South Africans are travelling more, but they are spending less when they do. For the country’s domestic tourism industry, that is both encouraging news and a warning sign.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille highlighted the trend during the launch of Tourism Month in Durban, revealing that South Africans took 21.2 million overnight trips during the first half of 2026, up from 20.4 million during the same period last year.
Holiday travel was even stronger, with 5.2 million holiday trips recorded, a 36% increase compared with the same period last year.
But while more South Africans are travelling, domestic tourism spending remains below last year’s level.
The figures suggest that the appetite to explore South Africa remains strong, but the way people are travelling and spending may be changing.
“The increase in domestic travel is certainly encouraging and demonstrates that South Africans continue to value travel and are finding ways to travel despite the challenging economic environment,” said Brett Tungay, national chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA).
“However, the decline in domestic tourism expenditure alongside increased trip volumes is something the industry needs to look at carefully.”
For Tungay, one possible explanation is the emergence of a more price-sensitive domestic traveller.
“South Africans may be travelling more frequently, but choosing shorter breaks, more affordable accommodation, travelling closer to home and being more selective about discretionary spending on restaurants, activities and attractions,” he said.
“In other words, the increase in the number of trips does not necessarily mean an equivalent increase in the economic value generated by those trips.”
That distinction is important for tourism businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises that depend on visitors spending across the wider tourism value chain.
“A guest who stays one night rather than three, self-caters rather than eats out, or chooses fewer activities may still count as a tourist, but the economic benefit to the destination is considerably lower,” Tungay said.
For tourism businesses, the challenge is therefore not simply getting more people to travel. It is encouraging them to stay longer and spend across the wider tourism economy.
De Lille has made domestic tourism a central part of this year’s Tourism Month message, arguing that South Africans should be encouraged to discover their own country.
“Tourism begins at home,” the minister said during the launch.
She said domestic tourism was “not a secondary part of our tourism economy” but “one of the foundations of a resilient tourism economy”.
The government is hoping to stimulate domestic travel through initiatives including Sho’t Left Travel Week, South African Parks Week and various provincial Mahala Weeks.
These initiatives are designed to make travel more affordable through discounts, packages and free access to selected national parks.
But cheaper travel alone may not solve the spending problem.
Tungay believes tourism businesses should focus on value rather than simply lower prices.
Packages that combine accommodation with activities, family offers, midweek specials, longer-stay incentives and locally focused experiences could encourage visitors to extend their stays while giving them greater certainty about what their holiday will cost.
There is also an opportunity to attract travellers outside traditional peak periods.
“If businesses can offer compelling value during quieter periods, this can help improve occupancy and generate additional expenditure without necessarily requiring visitors to spend substantially more per day,” Tungay said.
However, businesses must be careful about responding to price-sensitive consumers with endless discounting.
“There is a point at which discounting damages the sustainability of businesses, particularly smaller operators,” he said.
The focus, instead, should be on creating experiences that give travellers a reason to spend.
That could mean promoting lesser-known destinations, developing affordable cultural experiences, combining accommodation and activities or encouraging visitors to explore local restaurants, attractions and businesses.
The latest figures show that South Africans still want to travel. The challenge is turning that appetite into sustainable spending that supports the businesses and communities that make those journeys possible.
For Tungay, the health of domestic tourism cannot be measured by the number of trips alone.
“Trip volumes, total tourism expenditure, length of stay and spend per traveller all need to be considered together,” he said.
An increase in trips accompanied by declining expenditure and shorter stays could indicate that more South Africans are participating in tourism while the economic value generated by each traveller is under pressure.
For FEDHASA, the ideal scenario is therefore not simply more trips, but “more trips that translate into longer stays, sustainable occupancy and increased spending across the tourism value chain”.
That may be the biggest challenge facing South Africa’s domestic tourism sector.
The latest figures show that South Africans still want to explore their own country despite economic pressures.
The task for the tourism industry is to meet travellers where their budgets are without undermining the businesses that depend on their spending.
As De Lille put it, “Every journey has the potential to contribute to a stronger economy and a more inclusive South Africa.”
The next stage of domestic tourism growth may therefore not be about getting South Africans to travel more. It may be about getting more value from every journey.
zamandosi.cele@nationalmg.co.za