The move marks more than a change of address. It represents Visit Stellenbosch’s continued commitment to creating exceptional visitor experiences while strengthening Stellenbosch’s position as one of Africa’s leading tourism destinations.

Located in the heart of the historic town centre, the new Visitor Information Centre offers a welcoming, accessible space where local and international travellers can discover award winning wine experiences, world class culinary offerings, outdoor adventures, cultural attractions, events and authentic local stories. Friendly destination specialists will continue to provide personalised itineraries, expert recommendations and insider knowledge to help every visitor experience the very best of Stellenbosch.

“Every destination has a front door, and ours now opens onto the historic heart of Stellenbosch,” says Annemie Liebenberg, CEO of Visit Stellenbosch.

“Our new home on Dorp Street reflects who we are, a destination where heritage meets innovation, where authentic experiences create lasting memories, and where every visitor is welcomed with genuine warmth. This move is an investment in our future, our visitors and our tourism community. We look forward to welcoming travellers from across South Africa and around the world as they discover the many extraordinary experiences that make Stellenbosch unforgettable.”

Visit Stellenbosch encourages all tourism partners, including accommodation establishments, wine estates, attractions, restaurants, tour operators, guides, transport providers and tourism associations, to update their records, websites, marketing collateral and visitor information with the new address. Partners are also requested to direct visitors to the new Visitor Information Centre from the relocation date.

New Office Address

Visit Stellenbosch
141 Dorp Street
Stellenbosch
7600

Contact Details, unchanged

Tel: +27 (0)21 886 4310
Email: info@visitstellenbosch.org

Instead, Corporate Traveller’s data points to something more interesting: a marked increase in trip duration. The insights form part of Corporate Traveller’s latest report: The smarter business travel guide for finance leaders.

As Juliette Da Silva, CFO of Flight Centre Travel Group South Africa explains, in 2024, the average business trip length was 3.21 days. In 2025 it jumped to 5.31 days – a 65% increase year-on-year.

“Companies are batching their meetings,” says Da Silva. “Travellers are visiting multiple stakeholders and combining market visits that would previously have been split into three separate trips. If you’re going to incur the cost and the traveller disruption of getting on a plane, you want to maximise the return on that journey.”

It’s also called trip stacking and Herman Heunes, General Manager of Corporate Traveller South Africa, sees the shift play out in booking patterns every day.

“The trips we’re booking in 2026 look nothing like the trips we were booking in 2023,” he says. “Clients are coming to us with bigger, more complex itineraries – multi-city, multi-stakeholder, often spanning a week or more. What used to be three separate Johannesburg-to-Cape Town hops for three different meetings has become one trip that does all three plus a client dinner and a team workshop on the way through.”

That shift has changed how Corporate Traveller’s client conversations unfold, Heunes adds.

“Five years ago, a lot of our cost conversations were around securing the best airfare. Now they’re about trip design: how you sequence meetings, where you base yourself, which hotel is actually closest to your three client sites rather than the one with the cheapest headline rate. Those decisions often save more money than a fare negotiation ever would.”

The behavioural shift is healthy for both ROI and traveller wellness, but it’s shifting where budget pressure shows up.

“Longer trips mean more hotel nights,” says Da Silva. “And South African hotel rates have been climbing steadily over the last three years – from an average room night of R1,050 in 2023 to R1,301 in 2025. So, while companies are getting better value per trip, they also need to be watching accommodation spend much more closely than they used to.”

Similarly, average international rates have climbed from R2,424 in 2023 to R2,877 in 2025. For a finance leader whose travel programme is still measured primarily on airfare savings, that’s a blind spot worth closing.

Both Da Silva and Heunes agree that travel policies need to catch up with traveller behaviour.

“The longer-trip, higher-ROI pattern should be baked into policy, not treated as an exception,” Heunes says. “If batching meetings is the new normal, your policy should actively encourage it. That means flexibility on minimum stay duration, smart advance-purchase requirements, and preferred supplier relationships that reward the kind of multi-night bookings your travellers are now making.”

Put simply, companies can save money in a number of ways: booking in advance (and as Da Silva notes, advance booking windows are already lengthening, up to 17.9 days in 2025), leveraging loyalty programmes, and exploring alternate accommodation options including guesthouses. Geographic clustering – combining multiple close destinations into a single trip – cuts airfare costs, while negotiating midweek rates lowers accommodation spend.

Da Silva frames it as a broader mindset shift.

“South African companies aren’t travelling less because business travel matters less,” Da Silva says. “The value of business travel is not in question. Instead, they’re travelling differently, stretching the return on every journey and tightening the discipline around when and how trips get booked. In today’s economic environment you have to make sure every rand counts. The companies doing this well are treating travel less as a line-item cost and more as a managed investment – and using current conditions as an opportunity to reset policies, renegotiate supplier agreements, and build programmes that flex with market volatility.”For a closer look at the data – and a practical framework for managing travel spend in volatile conditions – download Corporate Traveller’s latest report here.

