According to the most recent Statistics South Africa report, the SA tourism industry shows positive signs of income with tourist accommodation increasing by 86.6% for the year ending May 2022. The hospitality industry saw a significant increase in its revenue for the year-on-year period, accounting for the bulk of the income from accommodations such as hotels, guesthouses, villas, and distinct offerings.
Additionally, Google Trends reports that in the past year, South Africans have increasingly been searching online for “game reserve”, “nature reserve”, and “south coast” — over 100%, 140%, and 90% respectively — when comparing the period of March to April 2021 with the same period in 2022. These terms showed up in queries for popular reserves like “Protea Hotel Polokwane Ranch Resort” and “Protea Hotel Zebula” among others.
“The local traveller seeks to make the best of any travel opportunity they can afford. Locals are hitting the roads to explore their backyards. Some for a leisurely break, while others choose to pack up the laptop and hit the road to work from a new setting for a week or two” adds Seán Maher, Market Vice President – South Africa, Marriott International.
The latest collaboration between the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) with South African Tourism and the Tourism Business Council of South Africa facilitates local travellers the opportunity to travel with discounted rates of up to 35% across the country.
The investment in such a partnership allows the emergence of travel programmes such as Marriott Bonvoy®, to highlight their travel benefit and offerings for local travellers. Offers such as ‘Stay Longer On Us’ allow you to recharge a little longer by receiving 15% off the standard rates when you stay three nights, 20% off when you stay between 4 and 6 nights or 25% off when you stay seven nights or more. The offer extends to participating brands under the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio such as Protea Hotel by Marriott, Autograph Collection, Westin Hotels, Marriott Hotels, and Marriot Executive Apartments.
