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As I write the last article of the year my mind is cast back to what I have talked about throughout 2024. Hindsight, after all, is foresight and if we are to start setting our sights on navigating 2025 in such a way that we create a better travel and tourism offering in South Africa we need to think about what has moulded the travel industry to this point. We have seen many travel trends emerge, some very strongly, like solo travel for example which seems to have grown tremendously, and others, a little more on the fringe, like adventure travel and experiential travel. We even looked at food tourism. It has been interesting and no doubt some of these will continue to grow and new trends will come to the fore in 2025.
Continued challenges
Of more concern and what is more likely to shape the industry for the better or worse in the new year is the various challenges we have faced and I have delved into many of these too. We have looked at sustainability in travel, not something likely to go away soon and will continue to be an issue until travellers are more invested in supporting sustainability than prioritising affordability. I do believe great inroads are being made in this respect though by carriers and hospitality venues.
We have also seen how climate change has affected tourism and this will also continue as climate change shows little sign of improving. We looked at the higher cost of airfares too, and unfortunately, I don’t believe that we are likely to see any change in this area, as our benchmark was unsustainably low airfares pre-Covid. Operating a sustainable airline industry is important for all of us, as they create the pathways for human connectivity in a manner that no online environment can match.
Some great positives
One of the biggest challenges that has been facing the industry throughout 2024, and it certainly is a growing one, is over-tourism. The light at the end of this tunnel though is that certain top destinations in Europe seem to be handling it very well, by imposing tourist taxes but doing so cleverly. For example, they might only impose additional fees on certain days or for certain attractions and according to one Skift article I read on measures they have put in place in Venice this is not only curbing over tourism but has coined them some pretty substantial additional income – hopefully, to be ploughed back into conserving the beautiful city for generations forward to enjoy. I see this as a great positive and believe it also enables travellers to plan better – and to realise that they do have an impact when travelling. From a local perspective, I think over-tourism is something that we need to guard against, particularly in Cape Town over the festive season, but it’s a fine balancing act, as it generates income for many which sees them through the other months of the year.
Looking good for S A
Whenever I wrote about any of these trends and challenges, we looked at how they affected South Africa and how South Africa could do more to improve its own travel and tourism offerings and services. I do believe things are looking positive for South Africa as long as we are making some efforts to expand our tourism offering beyond just Cape Town and the renowned bush lodges. I’m pleased to see that with a great improvement in the marketing of Kwa-Zulu Natal and an improvement of the infrastructure challenges there, far more people are considering this as a destination now – and we’ve also seen a comeback in the Garden Route area again because Cape Town is too full and too busy, so people are looking for something different.
In conclusion, I feel that South Africans are viewing their own country differently, as a place that’s just as great to vacation in as any international country. Even if the lodges are quite pricey, we’ve been introduced to some great value-for-money products and more are being made available to us every day. I’m no fortune teller but, based on what I have seen in 2024, if I had a crystal ball and it represented the globe – I would see a shining star hovering over South Africa in 2025!
I hope these articles have been enlightening, or at least entertaining and may you all have a peaceful and blessed festive season – travel safely and keep the wanderlust alive in 2025!
LIDIA FOLLI
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
