Travel & Leisure

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.

According to the recent Africa Wealth Report by Henley & Partners, titled 'Predetermined Bias: Comparing the Visa Rejection Rate of Africans versus the Rest of the World’, the rejection rate for African applicants seeking Schengen visas went up 12% in the last eight years, reaching a shocking 30%. This surpassed the global average by 12.5%.

There is a lot of buzz about passengers' rights and the accessibility of air travel – from which arm rail belongs to whom, to whether passengers should be allowed to bring service animals on board, to the better care of disabled people and their essential equipment. But one conversation in particular has taken hold. Alongside the RightsOnFlights hashtag.

Soaring flight prices, persistent inflation in South Africa, and rising hotel rates in major business hubs have yet to deter business travel. In fact, the GBTA Business Travel Outlook 2023 illustrates global business travel is expected to recover to its pre-pandemic level in 2024, a full two years earlier than anticipated.

Tax season inevitably means digging out all those airline boarding passes, fuel slips and receipts from your travels over the past year. As a frequent business traveller, you've likely accumulated quite the collection in hopes of a decent refund on allowable expenses. However, the taxman wants more than a shoebox stuffed with crumpled receipts.

In an era dominated by technology and data, the hospitality industry stands at the crossroads of transformation. Leveraging data and embracing digital innovations are becoming imperative for hotels to deliver exceptional guest experiences and stay competitive.

In the bustling world of hospitality, each guest arrives with a unique set of expectations, preferences, and desires. I've had the privilege of witnessing firsthand how technology has transformed the landscape of personalised guest experiences, ushering in a new era of innovation and connection.

Featuring all-new spoor drawings, some 200 new photographs and an extra 35 species, this fully revised and updated edition of the ever-popular Tracker Manual is packed with the latest on the art of tracking. Based on information developed by some of southern Africa’s best traditional trackers, Tracker Manual gives even more guidance on how to identify the spoor of some 190 animal species.