New data published in March 2026 by the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA®) in its Africa in the Air: Aviation and Tourism Outlook 2026 report reveals that, in the first 10 months of 2026 alone, 182.4 million departure seats are available across Africa, which is a 13.7% increase on the same period in 2025, and double the growth rate recorded between 2024 and 2025. International seats out of Africa have grown by 18.6%, and South Africa’s own departure seats are up 19.6% year on year – growth which has been driven almost entirely by international carriers competing for South African passengers, making it one of the world’s most commercially attractive long-haul markets.

The tourism numbers are equally striking. Africa recorded 10% tourism growth in the first nine months of 2025, the strongest of any region globally. Furthermore, five African nations feature in the UN Tourism World Tourism Barometer’s global top 20 best-performing destinations: Egypt up 20%, South Africa up 19%, Ethiopia up 15%, Morocco up 14%, and the Seychelles up 13%.

“What these numbers tell us is that South African travellers have never had more options for getting where they want to go,” says Sue Garrett, GM Supply, Pricing & Marketing at Flight Centre South Africa. “The routes are there, the capacity is growing, and the expertise to navigate it all is exactly what a Travel Expert provides.”

The hub network South Africans didn’t know they had

For decades, the Gulf hub model has defined how South Africans reach the world. Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi became the default stopovers on the way to Europe, Asia, and beyond, and with good reason. After all, the ME3 carriers offer competitive pricing and an unbeatable onward network.

What the current disruption has exposed is not the failure of that model, but the emergence of a parallel one. Africa’s own hub network, anchored by Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Johannesburg, and Casablanca, has been quietly expanding in scale and capability to the point where aviation analysts are now describing it as offering genuine long-term network resilience.

“Africa’s expanding hubs now offer South African travellers real options, not as replacements for the Gulf carriers, but as a genuinely capable parallel network that makes the overall system more resilient. That’s good news for every South African who travels internationally, regardless of which carrier or routing they choose,” comments Garrett.

Here’s a closer look at what that network actually encompasses.

Addis Ababa

The continent’s most powerful aviation story. Ethiopian Airlines has 23.8 million departure seats scheduled for January to October 2026, up from 20.9 million in all of 2024, cementing its position as Africa’s largest international carrier. The airline has committed to a 30% co-investment in the new $12.5 billion Bishoftu International Airport, signalling that this growth is structural rather than cyclical.

Ethiopian Airlines’ Addis Ababa hub provides onward connections to several of South Africa’s most-loved international destinations, including the UK, Singapore, and Paris, three of the top five in Flight Centre’s Year in Travel 2025 report, as well as strong connectivity across East Africa, including Zanzibar, which ranked fifth on that same list.

Nairobi

East Africa’s premier transit hub is growing rapidly, with Kenya’s departure seats up 22.3% year on year to 10.2 million. Kenya Airways operates an expanding network that connects South African travellers onward to Amsterdam and London, both in Flight Centre’s top 10 international destinations for 2025, as well as to destinations across East and Central Africa. The airline’s layover programme, which includes city tours and half-day safaris to Nairobi National Park, has made it an increasingly attractive option for South African travellers willing to turn a transit into an experience.

Casablanca

Morocco is North Africa’s fastest-growing market, with departure seats up 21.8% to 22.5 million. Royal Air Maroc connects South Africa onward to Paris (South Africa’s sixth most popular international destination in 2025) and to various other European cities. Morocco’s open skies agreement with the EU means the country is served by both mainline and low-cost European carriers, giving onward travellers unusual flexibility on the European leg.

What Smart South African travellers should know now

The practical implications of Africa’s aviation transformation are immediate and specific.

The route landscape is more option-rich than it has ever been.

There’s now more than one viable routing option (often significantly more) for almost every destination in South Africa’s top 10 international list. For the first time, South African travellers are no longer dependent on any single hub or carrier to reach the world.

Hub choice is now a meaningful booking decision. Whether routing via Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Amsterdam, London, or a Gulf hub, South African travellers now have access to a genuinely diverse set of intercontinental connectors, each with its own onward network, stopover experience, and risk profile. Understanding those differences, and matching the right routing to the right trip, is increasingly part of what smart international travel planning looks like.

Flexibility matters more than ever. The current environment has demonstrated, at scale, that the difference between a refundable and non-refundable fare is the difference between a manageable disruption and a significant financial loss. Travellers booking with any carrier right now should prioritise fare flexibility above almost any other consideration.

The value of expert guidance has never been more concrete. Flight Centre’s Global PR Survey found that 97% of South African travel intenders see value in using a travel agent, the highest of any market globally. In a landscape where route options, hub resilience, airline schedules, and fare conditions are all shifting simultaneously, that expertise is both a convenience and a practical advantage with measurable financial implications.

