Although South Africans only spend an average of 18 days on holidays per year, the older market of 60-69-year olds understandably spend the most days on holidays, i.e. 22 days.
The economic state of the country comes through in the almost two-thirds of South Africans that are only willing to spend between R5,000 and R20,000 on their shorter holidays per year. 2% are willing to spend more than R100,000 while a substantial 17% will spend less than R5,000. South Africans are also prepared to spend substantially more money on a one week holiday overseas than on all their local holidays combined, which indicates that the majority still aspires to go abroad.
When it comes to trips longer than five days, almost half of South Africans take one longer holiday per year but again local is tops with 80% of South Africans travelling inside the borders of the country when undertaking these longer holidays.
An average 70% rely on recommendations from family and friends when seeking inspiration for their holidays. Only 33% say that advertising on TV, radio, online and in print will influence their decision while 57% will browse the internet for inspiration.
Irina Herf, general manager of DCMN South Africa, commented that even though advertising does not play the biggest role in shaping decisions, one of their clients in the travel industry did recently record a 650% increase in sales generated by TV when they started tracking and optimising their TV campaigns, so it still plays a very important role in the media mix.
When the time comes to book their holidays, the statistics encouragingly show that 41% of South Africans do currently use online booking sites for their holidays with 51% planning to book their next trip like this. "This indicates that the country has come a long way in its adoption of the internet for transactions which are very encouraging for digital brands in South Africa," says Herf.
Relaxation and adventure top the list of priorities for South Africans with 74% who would choose a beach holiday and 50% seeking adventure. More than half of South Africans don’t tend to go on holiday on the spur of the moment and book their holidays between three and 11 months in advance; 11% did admit to booking less than a month in advance.
"Through this survey, we gained a lot of insights and can now assist clients in the online travel booking industry to incorporate these insights into their marketing plans. We strongly believe in using data-driven solutions to help companies grow," says Herf.
• 80% of South Africans want to feel that they have broadened their horizons when they come back from holiday
• 76% have a specific budget for their holidays and try to stay within that budget
• 77% agree that holiday is about escaping their daily lives
• 70% want to experience nature when they go on holiday
• Only 20% like to impress other people with their holiday experiences.
