South Africans’ favourite international destinations in 2023 were the UK, Mauritius, Australia, the US and Italy, revealed Discovery Bank’s SpendTravel24 report, compiled in collaboration with Visa.
Compared with 2022, Discovery Bank’s South African visitors to France increased by three percentage points, Mauritius by two percentage points, and Italy and Namibia by one percentage point.
According to the report, France received the biggest increase due to the Rugby World Cup.
Based on travel spending per active card in 2023 compared with 2022, the report found that spending in established popular destinations such as Barcelona, Lisbon, London and Sydney remained strong. However, spending in the US decreased.
It also recognised emerging popular international destinations and found growth of over 10% in spending in destinations such as Accra, Ho Chi Minh City, Lagos, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
The top domestic travel destinations in 2023 were Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. Based on spending per active card in 2023 compared with 2022, the report revealed that traveller spend in Cape Town grew by 6%, Durban increased by 4% and Johannesburg by 3%.
The report also revealed that travel in East London, George, and Gqeberha had increased by one percentage point for each city as people have moved from inland areas to cities along the coastline.