“The South African travel market has always been resilient and resourceful,” says Garrett. “What this moment has revealed is that the aviation landscape serving that market is becoming equally resilient. Africa’s own hubs are growing in capability and confidence, and the Gulf carriers are returning stronger and more committed to this market than ever. For South African travellers who know how to navigate all of that, or who have someone helping them do so, the options have genuinely never been better.”

The Middle East disruption will resolve – its timeline uncertain, but its eventual conclusion inevitable. When it does, South African travellers will return to a travel environment that looks meaningfully different from the one they left. More connected, more resilient, and more African than it has ever been. That is not a consolation story. It’s the main event.

“That ‘make-a-plan’ mindset defines how we live, but also how we travel,” says Antoinette Turner, General Manager of Flight Centre South Africa. “Fuel costs have risen sharply, but the conversation happening around braais, and in family WhatsApp groups right now isn’t ‘should we go?’ It’s ‘how should we get there?’”

With the June/July school holidays approaching, the question of how to get there has become just as important as where to go. Here’s what savvy South Africans are considering in order to get themselves from A to B and back again.

Flying is still (often) the right answer

Despite fuel surcharges, flying remains the obvious and most practical choice for a significant number of trips where time is the deciding factor.

The enduring appetite for air travel speaks for itself. Even while operating a reduced schedule during peak Middle East disruption in March and April, Emirates carried 4.7 million passengers. As of May, the airline has returned to near-full operations, with 96% of its global network restored.

“Flying remains the appropriate choice for older travellers, families with young children, or anyone for whom a long road journey presents genuine challenges. Convenience aside, sometimes it’s just the right call,” Turner adds.

“The drive from Johannesburg to Cape Town clocks in at around 1,400 kilometres and between 14 to 16 hours behind the wheel. Factor in fatigue, fuel, tolls, a night’s accommodation en route, and the return trip, and that R16,000* FlySafair return fare for a family of four starts to feel less like a splurge and more like a sensible call.” 

Good to know: Fares remain reasonable when booked in advance or outside peak windows. Off-peak domestic routes still offer good value, and locking in international flights early means protecting your budget against potential currency fluctuations.

*Estimate based on June/July flight pricing at the time of writing in May 2026.

When the road trip deserves consideration

There are, however, scenarios where the economics of driving have shifted enough to warrant genuine consideration, not as a consolation prize, but as a legitimately rewarding travel option.

The clearest case is the large family or group travelling a moderate distance, where the per-person cost of road travel drops significantly while the per-person cost of flying climbs. “The road trip is sometimes cheaper, sometimes comparable, and occasionally more expensive than flying. It depends on the group, the vehicle, the route, and the timing,” explains Turner.

Beyond the budget, there’s something else to consider: the journey itself. South Africa’s road network connects some of the most spectacular scenery on the continent, such as the Garden Route (ranked the number one road trip in the world by AutoTrader), the Panorama Route through Mpumalanga, and the mountain passes of the Western Cape, especially as the floral season kicks off from mid-August.

“These aren’t distances to be endured. For the right family, with the right attitude, and enough time, the road trip is the holiday,” Turner adds.

If you’re wondering what’s happening at the pumps in June, the picture is a mixed one. Diesel drivers are looking at a likely price drop, with mid-month data from the Central Energy Fund showing an over-recovery of up to R4.41 per litre on wholesale diesel. For a family covering 1,400 kilometres in a fuel-efficient diesel vehicle, that’s a meaningful saving.

Petrol drivers, however, are facing the opposite: a fourth consecutive monthly increase, with the combined effect of an under-recovery and the partial reversal of temporary fuel levy relief pointing to a rise of around R1.65 per litre or more. A wildcard remains the slate levy, introduced in May at R1.23 per litre and subject to adjustment in June, which could push petrol prices even higher.

The bottom line is that if your road trip vehicle runs on diesel, June’s pricing could actually work in your favour, but if it runs on petrol, it’s worth building some extra budget cushion into your travel plans.

The fly-drive option

If the choice between flying and driving feels like a binary one, there’s a compelling third option combining the best of both: the fly-drive.

“Fly the long haul to save time, then hire a fuel-efficient car at your destination to unlock the freedom and flexibility that aviation can’t offer,” advises Turner. “It’s a model that we champion for international itineraries, and it translates just as well for domestic travel,” she says.

Think flying into Durban and spending a week self-driving the KwaZulu-Natal coast and Midlands. Or arriving in Windhoek and traversing Namibia’s Skeleton Coast by rented 4×4.

