September, spring, sunshine and Sho’t Left are all ideal changes to look forward to as the City transitions into a new season, which screams travel and tourism. With gorgeous late sunsets and ideal weather, springtime in Johannesburg offers an incredible calendar of festivals, carnivals and events, showcasing the city at its very best – and showing off its credentials as a year round global destination for business, lifestyle, leisure, culture and music.
“September is Tourism Month in South Africa, with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation celebrating World Tourism Day annually on 27 September.
“It’s also the start of the spring season, an ideal time of year to explore and experience our beautiful country and our great city of Johannesburg,” says Laura Vercueil, the Public Relations and Communications Manager for Joburg Tourism.
According to SA Tourism, the country’s tourism sector is lagging behind many markets, and experienced a 22% decrease in Q1 2023 compared to 2019 levels.
This underscores the urgent need for strategic measures to boost recovery and return to pre-pandemic performance.
“Tourist arrivals increased by 57.6% to 2 million compared to 2022, led by Africa and followed by Europe. While these figures represent growth, we’re still not hitting our target, indicating a clear call for enhanced strategic efforts,” says SA Tourism.
Tourist spending has not only rebounded but hit R22.5 billion this quarter – a 101.9% growth over last year and a 28.4% increase compared to the same period in 2019.
“South Africa’s geographic spread index is contracting, down to 8.0% this quarter – a 3.0% drop from last year and still lagging behind the 11.8% from April 2019. This downward trend indicates an urgent call to action for collaborative route and product development,” says SA Tourism.
Vercueil notes that although the tourism industry took a knock since the pandemic hit the country, there are still countless opportunities and initiatives that could change the direction of the tourism industry.
One such opportunity includes the Sho’t Left Travel Week 2023. A chance to showcase travel deals and attract more domestic tourists.
The annual Sho’t Left Travel Week is a unique occasion for South Africa’s tourism industry to maximise tourism success with exclusive and unbeatable travel deals.
The Great South African sale hosted by Sho’t Left is open for every member of the tourism industry to upload their deals, going as far as 50% off.
Members were given an opportunity to upload an unlimited number of images onto a carousel for each deal. South African Tourism encouraged everyone from accommodation, airlines, car rental and transfer companies to museums, restaurants, activities, and experiential businesses to register their deals for this year’s Travel Week.
“Domestic travel is on the rise, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. So there is always hope especially in a city such as Johannesburg, it has many hidden jewels, experiences and memories to share with local and international travellers.”
Vercueil adds that with every new season comes change and businesses are hoping to treat everyone to a unique experience of what they offer in the city of gold.
Written by Sascha-Lee Joseph