Flight searches for solo travel during Christmas and New Year saw a 172% jump compared to the 2019 festive period, with Asia being the top destination of choice for South Africans.
(Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Flight searches for solo travel during Christmas and New Year saw a 172% jump compared to the 2019 festive period, with Asia being the top destination of choice for South Africans.
A travel analysis by the travel search engine Cheapflights.co.za shows that in addition to searches for solo flights surging with the easing of Covid-19, South African hotel searches for one person also soared by 191% compared with 2019.
The analysis is based on data from flight and hotel searches for one person from 1 September to 21 October for roundtrip flights departing from South Africa from 19 December and 6 January 2023.
In response to the data analysis, Laure Bornet, general manager for the online travel agency Kayak, which manages Cheapflights.co.za, said South Africans’ interest in solo travel has grown.
This was notable “especially because it is over Christmas and New Year, which for many is connected with family time and fixed traditions”, Bornet said in a statement, adding:
“But the Christmas holidays are also an ideal opportunity to take a break from everyday life and get an experience to remember. And solo travel opens the door to a very special way of travelling, because you are more likely to meet new people.”
The data analysis ranks the top 10 preferred travel destinations for those travelling solo from 19 December to 6 January 2023. Leaving behind the summer, South Africans travelling on their own are heading to snow-covered London. Also in the top 10 are
Istanbul, Bali, Dubai, Bangkok, Mumbai, Phuket, Amsterdam, New York and Auckland.
“If you look at the top 10 most popular destinations for solo travellers, almost half of them are in Asia,” said Bornet.
“Thailand and Bali in particular are known for having a widespread backpacker culture with good opportunities to fall into conversations with other people, including other solo travellers.”
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