Good to know: All-inclusive resorts and safari lodges help keep costs low. With activities included, there’s little need to leave once you fly in.

“When all the variables are accounted for, a road trip can be genuinely brilliant or genuinely expensive depending entirely on how you plan it. The mistake is assuming one option is always cheaper than the other without crunching the numbers,” Turner says.

“Savvy South Africans know that the best journey isn’t necessarily the fastest or the cheapest one. It’s the one that fits your family, your budget, and your time and that you actually feel good about,” she concludes.

JOHANNESBURG – The UAE has lifted its airspace restrictions, the US-Iran ceasefire appears to be holding (as of 18 May 2026), Emirates has restored 96% of its global network, other Gulf carriers (including Etihad, Qatar and Saudia) continue to rebuild operations, and capacity constraints are gradually settling. By most operational measures, things are looking up.

Traveller confidence is a different story.

As Mummy Mafojane, General Manager of FCM South Africa, explains, geopolitical conflict – including fresh drone attacks – continues to impact travel decisions, with travel managers rerouting travellers, changing itineraries, delaying non-essential trips and taking a hard look at their duty of care policies.

What business travellers are actually feeling

South Africans are fairly resilient by nature. Covid, years of load shedding, economic volatility and the loss of more than one domestic carrier have produced travellers that know how to roll with disruption.

“But business travel complicates the picture,” says Mafojane. “When your company sends you somewhere, a grounded flight is more than an inconvenience. It can quickly become a question of duty of care, insurance, work and family obligations, corporate liability and personal safety, all at once.”

Global Rescue’s recent Traveller Sentiment and Safety Surveys show that 56% of travellers are more concerned about personal safety than a year ago. The travel risk and crisis organisation also found that:

• 82% of travellers express some level of concern about personal security risks abroad, including kidnapping, extortion and violent crime;
• 38% describe today’s travel risk as unpredictable;
• 36% believe international travel is more dangerous than it was before 2020; and
• 31% of seasoned travellers say illness or injury abroad is their biggest concern for 2026, followed by civil unrest or terrorism at 21%.

Can bosses still dictate where and when staff travel?

Legally, in South Africa, the short answer is yes: employers can generally direct where and when employees travel for work, provided the request is reasonable and aligns with the employment contract. In return, they must cover the costs, ensure safe working conditions and respect the employee’s fundamental rights.

Practically, duty of care has evolved well beyond a clause in an employment contract. ISO 31030, the international standard for travel risk management, now sets a benchmark courts use to judge whether an employer acted reasonably.

It requires senior leadership ownership (where the organisation’s appetite for risk is defined, documented, signed off at the top and reviewed regularly), pre-trip risk assessment, real-time tracking and a credible incident response plan. It also explicitly covers psychological wellbeing, not only physical safety.

For South African employers, it means that travel decisions can no longer be made in isolation from the traveller. A reasonable instruction is one that has been thought through, risk-assessed, properly supported and openly discussed with the person being sent.

“Travellers want clarity, choice and a sense that someone has thought carefully about the trip before they board,” says Mafojane. “The companies getting this right have moved from a purely compliance mindset to a conversation. Pre-trip briefings, transparent route options, and a clearly understood escalation path are no longer nice-to-haves; they are the foundations of a strong travel programme.”

The trust “signals” travellers are looking for

For Mafojane, the levels of disruption experienced in late February/early March proved that human-led crisis response – with experienced travel managers at the helm – isn’t going anywhere.

“Automated tools are brilliant, and they certainly speed up our response time, but travellers still turn to human support in times of genuine disruption,” says Mafojane. “A 24-hour line answered by an experienced consultant remains a valuable feature of a corporate travel programme.”

Reliable, consistent technology also builds trust over time.

“Travellers lose confidence quickly when booking systems, itinerary tools, expense platforms and tracking apps fail – or tell them different things,” says Mafojane. “An integrated system, from booking platform to traveller app, should be a reliable source of information. It’s an important aspect of duty of care.”

Finally, more than a passing nod to traveller wellness and wellbeing. Travellers notice the difference. Flexibility on rebooking, openness to bleisure (combining business and leisure travel) where it makes sense, proper pre-trip briefings that cover what to do when things go wrong, and post-trip recovery time are the markers that read as genuine care. “The programmes that will thrive over the next year are the ones that focus on traveller confidence,” says Mafojane. “Get that right, and the rest follows.”

What happened next depended almost entirely on one decision that had been made weeks or months earlier, in a moment when everything still felt certain: how these travellers had booked their trip.

Had they booked through a travel agent – someone they could call immediately for support and damage control – or had they decided to go it alone?

