Travel & Leisure

The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations have made significant inroads in South Africa’s tourism industry, which in turn has also generated business and economic growth.

Africa’s hotel sector has the potential for further growth over the next five years. An increase in the number of foreign and domestic travellers, as well as an expansion in a number of hotel chains on the continent reinforces the hotel sector’s untapped potential for business growth.

Imagine walking through the latest Emirates plane to check your seat before you board. Well, wait no longer as Emirates pioneers immersive 360-degree virtual reality on its website for its aircraft interiors. Emirates has introduced 3D seat models on emirates.com, becoming the first airline to introduce virtual web reality (VR) technology on its digital platform.

Israel approved the ‘Open Skies’ agreement with the European Union in 2013. The goals were to increase the number of foreign airlines operating in the country, expand the number of routes served, lower fares and stimulate tourism. An Open Skies setup makes it easier for airlines to negotiate their own terms for operation with their intended partner/particular airport.

Under tough economic conditions, the travel sector performed well in 2017, with 6.2% growth in turnover from 2016, according to a Travel Market Index study commissioned by the Association of Southern African Travel Agents (ASATA), which represents over 95% of South Africa’s travel sector.

With the rise in digital nomads and travelpreneurs, it’s business as usual, whether you’re sitting at your desk, or 30 000 feet up in the air. Business no longer keeps office hours and if you’re a business owner or director, chances are you’re conducting business in a noisy coffee shop or in the waiting lounge of an airport.

While SARS confirms that it is not obligatory for South African residents travelling abroad to declare their personal effects when leaving the country, we encourage frequent travellers to do so to avoid any inconvenience or confusion.

Creative duo Kelly Hoppen MBE and Mauritian architect Jean-Francois Adam have reinvented this fresh-spirited luxury resort and spa. In doing so, they have introduced an innovative approach to style and hospitality to Mauritius. Re-opened at the end of last year (2017) on the African island’s northern coast, edging the private bay are two beaches, tropical gardens, brand new forward-thinking restaurants and sociable bars, 186 bedrooms and suites, a luxe-for-less boutique, and an indoor cinema for movie screenings and sporting events.

When you sign up for the Uber app you get the right to use Uber’s mobile application or website to arrange and schedule transportation or delivery services. Uber does not provide transportation nor logistical services as a carrier of people or goods. That relationship is between you and the Uber driver or owner.

These days there’s an app for just about everything. From everyday apps to help you get around, like Uber and Google Maps, to the more bespoke and sometimes bizarre ones like Carr Matey to locate your car in a pirate voice, which just about says it all. The total number of mobile app downloads in 2017 was around 197 billion, according to Statista.