Since the beginning of the Trump administration, one can hardly find a travel article that is not about his impact in some form or another on travel, and we are of course just one of the multitude of industries affected. I have written enough about my feelings on the new American President; the damage being done by erratic policies and the uncertainty of what will happen next but one of the most significant factors resulting from these policies is the effect on the global economy. People everywhere in the world are feeling the pinch, either from these political policy changes, climate change, or simply because we are living in volatile times. The fact of the matter is, that change is happening and it is creating pressure from an economic slowdown that will significantly impact travel in various ways.
How are we affected?
One of the changes will be related to the value of currencies globally, which will affect international travel. As one commentator said ‘’Stronger or weaker currencies can impact the attractiveness of destinations for international travellers. A strong currency in one country might make outbound travel more appealing, while economic instability in another can deter inbound tourism.’’ In South Africa, we have seen both the benefits of good inbound tourism due to our weaker currency, and the negative impact of what some international tourists see as political uncertainty. Either way, we have experienced growth in inbound tourism recently, but as the global economy weakens, we also need to brace ourselves for fluctuations in the future.
Locally, there’s no question that inflation and the cost of living are playing a significant role in our ability to travel abroad, and we seem to be going back to a time when travel was an aspirational purchase and people needed to save and plan for it. As another article on this subject pointed out ‘’Rising costs of living and inflation can make travel more expensive, potentially leading to shorter trips, more domestic travel, and a focus on budget-friendly destinations.’’ Well, I totally agree with this, and I say ‘’Why not?’’ Rather than simply extinguish our passion to travel, to see other places and experience new things, as we South Africans like to say ‘make a plan’ – let’s see what we can do to keep travelling – even if it does mean on tighter budgets.
Plan, save and go for value
I often like to say I’m a half-glass-fill person and I guess that means if someone moves the goal posts, I’m going to look for a different game to play. Just as we had to adapt or die in COVID times the travel industry never lies down and says ‘’well, we must just accept another recession,’’ and neither should we as individuals. In lean times, perhaps to have a great vacation you need to set a few goals for future dates, start saving and plan ahead. If you are one of those sorts of people who always dip into the savings too early, then ask your Travel Professional about ‘vacalayaways’ that are available – a kind of forced saving that will only be used for that dream holiday.
Maybe you also need to investigate travelling to different destinations where you find more value. If you are absolutely set on international travel then great packages to Thailand and Mauritius, for example, can be cheaper than taking a local vacation, as they offer scale and all-inclusive packages – so you know exactly what is going to hit your pocket. If you are family people though, and you love to travel locally, then maybe look into camping at many of our fabulous facilities, or if roughing it too much doesn’t float your boat then check out the many ‘glamping’ options available now.
Never say die!
There’s no need to throw that dream vacation away. Just as we need to adjust every goal from time to time, let’s set our sights according to our pockets, plan more, save for it – and still aspire to do it. Let us never let the wanderlust that lives in every one of us die!
LIDIA FOLLI
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
