Tough economy keeps local tourists close to home
Statistics SA survey shows decline in domestic tourism in past two years with fewer overnight and day trips, but spending did rise
A survey of domestic tourism undertaken by Statistics SA has found a general pattern of decline over the past two years as consumers struggled to keep their heads above water. South African Tourism has also highlighted the low level of domestic tourism in the country and has launched several initiatives in a bid to boost it. Tourism has been identified in the National Development Plan as a key driver of growth. The economic stagnation has led to consumers reprioritising their spending away from taking day and overnight trips, statistician-general Pali Lehohla said in his introduction to the survey on Monday. This was a large-scale household survey aimed at collecting statistics on the behaviour and expenditure of South African residents travelling within the country. Such information was crucial, Lehohla said, to determine the contribution of tourism to the economy, as well as to help with planning, marketing, policy formulation and regulation of tourism-related activities. The surv...
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