Survey reveals South Africans are itching to travel

A recent survey conducted by the Flight Centre Travel Group showed that South Africans are ready to travel again.

Flight Centre conducted the survey through their newsletter and Facebook page, with 7 546 respondents taking part. Around 43 percent of the respondents lived in Gauteng, followed by 23 percent in Cape Town and 18 percent in KwaZulu-Natal.

The survey found that 86 percent of respondents would consider travelling to a perceived safe destination in 2020/2021. International travel versus local travel was neck and neck with 43 percent of South Africans saying that they would be comfortable travelling internationally.

Only 13 percent of participants were unsure if they would travel in 2020 or 2021, while one percent said they would consider the circumstances first before setting off.

The overall consensus seems like many respondents do not mind travelling to a destination, with 35 percent of respondents indicating they would like to travel as soon as possible after restrictions were lifted. Around 25 percent reported that they would travel within one to three months, 21 percent within four to six months and 15 percent within seven to 12 months.

South African travellers, well accustomed to long haul flights, do not appear averse to travelling internationally either. The survey data showed that 43 percent would be comfortable travelling internationally with 44 percent voting for travelling within South Africa.  Around six percent said they would like to travel to the Indian Ocean islands.

Andrew Stark, Managing Director Flight Centre Travel Group Middle East Africa, said although 43 percent of survey respondents revealed that they would like to travel internationally, it is likely restrictions, regulations and an economic downturn will affect outbound travel. "Over the next two years we’re expecting a focus on domestic travel, South Africa for South Africans. We have a beautiful country to explore. We can re-ignite that love by spending our hard-earned rands locally," he said.

He said 73 percent of respondents reported that they would be comfortable travelling on a flight locally as well as travelling by car (in their vehicle or hired).

Ideal local travel destinations or experiences saw beach holidays, bush breaks, the Garden Route, mountain adventures and exploring a city were some of the types of holidays they considered. Only 10 percent opted for a camping holiday.

The overwhelming majority of respondents chose a getaway with family and budget-friendly holidays as their ideal local holiday, with a luxury or getaway with friends coming in neck and neck. While the majority of travellers would feel comfortable staying in self-catering accommodation, hotel and lodge stays were not far behind.

In terms of intra-provincial travel, 59 percent of travellers said they would travel within their own province, 20 percent said no, with another 20 percent saying they would, if the deal was good enough.

The Western Cape is the number one province South Africans want to visit when interprovincial travel is permitted. KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape were also some destinations travellers were keen to explore.

Around 28 percent of respondents revealed they'd want to take a holiday of between 4 to 5 days. 24 percent responded seven nights, and 20 percent hoped for a 2 to 3 nights break. Only 13 percent reported a weekend away or a stay of longer than seven nights.