Mzansi is hitting the road this festive season

South Africans are packing their bags and hitting the road to explore what Msanzi has to offer this festive season.

Despite sailing through a tough economic tide, pocket-pinching prices and record-high inflation, Mzansi is seemingly not about to cancel their travel plans.

Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) CEO, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa said domestic tourism was on the rise.

“There’s definitely an upward trend,” he told The Citizen.

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‘2019 numbers’

Despite the resurgence, Tshivhengwa said the Mzansi tourism sector is still trying to bounce back from the negative impact of travel restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are still in tourism recovery mode after Covid. We want to reach the 2019 numbers in terms of tourist arrivals for international travel,” Tshivhengwa told The Citizen.

On the flipside, domestic travel seems to be doing well this year. “We are seeing a large number of South African travellers, surpassing those of 2019,” Tshivhengwa said.

TBCSA also anticipates an influx to Mzansi of tourists from other African countries ahead of the festive season.

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Trevor Noah’s Mzansi campaign

TBCSA launched a campaign last month in partnership with SA-born comedian Trevor Noah – aimed at promoting SA tourism.

Tshivhengwa said the campaign had performed exceptionally well, having received a lot impressions and viewer engagement.

“We have reached over 300 million views on our various platforms,” he told The Citizen.

“The campaign is still active, for the next three months,” he added.

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The Lost City

Meanwhile, Sun City has reached more than 80% occupancy across its hotels for the December period.

Speaking to The Citizen, general manager, Brett Hoppe said domestic bookings were buoyant, adding that 19% of reservations were from international travellers.

While the first two weeks of December are usually quiet for the resort, Hoppe said this year was slightly different, with a significant influx of guests.

“We’re positive about the festive season,” he said.

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Recovery

Like thousands of businesses in the tourism sector, the luxury resort had taken a knock during the Covid-19 pandemic and had to retrench many employees.

Hoppe described the emotional strain of having to let workers go, but recalled the noble promise to his team – that he would do his best to recover the jobs lost.

“We’re going to get back to job positive plus,” Hoppe said, recounting the promise he made nearly two years ago.

Fast-forward to 2023, the manager’s efforts have seemingly paid off. “We’re job positive plus,” he told The Citizen.

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Resurgence

Brett observed a notable change in Mzansi’s tourism trends post-Covid.

He said there was resurgence in domestic travel, which he attributed to South Africans seemingly rediscovering the beauty of their country.

The manager told The Citizen he was looking forward to a busy summer period ahead.

“We’re expecting a fantastic season,” he concluded.

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