There has been a shift in the type of traveller into Africa, with younger generations becoming a growing market for the tourism industry.
Tourism Update recently conducted a poll, asking readers whether they had seen an increase in millennials as clients, 74% voted ‘yes’, and only 26% voted ‘no’.
David Frost, CEO of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (Satsa) said 46% of international arrivals into South Africa were between the ages of 18 and 35.
Millennials are becoming the core focus at many tourism establishments, such as the Signature Lux hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg, which caters for the tech-savvy millennials and business travellers.
Recently Tourism Update published an article on Halal tourism, which is one of the fastest growing sectors in global travel, with 26% of the population expected to be Muslim by 2030. This growth has been attributed to Islam having the youngest population out of all major religious groups.
Gavin Eyre, Chairman of the South African Youth Travel Confederation (SAYTC) says there has certainly been a noticeable increase in youth travel. “Just look at the numbers,” he says.
Eyre says millennial travelers are looking for experiential tourism opportunities, as well as language travel, volunteering and back-packing. “People do not realise how huge volunteering is in SA,” says Eyre.
Overseas gap year students and university groups are a massive market for inbound tourism, says Eyre, as these millennials flock to Africa to experience authenticity.
Millennials are heading to the Western Cape, in particular Cape Town, the Garden Route, and the Eastern Cape, due to the authentic experiences the provinces offer.
Most of these millennial travellers are from Brazil, says Eyre. “They are coming to the English-language schools in SA, as it is cheaper than their own country and SA has many similarities to Brazil, such as the South African mentality, the weather and the activities on offer.”
For Namibia, Thomas Müller, Co-Founder and CEO of Rainmaker Digital, said he had not seen an increase in millennials, attributing this to Namibia’s marketing efforts.
“Namibia’s marketing is very traditional, and millennials have a different travel pattern. They base travel on a one-week scheme. Partying one week, travelling the next and Namibia does not have much to offer in that perspective.”
However, Müller says: “I do believe there is a market for youth travel in Namibia.”
Müller says technology definitely plays a role for the millennials, as well as the older demographics. He says he has seen people aged 50 to 70 come into reception and pull out their iPad before even checking in.
With complimentary WiFi now available at the majority of hotels and the recent launch of Joon, Air France’s new airline targeting millennials, it is further proof that the rise of the millennial traveller is paramount.