JOHANNESBURG – You’re at the airport. Business class ticket in hand, you head toward the lounge only to be turned away at the door. Or your meeting moves and you try to change your flight, and discover the original ticket is non-refundable. Or you arrive at check-in with two bags, as you’ve grown accustomed to in business class, and learn you’re only entitled to one.

It’s the reality of “unbundling”: the practice of separating a standard airline ticket into its individual components. As an example, business class used to mean something fairly consistent. A lie-flat seat on long haul. Lounge access. Two bags. The ability to change your flight if the world intervened. You paid a significant premium for it, but you knew what you were getting. Those days are over.

According to Amadeus, the shift began in 2019, when Emirates introduced its special business class ticket – a stripped-down product that retained all the onboard comforts you expect (lie-flat seat, an elevated restaurant-style dining experience and top-tier entertainment system  ) but removed ancillaries like lounge access, seat selection and chauffeur services. It was a proof of concept: passengers would accept a reduced overall experience, at a reduced cost, if the seat itself remained premium.

Other airlines soon followed, with the likes of Qatar and KLM also introducing business class “lite” options. Come 2026? Tiered business class structures are fairly standard across the industry. The seat is the same. The cabin is the same. The ticket is not.

The three things most likely to disappear

Guaranteed lounge access is usually the first casualty. United’s unbundled “Base Polaris” fare includes access to a United Club lounge – not a Polaris Lounge, with its premium dining and spa facilities. Emirates’ base fare excludes complimentary airport lounge access. But as Mummy Mafojane, GM at FCM South Africa explains, for many travellers, particularly those on long-haul journeys with onward connections, the lounge is not an optional extra – it is a significant part of what they paid for.

“It’s very different for leisure travellers and business travellers,” says Mafojane. “Leisure travellers are often happy to pick and choose their perks. But business travellers rely on lounge access to work, decompress and even shower. No access can be an unwelcome surprise.”

Flexibility is the second to go. Base-tier business class tickets are frequently non-refundable and non-changeable – conditions that would once have been unthinkable at this price point.

“This is a particularly important consideration for travel bookers and travel programme managers,” says Mafojane. “2026 has already delivered a masterclass in travel disruption – at this point, locking yourself into a rigid, non-refundable ticket isn’t a saving; it’s a liability.”

Baggage is next. Finnair’s “light” business class fare excludes checked baggage unless the passenger holds elite Oneworld or Finnair Plus status. ZIPAIR, the Japanese low-cost long-haul carrier, goes furthest of all: its lie-flat business class seat includes nothing beyond the seat itself – no baggage, no meal, no seat selection. Everything is purchased separately.

The problem isn’t the product, it’s the presentation

ZIPAIR is actually a useful reference point. A lie-flat seat with each additional service priced individually and transparently, is a coherent offering. Travellers know what they’re getting. The more significant problem arises when legacy carriers sell something structurally similar, stripped of lounge access, flexibility and baggage, while marketing it under the same business class branding that has historically implied a comprehensive end-to-end experience.

For corporate travel programmes, the consequences extend well beyond a disgruntled traveller. A non-changeable ticket reissued during disruption, a bag fee at the counter, or a stranded employee with no flexibility and no recourse represents a programme failure, not just a personal inconvenience. Base fares also typically earn fewer frequent flyer miles and accrue less toward elite status – meaning the apparent saving at the point of booking may cost considerably more when the full picture is considered.

The corporate travel blind spot

For business travellers booked through a corporate travel management system, the risk is compounded. Many company travel policies were written when business class was a single, standardised product. They haven’t yet been updated to account for fare tiers within business class, meaning an employee may be booked on a base fare and arrive expecting the full experience. Travel managers, Mafojane explains, are increasingly having to specify not just the cabin class, but the fare tier, in their booking policies.

How to check before you commit

The fare tier name is your first signal. Base, Basic, Saver, or Light anywhere in the fare description is a warning to look further. Don’t rely on the airline’s general business class page, always check the specific fare conditions attached to the ticket you’re about to buy.

Confirm lounge access explicitly. Confirm baggage allowance in the booking summary, not the marketing overview. Check whether the ticket is changeable and refundable; if it is neither, you are holding something that functions more like an economy saver fare than a traditional business class ticket, regardless of what seat you’re sitting in.

“Obviously, travellers love a lie-flat seat, and all the space and comfort business class delivers,” says Mafojane. “But flexibility trumps all when it comes to a well-functioning travel programme.”

In other words, check the Ts&Cs carefully – and compare a premium economy fare with a ‘lite’ business class fare and decide which makes more sense on the day. If you hold elite frequent flyer status, check whether it restores any stripped benefits and be very mindful of which tiers you book.

What this actually means

None of this makes the tiered model inherently dishonest. For a leisure traveller with fixed plans, carry-on luggage only, and no interest in airport lounges, a base business class fare may represent genuine value – a lie-flat seat at a significantly lower price. The issue is assumption: the assumption that business class still has a fixed, reliable definition. It doesn’t. And in a managed travel programme, that ambiguity has a cost. A traveller turned away from a lounge, stuck on a non-recoverable ticket, or charged for a bag at the airport is an irritation at best and a significant unplanned expense at worst. Knowing which tier a ticket sits in, and what that means in practice, is now a fundamental part of the booking process, not an afterthought. And the onus sits squarely with the booker or travel manager.

Johannesburg – The cost of getting someone to London or Nairobi is significantly higher than it was six months ago, and travel managers are being asked to tighten their purse strings. With rising oil prices, fuel surcharges and capacity constraints affecting airfares, the next logical place to look for savings is accommodation. Enter the buddy system.

Why companies still use it

To be fair, room-sharing isn’t always a crude cost-cut. Sometimes the logic is entirely practical. A large group travelling together for a team build or MICE event may face genuinely limited accommodation options, particularly in smaller cities or in peak periods. Especially if you want to keep everyone together. Last-minute travel, a block booking that falls through, a conference hotel that’s at capacity: these are real scenarios where sharing a room is the most workable solution rather than a policy choice.

For junior-level staff, it can also carry a certain social logic – a sense of shared experience that fits the moment. And for short overnight trips where the room is little more than a place to sleep, some travellers genuinely don’t mind.

“There are situations where it makes practical sense and everyone’s comfortable with the arrangement,” says Herman Heunes, GM of Corporate Traveller South Africa. “The problem is when it becomes the default response to a budget squeeze rather than a considered decision. That’s when it starts to cost more than it saves.”

What it actually costs

The saving from sharing a room is real but against the full cost of a business trip that now includes inflated airfares, it’s a modest return.

The hidden costs (think snoring, scrolling until midnight, room temperature, bathroom schedules and someone else’s 5am alarm), meanwhile, don’t appear on any expense report. Research shows that sleep-deprived workers are up to 50% less productive than well-rested colleagues, and significantly more likely to experience burnout, emotional dysregulation and higher absenteeism. Shared rooms mean different sleep schedules, different routines and perhaps most importantly, no space to decompress or prepare.

“For a company that has spent a fortune getting someone to their destination, a compromised night’s sleep when they get there is a poor return on that investment,” says Heunes.

And as he explains, there’s also the question of duty of care.

Under ISO 31030, the international standard for travel risk management, companies carry legal and moral responsibility for employees during work travel. A shared room creates an environment that is genuinely difficult to govern – medical privacy, religious observance, potential for harassment complaints. These considerations don’t make room-sharing impossible, but they do mean it warrants more careful thought than it typically receives.

What does your travel policy actually say?

Here’s a question most travel policies don’t answer: what happens when someone says no? Or agrees in principle, then asks to pay the difference for a single room? Without a clear framework, these conversations land awkwardly – usually on a line manager who’d rather not be having them.

The companies handling this best have a few things in common: room-sharing is an opt-in arrangement, never a default; there’s a documented process for opting out without needing to justify a medical condition or personal circumstance; and where a traveller chooses to upgrade at their own cost, the policy says so explicitly rather than leaving it to negotiation. It sounds administrative, but getting this right protects the company as much as the traveller.

The generational picture

It’s tempting to assume that younger employees are more relaxed about room-sharing –that the generation comfortable with co-living and flat shares won’t mind bunking with a colleague. The reality is more nuanced. SilverDoor’s research on Gen Z business travel finds that younger travellers want spacious co-living environments and the freedom to build a personalised routine on the road, but that appetite is for shared amenities, not shared bedrooms. They want community on their own terms: a shared kitchen, a gym, a rooftop bar, an optional dinner with colleagues. And a door they can close when they need to.

Older road warriors have their own reasons for valuing privacy: confidential calls, client preparation, insomnia, the hard-won ability to decompress after a long flight. For senior employees handling sensitive commercial information, a shared room is also a professional risk. Across all generations, given the choice, most people would prefer a room to themselves. The difference is just how loudly they’ll say so.

Where the smarter saving lives

Heunes suggests looking at the aparthotel model where possible. It delivers private bedrooms and bathrooms alongside shared kitchens, living spaces and co-working areas. Teams travelling together can book adjacent units or multi-bedroom configurations, getting the proximity and informal connection of shared travel without the privacy trade-off. Hilton research found that 81% of extended-stay guests cooked in their accommodation during their last stay – a direct reduction in meal expenses that contributes to the overall saving. On stays of three or more nights, aparthotels typically run 20–30% below comparable hotel rates, with self-catering reducing the meals budget further still.

In South Africa, The Capital is a good example. Globally, hospitality groups like Frasers Hospitality, Quest, Marriott International, Hilton and Minor have all developed their aparthotel offering through different brands. It’s the best of both worlds: hotel amenities, co-working spaces, shared apartments – complete with kitchens, lounges and private bedrooms.

