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Media, the tourism industry and other stakeholders convened at the Rosemary Hill Farm towards the end of Tourism Month, where the question, "How affordable is it to travel South Africa?" was cast under the spotlight.
The beauty of SA deserves to be explored
Beyond South African cities are beaches, food, culture, sporting spectaculars and other Instagrammable locations that the average South African sees on television and longs to experience firsthand.
The affordability question becomes critical in a country like Mzansi, which boasts a wide selection of heritage, nature and hidden local gems that the citizens of this country almost have a birthright to explore.
At the roundtable, head of SAT Mashoto Mokgethi revealed that only 11% of South Africans plan and budget for their trips, making it critical to encourage more domestic travellers to budget, plan and book ahead. The panellists also unpacked how to save on a budget, close-to-home travel as well as how AI and social media are changing how South Africans plan their trips.
The choice between domestic travel and international travel was also discussed, with more focus placed on whether South Africans fully understood the available experiences, value and possibilities that their own country has to offer.
"Our initiatives are aimed at affordability. Travel Week encourages people to plan and budget for their trips: they can book during the campaign and do not need to travel at that time. We have seen 4.1% growth since last year in people travelling around the country," said Mokgethi.
The initiatives she spoke of included Travel Week, which ran from 7 to 13 September 2026 and availed a host of domestic travel deals and specials that citizens could book in advance, with the option to travel later in the year.
What does affordability look like practically?
However, given the economic disparities in this country and the varying financial loads between households, affordability for one home may look completely different to the next.
Mapalo Makhu unpacked the practicality of these challenges, emphasising the importance of being cognisant of what your household can realistically afford when planning a holiday. Her advice was to measure affordability against the household budget, with financial obligations covered first and travel planned for deliberately rather than treated as an unplanned extra.
TikTok, social media comments, maps, online reviews and other digital tools have increasingly become the first point of contact for South Africans who wish to explore their country.
Content creator and traveller Fari Sanyika, known as 'Gophari', took to social media to share with South Africans a waterfall she had discovered in Limpopo where the entrance fee was just R15.
Some of the solutions that were proposed at the roundtable were for destinations and tourism businesses to package and communicate value, clearly detailing the experiences on offer instead of focusing solely on the price of their facilities.
Because of the employment opportunities created by domestic tourism for accommodation providers, transport operators, guides, restaurants, food producers, craftspeople and community attractions, the visibility, affordability and accessibility of these facilities and services is critical.
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