According to data from global
flight and travel search platform, Cheapflights, South Africa can expect a 100%
increase in foreign tourists arriving on its shores compared to last year, as
well as a huge amount of domestic travel within the country as locals go on
holiday, or make their way home to see families.
Despite the challenging economic conditions this year, our data shows
that South Africans are keener than ever to travel, and overseas tourists are
still flocking here, where the Rand still offers good bang for their buck.
The country continues to be a destination of choice for Brits, who make
up the most searches for travel to South Africa over this time, increasing 47%
compared to last year.
Travellers from other European countries also love S.A, with the largest
portion of searches coming from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands and other
countries experiencing chilly winters.
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-fareast-language:
EN-GB">Searches from travellers in Germany have grown 187% compared to last
year and an impressive 226% from Swiss tourists, compared to the same period in
2015.
Xmas at the seaside
Cape Town will be the busiest destination, with 43% of domestic travelers and 48% of foreign visitors searching for flights to the Mother City,
followed followed by Johannesburg and Durban.
Best and Worst time to travel
The airports will be jam-packed this weekend as many South Africans
start their holidays with the Public Holiday on Friday. Based on the number of
flights searched for, there will be a second big surge just before Christmas,
as travellers head home after the last working day before Christmas, Friday 23
December (with more than double the amount of flights searched for, compared to
the previous day).
Data shows that the cheapest days to travel between now and the end of
the year are 21 and 31 December.
South Africans are travelling overseas
South Africans are travelling overseas in their droves, with London
ranking third overall as most popular destination for travel over the Christmas
season (after domestic destinations, Cape Town and Durban).
The second most popular destinations for South Africans is Bangkok.
Tips for travelling on Xmas Day
It may not seem like the most cheerful way to spend Christmas, but there
are some benefits for booking travel on Christmas Day itself. Because it’s one
of the least popular days to travel over the festive season, the airports are
often empty (meaning less queues at security and immigration) and great deals
can often be found.
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-fareast-language:
EN-GB">Airports are also a great place to do some last minute Christmas
shopping – with most airports having a great selections of shops.