For Heunes, beyond accommodation type, the other levers – consolidated hotel programmes, negotiated corporate rates, right-sizing to trip length, travelling out of peak times – consistently deliver savings without asking anything of the traveller.

“The smarter conversation isn’t about who shares a room,” says Heunes. “It’s about building an accommodation strategy that absorbs the pressure from rising airfares without putting it onto the people travelling. Aparthotels, negotiated rates, the right product for the right trip length, that’s where the true savings live, and something you can sustain.” The Middle East crisis has forced South African travel buyers to get creative about routes and carriers in ways nobody anticipated at the start of 2026. That same creative energy, applied to accommodation strategy, is where the more sustainable answer lies. The buddy system finds money once. A better policy finds it on every trip.

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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Following February’s Middle East airspace crisis, South African corporates with the right travel programme infrastructure have a narrow window to lock in favourable long-term hotel rates if they act now.

While the sudden airspace closures across the UAE, Qatar, and Jordan sent hotel occupancy in hubs like Dubai and Doha plummeting, the aftermath has created a counter-intuitive reality. According to FCM Consulting’s Insights Report 2026 published this month, average daily rates in the Middle East have softened significantly, creating a rare procurement window for South African corporates to lock in long-term deals before a projected 4% rate recovery kicks in.

However, the report reveals that only companies with robust, actively managed travel programmes are in a position to exploit this drop.

“We are seeing a clear divide in how South African businesses are reacting,” says Mummy Mafojane, General Manager of FCM South Africa. “Companies relying on unmanaged travel or outdated hotel lists are still spooked because they couldn’t locate their people during the February chaos. Meanwhile, companies with proper duty-of-care infrastructure are stepping in right now to negotiate highly favourable hotel terms while prices are down.”

When disruption hits, infrastructure is everything

For South African companies with staff travelling to the region, the questions during the airspace closures arrived immediately: where are our people? Can we reach them? What are our contractual positions with the hotels they’ve booked?

The answer depended almost entirely on one factor: whether the organisation had an  actively managed travel programme built with disruption in mind.

“A hotel programme that simply lists preferred properties is not a risk management tool,” Mafojane notes. “Duty of care means knowing where your people are, having the relationships to move them quickly, and building flexibility into your programme before you need it – not after the crisis has already started.”

Companies that navigated the February disruption most effectively shared a common set of characteristics. Their travel management company (TMC) had real-time visibility of traveller locations and bookings. To maintain this level of control, FCM Consulting’s report sets out a practical framework for travel programmes operating in complex and volatile regions. This includes flexible rate agreements that protect against sudden cancellations, hotel safety standards calibrated to location risk and developed in consultation with corporate security teams, regular reviews of regional conditions, and a TMC relationship that provides genuine crisis coordination, not just booking administration.

South African companies relying on direct bookings, unmanaged travel, or outdated preferred hotel lists had none of these protections. In an environment where booking lead times in the Middle East had already compressed significantly as risk awareness grew, the absence of programme visibility was a significant duty-of-care failure.

The broader procurement opportunity

The broader message from the analysis is not that South African companies should retreat from the Middle East. Commercial momentum in the region remains significant, supported by:

• 177,281 hotel rooms currently in Saudi Arabia’s inventory, with nearly 50,000 more under construction.
• USD$234 Middle East average room rate for 2025 (up $27 year-on-year).
• A projected 4%+ Average Daily Rate (ADR) recovery in the region once stability returns.

For SA buyers with the programme infrastructure to act, the current interim softening in rates represents a genuine opportunity to lock in favourable long-term agreements, securing enhanced terms before rates climb again on the back of the region’s structural growth.

“The companies navigating this most effectively are not the ones that stopped travelling. They are the ones who invested in the right programme infrastructure before the crisis and are now positioned to move quickly as conditions normalise,” said Mafojane.

The Middle East disruption is the most acute example in the report of a theme that runs through FCM Consulting’s entire 2026 analysis: the growing importance of programme agility in an unpredictable operating environment. “Strong demand does not always mean stable conditions,” the report notes. “Programmes must account for disruption as well as growth.”

Now in its third edition, the event has evolved from an ambitious sporting initiative into an internationally recognised rendezvous for trail runners, adventure seekers, and nature lovers alike. The 2026 edition attracted participants from 14 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, all drawn to Seychelles’ rare combination of technical trails and breathtaking scenery.

Seychelles’ Minister for Tourism, Amanda Bernstein, welcomed the overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants and highlighted the event’s growing international appeal.

“I am delighted by the feedback we continue to receive from runners. The Seychelles Nature Trail offers a rare combination of technical challenge and exceptional natural beauty. Participants are leaving with unforgettable memories and are already expressing their desire to return next year. It is inspiring to see runners from around the world discovering Seychelles through this unique adventure,” said Minister Bernstein.

