As regional travel within European destinations slows, South Africa is one of the long-haul destinations ‘stealing’ European travellers.

This is according to Stephanie Boyle, spokesperson TripAdvisor for Business, Europe, Middle East and Africa, who explains that European tourists are finding better value in travelling to South Africa rather than their neighbouring destinations.

According to TripAdvisor’s TripBarometer, globally the three most sought-after travel experiences are beach, culture and learning, all of which are available in SA, she says.

Boyle adds that SA should expect an influx of travellers from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, India and France as it is on the wish list for travellers from these countries.

TripAdvisor will be revealing more specific information based on its site traffic about what travellers are looking for from a trip to South Africa as well as which destinations are the strongest competitors at Indaba. TripAdvisor will also show what ratings South African businesses are getting from users, which Boyle hinted were quite high.