Tag: Corporate Traveller

South Africa's new South African Revenue Service (SARS) Traveller Declaration is part of a global shift that's redrawing the business travel checklist. Border and customs compliance has always been something travellers dealt with at the airport. However, that is no longer the case.

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.

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.

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.

With more South Africans embracing “bleisure” than ever before, leveraging SA’s 2026 public holidays offers a strategic edge for business travellers who want to mix work with meaningful downtime. According to Flight Centre Travel Group’s 2025 Global PR survey, 77% of South Africans have either combined business and leisure travel before or plan to do so in the future.

Incentive travel is making a strong comeback in South Africa, but not in the way it used to. Once defined by luxury and leisure, it is now being reimagined as a strategic business tool. This change aligns with employee well-being, sustainability and company culture.

Picture this: It’s peak travel season and you have left it until the last minute to book accommodation for that all-important conference. Now, your only options are a presidential suite in Sandton or a faded motel on the outskirts of the city. The motel comes with shared bathrooms and no sign of a Nespresso machine. Sound familiar?

Portable chargers and power banks have become a carry-on essential to keep devices charged up for work or entertainment while travelling. But, with airlines changing on-board battery policies, travellers are being urged to be aware of new requirements and to rely on other measures to keep connected while in the air.

Chasing savings on business travel has become almost automatic for many organisations. With budgets under scrutiny and finance teams laser-focused on spend, booking the cheapest possible fare seems like an easy win.

Trends shaping business travel reveal a shift toward wellness, personalisation and clearer communication to meet evolving traveller needs. The business travel industry is growing rapidly. According to GBTA research, 52% of companies plan to increase travel budgets in 2025.