Far more than a race, the 22-kilometre course offers an immersive journey through the wild beauty of Seychelles. Runners traverse the dense forests of Morne Seychellois National Park, rugged mountain paths, dramatic granite formations, and spectacular coastal viewpoints before descending into Grand Anse. The route passes through Port Glaud, Cap Ternay, Anse Major, Mare aux Cochons, Cassedent, and Tomassin, delivering over 1,200 metres of elevation gain alongside sweeping views of the Indian Ocean.

International athletes praised both the challenge and uniqueness of the course. French trail-running icon Sylvaine Cussot, who finished second in the women’s category, described the race as one of the most remarkable trail experiences she has encountered. UK participant Charly Pauly also highlighted the exceptional diversity of terrain and scenery.

Pakistan’s Wiqar Ahmad Nasir successfully defended his title for the second consecutive year, crossing the finish line in 2:11:39. South Africa’s Daniël Classen secured second place in 2:13:00, while Jonathan Quatre claimed third place, becoming the first Seychellois athlete to complete the race.

In the women’s category, South Africa’s Emily Djock claimed victory in 2:55:05, followed by Sylvaine Cussot in 3:02:05 and Seychellois athlete Aisha Radwan in 3:14:05.

What distinguishes the Seychelles Nature Trail is not only the course itself, but the destination experience surrounding it. Unlike many large-scale international races, Seychelles offers participants an intimate connection with nature, culture, and community, where warm Creole hospitality, pristine landscapes, and sustainability remain central to the experience.

The growing popularity of the event also reflects Seychelles’ evolving tourism identity. Long celebrated for its idyllic beaches and luxury resorts, the destination is increasingly gaining recognition for adventure, wellness, and experiential travel. Through the Seychelles Nature Trail, Tourism Seychelles continues to showcase the islands’ exceptional biodiversity and growing potential as a leading nature and sports tourism destination.

As demand for authentic outdoor experiences continues to grow worldwide, the Seychelles Nature Trail is positioning the islands as a rising destination for adventure and wellness tourism, offering participants not just a race, but an unforgettable immersion into nature, culture, and community.

From tropical forest trails to sweeping Indian Ocean vistas, the event continues to showcase Seychelles as a place where adventure meets paradise.

Johannesburg – If you want to know where South African business is being done in 2026, just take a look at Corporate Traveller’s booking data. One of South Africa’s leading travel management companies (TMCs) for small- to medium-sized businesses, their top four international destinations have remained the same for the past three years: Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and the United Kingdom.

And although there’s been some jostling for position, they’ve consistently dominated the top of the table. Three African neighbours and one long-haul anchor – each with compelling reasons to stay a little longer.

Bleisure still firmly on the agenda

Yes, flights will cost you more this year. Middle East airspace disruption is in partial recovery – Emirates announced on 4 May that it had restored 96% of its global network – but the knock-on effects remain. Rerouted long-haul flights are running between two and five hours longer than pre-crisis on many routes, and the price of jet fuel has more than doubled over the past month.

The cumulative effect is simple. Getting your people to a meeting in Lusaka or London now costs much more – be it in money, hours or traveller fatigue – than it did a few weeks ago. Which is precisely why bleisure is about to look a lot more attractive to South African business travellers, and a lot more sensible to the people approving their trips.

As Herman Heunes, GM of Corporate Traveller, explains, the smart play is to make every flight count for more.

“We’re seeing clients batch their meetings, sequence their itineraries more carefully and build in incentive opportunities, where you combine business and leisure,” says Heunes. “If you’ve already paid for the flight, the carbon and the time away, you may as well get more out of being there.”

That “more” is increasingly bleisure – the practice of tacking a few personal leisure days onto a business trip – and the data shows it has crossed firmly from perk into policy.

The Global Business Travel Association’s Industry Outlook poll, published in October last year, found that 43% of corporate travel programmes now have defined bleisure policies, with 71% of buyers citing improved employee satisfaction. Research from Skift puts the figure even higher: 60% of business travellers took a blended trip in 2024.

There’s a retention story underneath those numbers too. International research consistently shows that employees who travel for work are more likely to stay with their employer, with the figure climbing to over 75% among Gen Z. For SMEs that can’t match multinational salaries, a thoughtful bleisure policy is one of the highest-leverage, lowest-cost levers available, even in the face of cost pressures.

Planning a trip?

Zambia, which has held Corporate Traveller’s number-one spot for three years running, is at its most spectacular right now. Victoria Falls is at near-peak flow following the rains, and the Lower Zambezi and South Luangwa camps are reopening for the dry season. A Lusaka meeting could extend into a Livingstone weekend, and May to June is a shoulder window with rates noticeably softer than the July-to-September peak. For seriously memorable incentives consider a Victoria Falls sunset cruise, a private bush walk or a game drive in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park.

Short on time? Lusaka itself rewards a single free day: a guided tour through the Kabwata Cultural Village for handwoven crafts and traditional Nyama Choma, the Lusaka National Museum for a feel for the country’s history, and a short drive out to the Lilayi Elephant Nursery to watch orphaned calves at feeding time.

