Rebuilding traveller confidence – can bosses still dictate staff travel?
The UAE has lifted its airspace restrictions. In addition, the US-Iran ceasefire appears to be holding as of 18 May 2026. Emirates has also restored 96% of its global network. Meanwhile, other Gulf carriers, including Etihad, Qatar and Saudia, continue rebuilding operations. Capacity constraints are also gradually easing. By most operational measures, conditions are improving. However, traveller confidence tells a different story.
Airbnb and sectional title schemes – check-in or checkmate?
Airbnb is dominating the property conversation right now. Record tourism numbers, mounting pressure on housing supply in cities such as the City of Cape Town (COCT), and fresh regulatory movement from the city have pushed short-term letting beyond a side hustle. It is now serious business. However, alongside the opportunity, a growing and increasingly litigious tension is emerging in sectional title schemes.
Sustaining Africa’s hospitality growth – building beyond the boom
The conversation around African hospitality has shifted. For years, the industry spoke about the continent’s “untapped potential”. Today, that potential is translating into sustained and undeniable growth. The sector has moved beyond the recovery phase and entered an era of sophisticated expansion that is redefining the global travel map. This momentum also highlights the importance of sustaining growth in Africa through long-term strategies and investment.
Business travel disruptions – operational risk exposure
In April 2024, when 18 months of rain fell on Dubai in a single day, more than 1,200 flights had to be cancelled, stranding over 250,000 travellers in terminals. Late last year, Cyclone Ditwah wreaked havoc in Sri Lanka during peak tourist season, forcing mass evacuations of foreign visitors. Right now, conflict in the Middle East continues to ground flights and drive disruption, further intensifying ongoing business travel disruptions.
What the Middle East crisis is teaching us about managed travel
On Saturday, 28 February, war in the Middle East grounded three of South Africa’s key long-haul carriers: Emirates, Etihad and Qatar. As a result, the Middle East crisis disrupted major aviation routes. With airspace closed, thousands of travellers were stranded. They were either in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, or at their destinations with return flights in question.
Investing in people is hospitality’s greatest opportunity
Hospitality has always welcomed guests effectively. However, an important question remains. Are we equally good at welcoming young people into lasting, meaningful careers? South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis is well-documented. Hospitality should play a stronger role in changing that story. The sector can offer first jobs, skills, confidence and exposure to the world.
Is SA hospitality’s ‘recovery’ hiding a deeper structural risk?
The headlines keep telling us that South Africa’s hotel sector is witnessing a strong recovery. This year, analysts estimated the market at $11.49 billion. They expect it to exceed $15 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 6.37% between 2025 and 2030. However, anyone running a hotel locally knows these figures tell only part of the story. In reality, SA hospitality’s ‘recovery’ looks far more fragile on the ground.
Business travel – a strategic employee retention tool
Everyone knows how important it is to retain good staff, and how disappointing it is when a top performer leaves. This impact is felt more keenly in smaller businesses. For a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), losing a key employee is not just an HR inconvenience. It can shake team morale, disrupt operations and affect customer relationships.
Red-eye flights, presenteeism and retention
At first, out‑of‑town work trips might have felt like a promotion. You represented the company, were sent to “make things happen”, flew Premium Economy, stayed in a fashionable hotel, networked and hopefully, secured new business. But after some time, red-eyes, quick turnarounds and other travel pressures started wearing thin. So, you begin checking out mentally. You wonder why this could not have been a Teams call. You also wonder why every “quick” trip requires intense preparation, domestic juggling and days of unscheduled recovery time.
Stop flying in circles – trip stacking is the smartest travel...
If you do one thing differently in your organisation this year, let it be saying goodbye to ad-hoc business travel for good. This is the type of travel that sees your team make three separate trips to Johannesburg, Cape Town, or Nairobi within six weeks. Or book flights with less than five days' notice. Or add unnecessary expense, complexity and stress to already-packed schedules.
