Centre Travel Group has launched a new domestic travel collection: Homegrown Holidays. The concept is uniquely designed to meet the current needs of South Africans wishing to travel domestically.
The Homegrown Holiday collection includes visiting historic Graaff Reinet, camping in the Augrabies Falls National Park, road trips to the mountain hamlet of Hogsback, glamping in the Kruger National Park, and 9-10 night road trips exploring KZN's coastal route from north to south, among others.
Andrew Stark, managing director Flight Centre Travel Group Middle East and Africa said that intra-provincial travel was a positive move for domestic travel. Stark hopes that the new regulations encourage South Africans to start travelling again. The company aims to focus on domestic travel for the next two years.
Sue Garrett, Flight Centre Travel Group's general manager for Product and Marketing, expects local travellers to start with short overnight stays followed by longer road trips and getaways within their province.
"It's the year of the self-drive road trip and truly experiential travel," Homegrown Holidays is designed to meet this desire, giving travellers the product to quickly and safely enjoy holidays that hark back to their childhood or younger days. Think local and regional microcations (holidays shorter than five nights), off the beaten path experiences, hiking weekends, glamping and camping – and even the nostalgia of train travel.
"Millions of international travellers visit South Africa each year and fall in love with our country. Now is our chance to be re-inspired. Travel is no longer about the destination alone. Experiential travel that allows us to truly connect meaningfully with our country, ourselves and others is the driving force behind post-Covid travel," she said.
A recent survey conducted by the Flight Centre Travel Group on their platforms showed that 7 546 respondents were ready to travel again, even if that meant exploring their own province. Around 59 percent of travellers said they would travel within their province, 20 percent said no, with another 20 percent saying they would if the deal was good enough. Interestingly, 43 percent of the respondents lived in Gauteng, followed by 23 percent in Cape Town and 18 percent in KwaZulu-Natal.
Ideal local travel destinations or experiences saw beach holidays topping the list, followed by bush breaks, the Garden Route, then mountain adventures and exploring a city. Only 10 percent opted for a camping holiday.