Tanzania is similarly well-timed. The Great Migration is moving through the central and western Serengeti, with herds heading towards the Grumeti River crossings in June – a less-photographed but equally dramatic counterpart to the Mara crossings later in the year. Travellers in Dar es Salaam or Arusha can extend into a three-night Serengeti add-on, or build in a Zanzibar weekend if the calendar, commitments and budget allow.

A day to spare? Catch a boat from Dar’s famous Slipway to Bongoyo or Mbudya Island for white sand and snorkelling or stay on the mainland for the colourful chaos of Kariakoo Market, grilled octopus and live music on Coco Beach, and an evening of Swahili seafood somewhere on the waterfront.

Kenya is in a similar rhythm. The long rains are tapering, and the Maasai Mara is in its build-up to the river crossings that begin in earnest in July. The Great Migration remains a bucket-list trip for many – and incentive or reward like no other.

A gap in your itinerary?

Nairobi rewards the time generously. A half-day safari in Nairobi National Park puts lions and rhino within sight of the city skyline, while the Giraffe Centre and Karen Blixen Museum make for an easy afternoon in the leafy Karen suburb. For those with a free weekend, a 4×4 transfer down the Rift Valley delivers cycling and boating at Hell’s Gate and Lake Naivasha – or, with a single short flight from Wilson, the Maasai Mara itself.

And then there’s the United Kingdom, which offers what is arguably the most obvious bleisure or incentive opportunity: Wimbledon, running 29 June to 12 July. For travellers with London meetings in late June or early July, it’s the easiest extension on the calendar. The public ballot has closed, but hospitality routes and Debenture options remain available, and the queue system still allows same-day ground passes for those happy to queue (and soak up the atmosphere). Beyond the tennis, London in the summer is hard to beat: think long days, Thames cruises, pub lunches, Kew Gardens, shopping and more.

With flight costs and traveller fatigue both climbing, a smart bleisure or incentive add-on is one of the easiest ways to stretch the value of a trip your team is already taking: a thank-you that doubles as a productivity boost, and a chance for your people to see Africa and London in a light no boardroom ever offers. It pays, though, to do it properly. Heunes says a good TMC will help you design itineraries that work, negotiate the right rates and, importantly, build in the duty-of-care considerations required. “The trip is already happening,” says Heunes. “Chat to your TMC about making it an unforgettable one, even in the current climate.”

South Africa’s latest Q1 2026 overseas arrivals data gives the tourism industry reason to be encouraged, but it also presents an important opportunity to change the way we read tourism performance.

For too long, tourism recovery has been framed largely through year-on-year or month-on-month growth. These indicators are useful, but they do not always tell us enough. Growth off a low base can look impressive, while a market may still remain materially below its pre-pandemic strength. Similarly, strong topline arrivals can mask uneven performance across source markets, shifts in traveller behaviour, or growing exposure to airfare and economic pressure.

SATSA has always championed a more practical and commercially useful reading of tourism data. This means looking not only at whether arrivals are up, but where they are coming from, how they compare to 2019, the pre-COVID benchmark, or 2017, South Africa’s strongest recent performance year, what they are likely to contribute to the economy, and which markets require renewed focus.

On that basis, Q1 2026 tells a more nuanced story.

South Africa has recorded its strongest first-quarter arrivals performance since 2019, with overall recovery now sitting at 95.2% of pre-COVID levels. Overseas arrivals increased by 4,2% in March compared to the same period last year, confirming that the broader recovery trajectory remains positive.

This is an important milestone for an industry that has worked exceptionally hard to rebuild demand, restore confidence and reposition South Africa competitively. It reflects the resilience of tourism businesses, the strength of South Africa’s destination appeal and the continued work being done across the tourism value chain.

However, Q1 is also traditionally one of South Africa’s peak travel periods, when stronger topline performance is expected. The real measure will be whether this recovery can be sustained through the rest of the year, particularly against the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, airfare pressure and shifting traveller confidence.

We should absolutely recognise the progress reflected in the Q1 numbers, but we also need to be disciplined in how we interpret them. Year-on-year growth is not the same as full recovery, and full recovery is not the same as future competitiveness. The real value lies in understanding which markets are growing, which remain under pressure, and where South Africa has the strongest opportunity to unlock additional demand.

One of the strongest positive signals is the UK. In Q1 2026, UK arrivals reached 101% of 2019 levels, placing the market firmly in growth territory. This is significant. The UK remains one of South Africa’s most important long-haul source markets and continues to deliver high-value travellers across the tourism value chain.

The USA, however, requires closer monitoring.

While arrivals from the USA reached 93.9% of 2019 levels in Q1 2026, this is notably lower than the 102.7% recovery recorded over the same period in 2025. The market has also softened across consecutive quarters, with arrivals down 13.7% between Q3 and Q4 2025, followed by a further 16.2% decline between Q4 2025 and Q1 2026.