What the airlines did right

Emirates and Qatar Airways, whose hubs in Dubai and Doha were most directly affected by the Middle East airspace closures, responded with speed, transparency, and genuine passenger care that set a very high standard. According to Sue Garrett, GM Supply, Pricing and Marketing at Flight Centre South Africa, the airlines communicated full refunds by 10am on the same morning the airspace closed, and they extended rebooking windows repeatedly as the situation remained uncertain. Furthermore, contact centres operated 24/7 throughout, including during Ramadan, when extended hours would not normally apply.

“Emirates ran open-forum webinars for travel agents the same afternoon policies were issued, and Qatar’s country manager in South Africa was communicating directly with Flight Centre via WhatsApp, ensuring agents had accurate, current information to pass on to clients,” comments Garrett.

This exceptional response during times of crisis matters. Because what follows is not an argument that the airlines failed, but about something more precise and more important.

The gap between communication and guidance

Good airline communication tells you what has happened. But it’s your travel agent who tells you what to do next.

When an airline notifies you that your flight has been cancelled, it can offer you two options: a refund or rebooking on the next available service. What it cannot tell you is which of those options is right for your specific situation – whether your onward connection can be salvaged or your hotel booking is recoverable, whether your travel insurance covers the additional night’s accommodation, or whether an alternative carrier has availability on your routing that would get you home faster than waiting for the airline’s next service.

“When a journey has already commenced and disruption strikes, the airline is the right first call. They’re best placed to manage the immediate flight situation,” explains Zay Ferguson-Nair, Customer Experience Leader at Flight Centre South Africa. “But the moment that’s resolved, the travel agent steps in to manage everything else, including the hotel extension, the car hire, the onward connection, and the insurance claim. Those are the moving parts that fall through the cracks when there’s no one coordinating them.”

That coordination happened automatically for travellers who had booked through a travel agent. For those who had booked directly, whether with the airline or through an online platform, the coordination was their responsibility – in an unfamiliar city, exhausted and stressed, with a phone full of conflicting information and a queue stretching the length of the terminal.

The moment that made it real

Among the thousands of South Africans navigating the disruption, one case stayed with Garrett.

A South African passenger had been stranded mid-route in Singapore. It was Sunday and she needed to be home by Tuesday for dialysis.

“I was trying to reach Emirates’ contact centre,” Garrett recalls. “When I finally got through, a supervisor called me back personally. We explained the situation, and without hesitation, they worked with us to confirm a seat on an alternative carrier, getting the client home in time for her treatment.”

What made that outcome possible was the combination of an airline supervisor willing to exercise human judgment, and a travel agent who knew who to call and how to make the case. Remove either element and the outcome changes.

What South Africans already know, and the data that proves it

Flight Centre’s Global PR Survey found that 97% of South African travel intenders see value in using a travel agent – the highest endorsement of any market surveyed globally. 66% cite expertise and knowledge as the primary value, 62% cite peace of mind if things change or go wrong, as well as reduced stress by having someone taking care of everything, and 54% value assistance with complex or multi-destination itineraries.

South African travel intenders are also the most likely of any market globally to trust travel experts as a source of travel advice – ahead of social media and significantly ahead of AI tools. Rather than blind loyalty, that trust is the accumulated evidence of what expert guidance actually delivers both in normal times and in moments of crisis.

“South Africans have always understood instinctively that having someone in your corner makes a difference. What the past few months have done is provide the clearest possible demonstration of what that difference actually looks like in practice,” says Garrett.

What’s ahead?

The Middle East crisis will resolve. Its timeline remains uncertain, but its eventual conclusion is not. When it does, the travel environment South Africans return to will be more complex than the one they left, with more routing options, carriers, variables to navigate, and AI tools promising to simplify what they often complicate.

The question of what human expertise actually delivers has never been more relevant.

So, book with someone who knows what to do when things go wrong. Because, as recent events have proven, things go wrong.

Rabia Yasmeen, senior analyst at Euromonitor International comments: “Amid the current situation in Hong Kong, leading to a sharp decline in the number of visitor arrivals this year at -8.7%, the city is expected to maintain its leading position in 2019.”

Although Asia Pacific takes top spot in this year’s ranking, Europe remains the second key region for travellers, with London retaining its third place in the ranking despite a decline in the number of arrivals in 2018, as Brexit uncertainty continues. Reporting the fastest growth in inbound arrivals globally, Istanbul made a strong comeback in the top 10.

In sharp contrast, increased competitiveness from Asian and European cities have weighed heavily on America’s cities with most experiencing a decline in rankings, despite growth in arrivals.

