Travel & Leisure

Did you know that a seemingly innocent souvenir could turn your dream holiday into a nightmare? We are warning travellers about passport mistakes that could invalidate your travel document and potentially cost you thousands of Rands – derailing your long-awaited getaway. Your passport is more than just a travel document – it's your key to exploring the world.

As a business traveller, you carry more than just your laptop and a positive attitude. Between your tech, your corporate credit cards, and that nice watch you wear to impress clients, you could be toting around R50,000 to R200,000 in value. That's quite the tempting target for those with less-than-honest intentions.

International travel is a mind-expanding privilege, but it is also immensely painful, mainly because of how dependent we are on paperwork. Have the wrong piece of paper, or the wrong credentials on a piece of paper, and a routine process can become a nightmare.

The standardisation of port-of-entry visa requirements heralds positive change at Home Affairs. We encouraged by the work being done by Minister Leon Schreiber and his team at the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). This includes the launch of the remote working visa scheme (officially gazetted on 9 October) and the new immigration directives. These changes bring welcome reforms to the country's immigration policy.

Business travel fuels growth for many South African companies, driving expansion through new connections, sealing deals, and unlocking opportunities in diverse markets. However, data reveals a significant cost associated with these trips. From August to October 2023, companies typically spent R15,138 per domestic trip and R34,943 per international business travel. These high costs highlight the critical need for companies to ensure their employees are safeguarded against cyber threats.

A per diem (from the Latin for per day) is a daily stipend given to business travellers to cover food and incidental expenses while they’re on the road. It’s not, in fact, a perk to make up for the inconvenience of being away from home – or a little extra spending money to splurge on spoils and souvenirs.

As the voice of inbound tourism in South Africa, we acknowledge the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recent declaration classifying the rise in Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

Global tourism has begun surpassing its pre-COVID-19 peak. South Africa remains a popular tourist destination with the hospitality sector contributing significantly to its gross domestic product (GDP). Competition in the hospitality industry is intensifying, making the marginal and not-so-marginal gains offered by artificial intelligence (AI) a vital consideration for any hospitality operator.

South Africa's hospitality industry is seeing a shift from traditional leisure-based tourism to experience-based tourism, focused on providing tourists with unique, authentic life-enriching experiences.

Imagine a flight where your biggest concern isn't a nearby toddler's meltdown but whether to catch up on work or catch some Z's. This scenario is becoming a reality as more airlines test the waters of adult-only zones, offering a potential oasis of calm at cruising altitude.