SPONSORED: The origins of Vitality Travel

It was shortly after midnight on Friday, 27 March 2020, when South Africa ground to a halt and the world shrunk to the size of our living spaces.

President Cyril Ramaphosa had called for a nationwide 21-day lockdown where everyone stayed at home. What followed was a year of adapting to the ‘new normal’, family meetings, and changing our behaviour to keep ourselves and others safe from Covid-19. (Remember all the handwashing songs?)

Rise of revenge travel

But human beings were not meant to live in isolation. As soon as our brilliant health scientists and brave healthcare workers conquered the most dangerous variants, the world opened up again and our desire to discover more adventure bloomed anew.

The lockdown had taken its toll on the tourism industry. Kulula.com, operated by Comair, was placed into liquidation on 9 June 2022 after serving South Africa easy, no-frill flights for over 20 years, and the Vitality kulula.com booking platform was no more.

Vitality Travel, at your service

Today, Vitality Travel is the first-of-its-kind integrated travel offering in South Africa. Built on Discovery Bank’s powerful ecosystem, Vitality Travel is a direct response to people’s desire to reconnect with loved ones, explore new destinations, and experience the positive impact of travel on mental well-being.

The smart travel booking platform is designed to make travel affordable and attainable by offering clients rich travel rewards for engaging in positive behaviours that are good for their health, finances and the economy.

Plus, it’s easy to use – cutting through the complexity of the booking process, time-consuming research, and dealing with multiple booking platforms and providers that can make travel planning a hassle.

Endless discovery with Vitality Travel

By engaging with the Vitality behaviour change programmes, clients can unlock unprecedented discounts on any domestic flight and a selection of international flight partners, as well as accommodation, car hire, and exciting travel experiences.

Drawing from scientific research and behavioural economics, the Vitality behavioural change programme empowers clients to control their personalised travel savings through their ongoing physical and financial behaviours. This makes travel more accessible and affordable, allowing clients to:

Discover more global connections

Today, Vitality members with a qualifying Discovery Bank product can get up to 75% off flights with all local South African airlines flying to over 40 local and regional destinations.

Plus, our international discounted flight offering is growing in 2024, giving clients up to 75% off a direct flight to the United States.

That’s an up to 75% discount with our international airline partners, British Airways, Emirates, Qantas, South African Airlines, and now United Airlines, to a wide range of global destinations, including:

• Australia
• Europe
• South America
• The Middle East
• The United States
• Many African countries and the local and regional connections.

Clients can even access over 200 non-discounted international airlines, all seamlessly integrated into the Vitality Travel booking platform.

Discover more local adventures

Vitality Travellers enjoy up to 25% off car hire and a wide range of holiday accommodation options, from hotels and apartments to unique game lodges in South Africa.

Plus, they can access thousands of non-discounted international accommodation options available through booking.com, all on the Vitality Travel platform.

Discover more exceptional experiences

Clients and their travel companions can enjoy exclusive pre-flight experiences and conveniences, including dedicated fast-tracked clearance through departure security and luxurious airport lounges at major South African airports.

They also have 24/7 access to travel itineraries, real-time forex conversions, certified and stamped bank account confirmation letters and statements for visa purposes, and automatic travel insurance issued on all international flight bookings, all through the Discovery Bank app.

Discover more peace of mind

The Discovery Bank app and online banking platform provide seamless integration of advanced features and cutting-edge security, underpinned by secure card payment systems, voucher-generating features, and a powerful rewards currency, Discovery Miles, which clients can use to pay for all bookings on the platform.

This combination allows us to offer our clients and their guests a comprehensive and secure banking and rewards experience, tailored to their unique needs and preferences, ensuring they can access the benefits of our services with ease and confidence.

Vitality Travel has come a long way since March 2020. Today, Vitality Travellers take bold steps towards improving their health and finances to enjoy the richest travel rewards with the world at their feet.

Since 2022, Vitality Travellers have gained unmatched value from the platform on the Discovery Bank online banking website and app, including over:

• R1.6 billion in travel savings
• 2.4 million flights booked
• 500 locations visited
• 125,000 hotel nights booked
• 500,000 car hire days
• 400,000 visits to The Lounge by Discovery and SAA