This is not cause for alarm, but it is a signal that needs to be taken seriously. The USA is a high-value market for South Africa, and any sustained softening needs to be understood in the context of airfare increases, rising long-haul travel costs and broader economic uncertainty.

France, our fourth largest market, also remains below its full recovery potential, with Q1 2026 arrivals sitting at 78.6% of 2019 levels. This is a market with real opportunity, particularly for travellers seeking culture, gastronomy, nature, adventure and more geographically diverse itineraries. However, the data suggests that demand has not yet returned to its pre-pandemic strength.

The more concerning figures are from China and India.

Both markets remain significantly under-recovered, and both moved in the wrong direction in Q1 2026. India declined by 23.6% year-on-year, while China declined by 31.8% year-on-year. Recovery against 2019 levels now sits at 62.8% for India and just 29.8% for China.

This is despite the implementation of the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme over a year ago and the rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to both markets from November 2025.

The lesson here is that visa reform is essential, but it is not sufficient on its own. If South Africa wants to compete meaningfully for these markets, we need a broader and more coordinated approach. That means efficient visa processing, improved air access, stronger trade confidence and consistent in-market activation.

The opportunity is too significant to ignore.

Based on 2025 arrivals and spend data available from South African Tourism, China generated approximately R0.89 billion in tourism spend (TTFDS) from 37,902 arrivals, equating to an estimated R23,482 per arrival. On that basis, even a 5% increase in Chinese arrivals could unlock an additional R44.5 million in direct tourism spend, while a 10% increase could generate R89 million and a 20% increase could contribute approximately R178 million. This illustrates the considerable economic value of rebuilding demand from a market that remains significantly below its 2019 performance.

For a sector that supports jobs across every province, those numbers matter.

South Africa must also be mindful of regional competition. Kenya and Tanzania have both identified China and India as important emerging source markets. Kenya recorded 2.7 million international visitors in 2025, reflecting 9% year-on-year growth and a 145% recovery rate against 2019.

Our competitors are not standing still.

Another important lesson from the Q1 data is the need for greater source market diversification. In 2025, the USA, UK and Germany together accounted for just over 45% of South Africa’s overseas arrivals according to data available on South African Tourism’s International Tourist Arrivals Report. These are critically important markets and must continue to be supported. However, concentration also creates risk, particularly when those same markets are exposed to airfare increases, economic pressure and changes in consumer confidence.

South Africa cannot afford to place all its growth expectations in one basket.

Early ETA figures from Mexico and Indonesia remain modest, with 335 arrivals from Mexico and 340 from Indonesia recorded for January and February 2026. These numbers should not be over-interpreted, but neither should they be dismissed.

Mexico has a population of approximately 133 million and recorded 18.2 million outbound tourists in 2025 from January to November. Indonesia, with a population of around 288 million, is also showing signs of outbound growth opportunity.

For South Africa, these are future-potential markets. Visa access is an important first step, but it will not convert into demand on its own. Growth will require destination awareness, trade education, suitable product packaging and improved air access. The early numbers are small, but the opportunity is not.

The Q1 picture is therefore one of measured optimism.

South Africa is edging closer to full recovery, and that should be recognised. But the next phase will require sharper market intelligence, stronger coordination and a willingness to act quickly where the data shows either opportunity or risk.

We need to keep strengthening established markets, rebuild those that remain under-recovered and develop new source markets with greater urgency. This will require multiple levers working together, including visa facilitation, air access, destination marketing, trade engagement and continued private-public collaboration.

South Africa’s Q1 performance gives the industry reason for confidence. But confidence should not lead to complacency.

If we want to compete effectively, we need to move beyond simply reporting growth and start reading performance in a way that helps the industry make better decisions.

That is where the real opportunity lies.

Since its launch in 2021 by Preferred Travel Group, Beyond Green has emerged as a leading force for positive change across the global travel industry. Beyond Green has experienced a steady growth of diverse hotels, resorts, and lodges that each uphold rigorous sustainability standards across environmentally friendly practices, support for natural and cultural heritage, the social and economic wellbeing of local communities, and sustainable tourism management. 

Building on a strong foundation of 24 founding members, Beyond Green has nearly tripled its footprint through a carefully considered approach to expansion. The brand has developed its strategic partnerships, deepening its collaboration with industry leader andBeyond and aligning with prominent non-profit organizations such as The Travel Foundation, 1% For The Planet and Travalyst to strengthen sector-wide impact and amplify collective progress. At the same time, Beyond Green has evolved into a more comprehensive platform for sustainable travel, bringing together its global portfolio, Beyond Green Hotels, with the advisory expertise of Beyond Green Consulting, while expanding engagement with destinations, partners, and global coalitions to advance responsible tourism worldwide.

“As we celebrate five years of Beyond Green, we’re honoring a growing global community united by a shared belief: that travel can and should be a catalyst for positive impact,” said Philipp Weghmann, President, Beyond Green. “This milestone reflects the collective commitment of our members and marks the beginning of an ambitious new chapter focused on deeper collaboration, expanded services, and measurable results.”

