JOHANNESBURG – A recent Airbnb survey shows Queenstown, Mahikeng and Witbank as the leading small towns for domestic tourism in South Africa.
The study interviewed 1,151 hosts and 685 Airbnb guests who booked between June to December 2021.
The online marketplace platform said the country’s domestic travel is thriving, with the beginning of 2022’s bookings up approximately 65% compared to the same period before the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Airbnb, the rising cost of living is pushing guests to seek more affordable family travel.
Travellers are also exploring hidden gems enclosed in less popular tourist destinations.
Queenstown in the Eastern Cape tops the list of small towns for local travel, seeing approximately a 245% increase in domestic stays in the first half of 2022 compared to the same time in 2019.
Queenstown and another hotspot – Witbank in Mpumalanga – boast amazing hiking and biking trails and a picture-perfect mountain backdrops.
Polokwane in Limpopo and Mahikeng in North West, who also made the top 10, are growing in popularity for, amongst other things, their close proximity to a number of nature reserves.
“It’s fantastic to see South Africans embracing travelling domestically and spreading the benefits of tourism to all corners of the country after a tough couple of years. As many South Africans battle rising living costs, local travel is helping to support hosts and businesses in the communities they call home," said Middle East Africa Airbnb’s Velma Corcoran.
Airbnb’s top trending small towns for local travel in South Africa:
- Queenstown, Eastern Cape
- Mahikeng, North-West
- Witbank, Mpumalanga
- Middelburg, Eastern Cape
- Polokwane, Limpopo
- Cullinan, Gauteng
- Brakpan, Gauteng
- Mankoeng, Limpopo
- Ceres, Western Cape
- Midrand, Gauteng
Artmotion S.Africa
