Local is just as lekker for families on tight budget
● It is a Christmas tradition for Siyabulela Nontanda and his wife, Ncumisa, to travel from their Cape Town home to the former Transkei, where their parents live.
It is often the only time that the couple and their two young children see their family. This year the couple will work through the holidays and only the children will spend time with their grandparents. The Nontandas are cutting back in tough times.
“We hope to save on the travelling and entertainment,” said Siyabulela.
Ziyanda Bam of East London and her family of five will forgo a holiday in Cape Town or Durban for a self-catering trip to one of the Eastern Cape’s national parks.
“We usually sleep in expensive hotels,” said Bam. “But the reality is that even staying at bed-and-breakfast accommodation can be quite expensive.”
Bam and her husband hope this will halve their holiday spending.
“Just preparing our own breakfast will be cheaper than the hotel breakfast,” she said.
Ncumisa Nontanda said that with the 22c/l petrol price increase this week, their decision not to travel saved about R7,500. It will help pay school fees.
With their children away, the Nontandas are using public transport.
Their budgeting helped them resist Black Friday. “All this has saved us a lot money,” said Siyabulela.
Terri Mothiba, of Milnerton in Cape Town, said her family will visit George. They can drive there instead of flying.
“We are cutting down on gifts and focusing more on having experiences and having memories as a family,” she said.
“We would rather spend more time on adventure and experiences, and less on consumerism and shopping.”
Joburg-based biokineticist Robyn Begemann can afford a breakaway to a four-star bushveld lodge because her brother works in the hospitality industry. The preferential rate allowed her the getaway. “Travelling to a lot of places isn’t possible. Even going to Cape Town is expensive. Flights for a family of four would cost thousands,” she said.
According to Statistics SA’s Domestic Tourism Survey, between January and December 2018, 2.1-million local tourists visited the Western Cape, 1.17-million visited KwaZulu-Natal and 946,000 travelled to the Eastern Cape. Overall, 6.8-million South Africans travelled locally for leisure.
Blessing Manale of the department of tourism said the Kruger National Park is another popular destination for local travellers.
There was an increase in money spent on domestic tourism between 2017 and 2018. Day trips increased by R9.3bn and overnight trips by R5.3bn, according to the survey.
The survey found that over the past two years South Africans increasingly wanted to travel overseas, but because of financial constraints and a desire to revisit home provinces, many stuck to the local hotspots for December.
“The challenge remains to encourage South Africans to modestly save for holidays and participate in travel stokvels, and seize opportunities of off-peak packages and other incentives,” said Manale.
Flight Centre’s Claudia Ferreira said Sun City is one of the most popular local destinations because of its affordability. Packages include breakfast, shuttle services and free entry into the Valley of Waves.
“Closer to home, local cruises are a great alternative to going to Durban or Cape Town,” she said.
Bronwyn Humphries or Harvey World Travel recommended Hogsback village in the Eastern Cape as an affordable destination because it offers budget accommodations with the mountain, arts and adventure activities all close by.
“The Western Cape is a popular destination as well and many book local accommodation for 10 to 14 days to maximise the time there, at Langebaan, Yzerfontein and up to Jacobsbaai,” she said.