Tourism bodies see a recovery close to numbers before Covid

Tourism stakeholders are upbeat and expect a revitalised festive season, with figures already edging closer to the 2019 pre-Covid figure.

Tourism Business Council SA CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa says he is encouraged by October’s numbers, and expects a high turnout from local and international visitors.

“I think we’re in for good festive season. The situation has changed remarkably compared with 2021. If we look at the Stats SA figures, we know that 2.2-million people travelled in and out of the country in October this year, a 100% increase compared with the same period last year. The travellers were made up of more than 600,000 SA residents and over 1-million foreign visitors.

“In October 2019 we were sitting on 91%. This year, we are hovering at about 86%. It shows a recovering tourism industry. I do have high hopes for the festive season. We certainly are in a better space as a country. I believe the festive season will redefine a move forward for the tourism industry.

“Domestic travellers are the bedrock of our industry. Loadshedding is no doubt a challenge and will increase the costs for the hospitality industry as they invest in generators. It’s also important for the situation with the beaches in Durban to be resolved in time.”

According to Stats SA, more than 2.2-million people travelled in and out of the country in October 2022, made up of more than 600,000 SA residents and more than 1-million foreign travellers. About 65% of overseas travellers came from Europe, followed by North America and Asia.

Tshivhengwa said that with SA’s warm weather and the introduction of new airlines to the country, many more international visitors from the UK, Ireland, Australia, the US, Germany and New Zealand are expected. “There is no red-flag status, and SA is mirroring what is happening internationally with face-to-face meetings and gatherings, and stadiums being opened to sporting enthusiasts.”

Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) expects a whopping R4.1bn for the provincial economy this summer season as holidaymakers flock to the province for getaways. This is up from 2019’s estimated spend of R1.5bn and the December 21 to January 22 spend that festive season of R3.4bn.

TKZN acting CEO Nhlanhla Khumalo said: “KZN remains a very popular destination for domestic travellers, and this summer season we are projecting an estimated 760,000 domestic trips and an estimated 58,000 international visitors from 1 December 2022 to the end of March 2023.

“The combined spend from both domestic and international tourists is predicted to be about R4.1bn, which will be a big boost to the recovery of the tourism sector.”

TKZN estimates average hotel occupancy rates for KwaZulu-Natal are expected to reach 60% at Christmas and new year. KwaDukuza is expected to peak at 80%, Hibiscus at 78%, Umdoni at 78%, Okhahlamba at 70% and Umgeni at 64%.

Khumalo said the province has several Blue Flag beaches, three on the north coast and six on the south coast.

Meanwhile, Cape Town’s festive season tourism outlook is good. “We are looking forward to a fantastic season, with 67% of South Africans indicating they would be travelling over the period. Of those, 92% intend travelling locally,” Cape Town Tourism (CTT) CEO Enver Duminy said.

These figures are contained in CTT’s latest Domestic Travel Intent report and highlight the growing appetite for travel by locals. While there has been an increase in international travel intention (8%), the most popular domestic holiday destination before the festive season remains the Western Cape, Duminy said.

“In October, Cape Town Tourism saw a Cape Town International Airport arrival recovery rate of 73% for domestic flights, a steady bounce back since January this year, and which is forecast to continue the upward trajectory as high season approaches.

“The optimistic outlook follows CTT’s significant investment in campaigns to reposition it as the holiday destination of choice for global tourism, including the recent awardwinning Find Your Freedom immersive travel experience,” Duminy said.

According to the Tourism Satellite Account for SA report, there were 14.8-million nonresident visitors in 2019. Of these, 31% were same-day visitors and 69% were tourists. In 2019, inbound tourism spending rose 1.2% to R121.5bn. Domestic tourism spending increased 71% to R330bn in 2019.