In the Middle East and Africa, Euromonitor records a steady growth when compared to the rest of the world, with Cairo and Hurghada showing a sharp recovery in the ranking, owing to an active tourism reform strategy.

Marking the milestone release, the tour operator is offering travellers 10 per cent off the new range for all 2020 departures during 1 April 2020– 31 March 2021, when booked before 31 October 2019.

Topdeck General Manager of Sales David Gendle says the sale celebrates small group travel experiences across each destination, offering epic itineraries that maximise time, create an immersive and authentic trip.

“We want our travellers to truly get to the heart of the local culture and go beyond the typical tourist hotspots,” Mr Gendle said.

“Many of our previous and upcoming groups wanted an intimate, in-depth holiday experience and that is exactly what we’ve designed here. Sometimes smaller is better!”

Reducing the group sizes to 16 – 30, travellers are exposed to under the radar trails where they can uncover a range of lesser-known gems.

Three new legs into the colourful destination of India include a 10-day Namaste India, 11-day Temple Run, and 20-day Experience India tour. Each itinerary is uniquely their own, featuring experiences including a walking tour of Old Dehli, watching the sunrise over the Taj Mahal, a Chettinad cooking class, visits to Brihadishvara and Srirangam temples, and more.

New Middle Eastern trips include a 10-day Surf, Sand & Souks tour from Casablanca to Essaouira, visiting the Roman ruins of Volubilis, Marrakech and Fes. For an incredible underwater experience, the 6-day Dahab Beach Break from Cairo includes a once in a lifetime snorkelling expedition of the paradise of Dahab.

Topdeck has also introduced three new trips into Africa starting from seven to 18 days. The South African Adventure from Johannesburg takes you on an 18-day adventure through two renowned national parks including Kruger and Addo Elephant. The 13-day Sun & Safari offers an exhilarating four-wheeled drive experience through the Maasai Mara National Research and Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. Enjoy a wilderness walk and a tour of the Victoria falls across 7-days of Big Five ‘N’ Falls.

Topdeck’s newly-unveiled trips range from four to 18 days in length, catering to all travellers aged 18 – 39 years of age.

To find your perfect trip and both your 2020 departure, visit: https://www.topdeck.travel

Marriott estimates its development pipeline through 2023 represents up to $8bn of investment from property owners and is expected to generate over 20,000 new jobs across the region.

“Our growth across the Middle East and Africa is fuelled by a strong demand for our diverse range of well-established brands, each offering different attributes that cater to this region’s ever-changing and evolving marketplace,” said Jerome Briet, chief development officer, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. 

“This region continues to present us with opportunities to further grow and enhance our portfolio across new and established markets. While the majority of our growth will be through new-builds, we are seeing an increasing number of conversion opportunities, especially in the luxury space.”

Year-to-date, the company has opened five new properties in the region and is expected to add 14 more – bringing its portfolio across the Middle East and Africa to nearly 270 properties and over 60,000 rooms – by the end of the year.

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The company has also paid out R650 000 to black female employees as part of the Employee Share Scheme, which owns 30% of FCM Travel Solutions.

“Following very successful two years for FCM, we were able to distribute R650 000 among 17 employees who have worked for the company for at least three years and are part of the group’s Employee Share Scheme. At the same time, the company is also pleased to announce that we have achieved a Level 1 BEE rating,” says Nicole Adonis, FCM Travel Solutions South Africa General Manager.

By 2022, FCM expects there will be more than 50 senior long-serving employees participating in the shareholder scheme, Adonis adds. “BEE and transformation go hand in hand with our founding principles of fairness, egalitarianism and unity. As our brand grows, members of this programme will derive direct benefits, which in turn will translate into benefits for our customers.”

Flight Centre Travel Group Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, Andrew Stark, says a large number of employees will benefit. “As visionaries in the travel industry, we want to truly live up to the idea of broad-based black economic empowerment,” he adds.

FCM Senior Account Manager Lynette Msomi, a beneficiary of the trust, says the transformation at FCM since she started working at the company in 2005 has been noticeable.

“When I first joined the Flight Centre Travel Group, I was one of just three black people in the company… I decided to leave but after two years, I came back to find a huge difference. Not only were there more black employees but we were also being taken seriously,” she says.

Msomi says one of the signs that shows the change in culture of the business is the share scheme. “It speaks to a company which is finally taking notice of the country it is trading in. It’s awesome and makes it exciting to be able to work in this space.”

FCM Team Leader in Sandton, Rategang Moroke, says, for her, the share scheme means having a say and influencing the running and results of the business. “It’s a sense of ownership and empowerment,” she maintains.