The results of our latest poll indicate broad alignment with findings that areas outside Cape Town and the Kruger National Park are battling to draw tourists with almost two thirds of respondents noticing less geographic spread in South African itineraries than before.
In a Tourism Update column, SATSA CEO David Frost points out that the distribution of visitors to South Africa is highly concentrated in the two popular destinations while other provinces and regions of the country continue to struggle with low numbers.
The majority of our poll respondents (61.4%) agreed there is less geographic spread in itineraries. Just 19.3% said they hadn’t noticed this. The remaining 19.3% were unsure.
How will a VAT increase affect tourism businesses?
South Africa is due to implement a 0.5 percentage point increase in value-added tax (VAT) for each of the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years. With the first increase coming into effect on May 1 (taking total VAT to 15.5%), some tourism and hospitality role players have cautioned that the increase will translate into higher prices for tourists.
“It will translate into increased prices for accommodation, dining out and other tourism-related activities – making South Africa a more expensive destination for domestic and international travellers,” said FEDHASA Chairperson Rosemary Anderson.
We want to know whether you think the VAT hike will have a significant impact. Our poll question this week is:
