Tag: travel experience

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?

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.

At some point during your daily internet and social media trawl, you will probably have encountered the term “eSIM.” You would not be wrong to think the name sounds a bit techy. It most definitely is, as it stands for “Embedded Subscriber Identity Module". That’s a mouthful. Chances are, if you are scrolling your newsfeed for something light after a hard day, you would skip it.

As the voice of inbound tourism in South Africa, we acknowledge the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recent declaration classifying the rise in Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

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.

In the modern era of corporate travel, companies are investing heavily in ensuring the well-being of their employees on the move. From ergonomic travel tools to nutritious meals on the go, the focus has shifted from merely reaching a destination to ensuring the holistic wellbeing of the traveller. But as businesses lean heavily into this trend, a pertinent question emerges: Are we taking it too far?

Did you know hotels account for approximately one percent of global carbon dioxide emissions? It might not seem like a lot, but to put it in perspective, out of the carbon dioxide released annually, it's equivalent to powering 45.7 million homes for a year. Turns out those luxury touches like themed suites, room service on tap, and butlers come at a cost to the planet, too.

Business travel is an art that demands attention to detail. Ensuring a comfortable and hassle-free stay begins right when you start booking your hotel room. Yet, many critical factors are frequently overlooked.

South African business travel is rapidly accelerating in 2023 as most travellers have by now dusted off their suitcases and started taking to the skies again. Interestingly, former road warriors may have become slightly ‘travel unfit’, leading to mistakes, oversights, or difficulties during a trip.