Data shows travel destinations of choice for South Africans

London, United Kingdom. Photo: Aron Van de Pol / unsplash

Recent data shows that South Africans really want to travel – even more so now than before the pandemic. These are their destinations of choice…

London, United Kingdom. Photo: Aron Van de Pol / unsplash

South Africans ready to travel again

According to global travel search website, Cheap Flights, flight searches by South Africans are now even surpassing pre-pandemic levels for this year’s winter period by around 40%.

But where exactly are South Africans interested in flying to? Data from the site shows that Europe is a firm favourite for South Africans. Over a third, around 36%, of all flight searches have been made for destinations within Europe. This shows a 30% increase in outbound European destination searches when compared to pre-pandemic times, prior to 2020.

Many European countries featured on the list, reports Travel News, but the UK, London specifically, ranked first amongst the top-10 destinations for this period.

Here’s a list of the top-10 destinations:

London, the UK
Istanbul, Turkey
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Port Louis, Mauritius
Zanzibar, Tanzania
Athens, Greece
Denpasar, Indonesia
New York, the US
Lisbon, Portugal
Dubai, the UAE

Many EU countries have dropped entry regulations

Italy is one of the EU countries who recently removed entry rules. Photo: Ingeborg Gärtner-Grein / pixabay

A combination of lower COVID-19 infection numbers and an approaching summer season has also resulted in many EU countries easing entry regulations, which is fortuitous for those wishing to travel.

According to Schengenvisainfo, the following European Union/European Economic Area countries have removed all of their entry rules so far:

Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Croatia
Cyprus
Denmark
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Norway
Poland
Romania
Slovenia
Sweden
Switzerland

Travellers to these destinations will no longer need to present a valid COVID-19 Pass, a vaccination certificate, certificate of recovery, or a test certificate. This, essentially, creates hassle-free travel, making travel as simple as it was during pre-COVID times.

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Sundeeka Mungroo

Sundeeka Mungroo is a content writer, foodie and all-round adventure-seeker. She's a graduate of the University of South Africa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, and has worked as a copywriter and editor in the digital marketing industry. Sundeeka currently writes for I Love South Africa and The South African. She lives in the beautiful Mother City and loves exploring all that South Africa has to offer.