Global flight deal search aggregator Cheapflights has released its Cheapflights Compass Report South Africa, which details the travel trends in the country’s tourism sector. The research initiative looked at 600 000 hours worth of search data on its platform to unearth some interesting travel learnings.
From the impact of the South African rand on travel to the countries locals enjoying visiting the most, the findings show a robust travel sector from April 2016-March 2017.
Despite the country’s economic challenges and the weakening rand, South Africans have not been deterred from travelling. In fact, there has been a 51% increase year-on-year in the flight and travel bookings made by locals on the platform.
While travel bookings are being secured, value for money is still a consideration. Cheapflights found that the cheapest months to make bookings are May, October and November, with the cheapest departure points being Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
The most affordable long-haul flights are New York, Toronto and Los Angeles.
Affordable cities frequented by South Africans in Europe include Rome, Amsterdam, Paris and London. In the Asia Pacific region, the most affordable cities are Dubai, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Sydney.
A large proportion of traffic to South Africa consists of travellers from the UK, who also account for the biggest percentage, the USA, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and China.
