Fewer packing for the coast this holiday season
Coastal city residents will not have as many of their “annoying” northern neighbours to deal with this December as fewer “Vaalies” are expected to travel for the holidays.
Many inlanders are either staying put this festive season or finding cheaper ways to holiday closer to home.
Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, CEO of the Federated Hospitality Industry of South Africa, said many of the association’s members expressed concern over lower levels of bookings for this festive season. “Overall there is a downturn in bookings,” Tshivhengwa said. “Whether it’s Durban or Cape Town, it’s neither here nor there. We are seeing less travel across the board and fewer bookings for these holidays.”
The 2016 Domestic Tourism Survey released by Stats SA in September confirmed the decline in local travel. It showed that considerably fewer South Africans were taking day or overnight trips and that domestic tourism spend decreased from R110bn in 2014 to about R86bn in 2015 and 2016.
Source: bizcommunity.com