To commemorate the anniversary, Beyond Green is launching “Impact in Five” a series of purpose‑driven programs and announcements rolling out throughout 2026. These initiatives highlight the brand’s evolution, its expanding global footprint, and its commitment to advancing sustainable travel through collaboration, innovation, and data‑driven impact. 

To mark the start of these initiatives, I Prefer Hotel Rewards, Beyond Green’s loyalty program, is relaunching I Prefer Points for Good.Members are invited to use their I Prefer points to support meaningful action that benefits the planet, from nurturing resilient communities and conserving wild places to advancing impactful conservation and sustainable community development initiatives. When members donate their I Prefer points to Wild Impact, the nonprofit partner of Beyond Green member andBeyond, their contributions directly support efforts to protect wild landscapes, partner with local communities, and create long‑term, positive change where it matters most.

For more than 30 years, the nonprofit Wild Impact has worked alongside andBeyond to support the conservation of wild landscapes and seascapes, and the sustainable development of the partner communities that live in and adjacent to them. The organization’s work spans a range of focus areas across the regions it serves, including supporting resilient, biodiverse landscapes and seascapes; developing community education and healthcare infrastructure; unlocking new‑generational talent and the potential of young leaders by expanding access to tertiary opportunities and impactful environmental education; and improving climate resilience, building enterprise capacity, and boosting youth employment. 

Designed to inspire responsible travel, the offer highlights meaningful, locally grounded experiences that reflect Beyond Green’s commitment to protecting nature, celebrating culture, and supporting communities. To further amplify impact, I Prefer will match every point donated, up to one million points, effectively doubling each contribution. Point donations are accepted in select increments from April 22 through May 31, 2026. Funds raised will support Community and Conservation Rangers in the Okavango Delta, who work at the intersection of people, wildlife, and the environment. They deliver environmental education lessons in schools, support communities affected by human-wildlife conflict, and lead climate resilience initiatives focused on food security and water access.

To find out more about I Prefer Points for Good, travelers are invited to visit iprefer.com/beyond-green/points-for-good and to explore the Beyond Green portfolio via the brand website staybeyondgreen.com. 

Exhibitor numbers have grown to 780 – a double-digit increase on 2025 – drawn from 40 countries and supported by 43 tourism boards and 65 event partners. A total of 13,500 appointments have been confirmed, a 35% increase on last year.

Perhaps the most significant story within the numbers is the breadth of new participation. Fifteen countries are represented by buyers for the first time, including Jamaica, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Pakistan, Denmark, and Portugal. This geographical spread reflects Africa’s growing appeal across entirely new source markets. On the exhibitor side, Angola, Cyprus, Djibouti, Jordan, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and the UAE are all participating for the first time.

Crucially, 81% of hosted buyers and Buyers’ Club members are entirely new to WTM Africa, a remarkable statistic that points to an event rapidly expanding its global footprint.

The timing of this year’s event carries particular significance. As the travel industry continues to navigate the ripple effects of conflict in the Middle East, which is disrupting established travel corridors, shifting source markets, and forcing a global reassessment of destination strategy, face-to-face trade events have become vital. 

Carol Weaving, Managing Director of RX Africa, said in the opening event: “Africa Travel Week has evolved into a powerful in-person event where technology handles the heavy lifting, and humans focus on the relationship building that defines this industry. Our people are our superpower.”

The industry’s own research reinforces this human-centred approach. This year’s State of the Industry Report, commissioned for Africa Travel Week, highlights that the path forward for African tourism is rooted in empathy and genuine human connection: “It’s how you interact with the traveller as a human being and understand where their specific needs are.”

The tangible economic value of these connections was highlighted by Alderman James Vos, who noted that Cape Town’s international flights have surged to over 230 per week, with tourism now supporting over 106,000 jobs in the city. 

“As a City government, we made a deliberate decision to host WTM Africa,” Vos said during his opening address. “It is an investment that delivers real economic returns. With over 100 countries represented here and 8,000 trade professionals doing deals on this floor, the impact goes far beyond these few days. It translates into future bookings, sustained demand, and long-term growth. Tourism is a team sport. When travellers choose South Africa, they are choosing an experience that no single destination can deliver alone.”

Beyond the exhibition floor, WTM Africa 2026 features a comprehensive content programme of 101 speakers across 82 curated sessions, spanning travel tech, responsible tourism, adventure tourism, medical tourism, golf tourism, and sports and events tourism. The Africa Tourism Investment Conference (ATIC), taking place on Tuesday 14 April, brought together investors, policymakers, and tourism leaders to interrogate the continent’s infrastructure ambitions and investment pipeline.

“Africa, the time is now, and the growth is palpable,” said Weaving, extending special thanks to the host city of Cape Town and Alderman James Vos for the city’s continued commitment to positioning the Mother City as Africa’s premier events destination.