28 August 2008
Johannesburg — RESULTS of the latest MasterCard Worldwide Consumer Lifestyles survey have revealed that, despite a recent decrease in consumer confidence, a growing number of South Africans continue to plan holidays and business-related trips abroad.
The survey also showed that some of those planning to travel intended to spend more on their journeys than they did the last time they travelled.
The survey is part of the MasterCard Worldwide Index of Consumer Confidence, which is compiled every two years. It is carried out in eight countries: SA, Egypt, India, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The survey seeks to understand perceptions, choices and concerns people have about various lifestyle choices, including international travel.
The survey found that 73% of the South Africans polled said they intended to travel internationally for personal and business reasons. This is up from a year ago when 70% said they would travel abroad , and substantially higher than two years ago when 42% said they would travel abroad.
Of those with plans to travel out of SA for personal reasons, half said they intended to spend more than they did the last time they travelled, while 68% of those travelling for business reasons planned to spend more.
Of those who said they would spend more, 60% said they anticipated spending between 26% and 100% more.
"South Africans are robust travellers," says Robyn Christie, CEO of the Association of South African Travel Agents.
"It has always been expensive for them to go overseas, so it comes as no surprise that the current economic conditions haven't done much to discourage them from holidaying or conducting business abroad.
"The trends highlighted by this survey mirror what we're seeing across the travel and tourism industry."
Although more South Africans appear to be travelling abroad, they are not all going to the same destinations. In the space of just one year, the US has surpassed the UK as the South African market's most frequently cited destination of choice.
"This may be due to the comparative cost advantage that the US presently enjoys over Europe," says Craig Thomas, chairman of the Board of Airline Representatives of SA and Etihad Airways country manager. "It may also be attributed to the increased availability of direct flights between SA and the US."
Europe, however, as a whole, is by far the most popular destination for South Africans .
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Sadly I cannot see the time in my life that I would ever be able to travel overseas.