UK travellers can’t wait to visit SA – study April 8th, 2021

There is strong demand from UK travellers for travel to South Africa, according to a new consumer study by South African Tourism and data company, YouGov.

SA Tourism investigated the impact of the coverage about the South African variant linked to the destination, and the British public’s intention to travel and found that over half of respondents (53%) would consider travelling to South Africa on holiday, which increases to almost three-quarters (72%) for the 18- to 34-year-old age bracket.

Only 14% of those who wouldn’t consider South Africa identify the ‘South African Variant’ as a reason. Other reasons include prioritising another destination over South Africa. From a UK trade perspective, operators continue to see a strong appetite for travel to South Africa.

Ben Davis, Product Director, Titan Travel commented: “South Africa has secured fourth place in Titan’s top 20 destinations for future travel as found in our latest Travel Trends Report. Based on passenger volume, this shows that our customers are longing to return to the country as soon as international travel resumes. South Africa was our fifth-best-selling destination for 2020 when we launched last year’s report, so it’s great to see it’s on the up.”

Luxury travel company, Abercrombie & Kent also reported that South Africa has consistently been a popular enquiry over the past few months, on the back of several years as one of its top sellers.

Other findings from the YouGov research reveal that ‘scenic beauty’ is the main reason for considering South Africa, according to 73% of respondents, followed by ‘wildlife and safari’ (66%) and ‘history and culture’ (53%). Interestingly the motivation of culture was significantly higher in the 18-24 age group at 59%, compared with 37% for the 55+ age group, showing that culture is a significant pull for younger travellers.

Acting Hub Head at South African Tourism for the UK and Ireland, Kgomotso Ramothea, said: “We are delighted to see from our YouGov research that there continues to be a strong consumer appetite for travel to South Africa in the not too distant future. South Africa has implemented robust social distancing and hygiene protocols to ensure we are ready to welcome tourists later this year.

“We hope that the UK ban on international travel is lifted from May 17. If so, and following a successful vaccine roll-out in South Africa that began earlier this month and a continued decline in new COVID-19 cases, we are hopeful that we’ll be able to welcome visitors in time for the South African summer season and look forward to working with the UK travel trade to ensure the success of South Africa’s tourism recovery.”