Travel & Leisure

South Africa has a unique set of characteristics that make walking safaris in big game areas one of the safest and most rewarding outdoor experiences: a huge expanse of protected habitat richly populated with wildlife; excellent tourism facilities; a favourable climate; and expertly trained trail guides.

Smuggled into China and sold for meat in the live-animal markets of cities such as Wuhan, the pangolin has dominated world headlines. Is it the vector for COVID-19? Pangolins have long been sustainably harvested by local communities for their meat and scales, but today the burgeoning trade in these mammals has reached crisis point.

Travellers won’t book without flexible Ts & Cs and health and safety protocols in place, with the majority saying they want to travel internationally in 2021. A recent survey we conducted shows how COVID-19 has changed how South Africans travel. Most survey respondents stated that they still want to travel internationally in 2021, provided there is booking flexibility and that health and safety protocols are in place.

As President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a return to Level 1, there is a renewed sense of positivity in the air and the potential for new beginnings. Now is the time for businesses to rebuild what was lost or damaged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and to start getting back to ‘normal’. It is time to get up, get moving (literally) and resume corporate travel.

Business as usual has been flipped on its head in 2020. What was for many companies second nature, sending employees across country and continent to meet with clients and colleagues, sign new business and share knowledge has become a more measured and complex exercise.

As South Africa begins the long journey towards recovery following the economic toll taken by COVID-19 and the associated lockdown, tourism remains a critical piece of the puzzle in helping stabilise and rebuild the economy.

Are you looking for the ultimate last-minute Christmas gift? Well, look no further than the newly launched Boardroom to the Kitchen with Nomfundo Mcoyi: From Boss Meals to Supermom dishes. The first cookbook from the inspirational and pioneering businesswoman behind Icebolethu Funeral Services.

As air travel gradually starts to recover and country borders begin to open again, health and safety remain at the heart of efforts to get more passengers in the air and to keep borders open. Airlines and industry bodies have called for the integration of systematic testing into the international travel process.

Singapore, Helsinki and Zurich have come top in the 2020 Smart City Index, in a year that saw many European cities fall in the rankings. The Smart City Index ranks cities based on economic and technological data, as well as by their citizens’ perceptions of how 'smart'their cities are.

As more South Africans and their businesses continue to face the damaging effects of COVID-19 and the tremulous economic landscape, moving abroad is becoming a serious consideration not only for the rich but the middle class as well.