Tourists spent nearly R4bn on accommodation in February
The industry got 31% of earnings from ‘other’ income — money from gambling, laundry and phone services, rentals and fees for transport services, among others
The total revenue from SA’s hotels, guest houses and other tourist accommodation totalled R3.99bn in February, Statistics SA reported on Tuesday. This was 3.6% higher than the same month in 2016. The December holidays led to the tourist accommodation industry’s revenue peaking at R4.5bn, and then tapering off to R3.9bn in January. Surprisingly, February’s occupancy rate was 55.9%, higher than December’s 53.6%. The extra income the industry enjoyed in December came from what Statistics SA classifies as "other" rather than from renting rooms and selling food and drink. Statistics SA defines "other income" as money from casino gambling, laundry and telephone services, rentals and fees received for transport services, offices, shops, garages, and so forth. In February, the industry earned 53% of its income from accommodation, 31% from "other" and 16% from restaurant and bar sales. In December, accommodation accounted for 51% of the total, "other" for 33% and food and drink for 16%. Stat...
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