Travel trends: This is how South Africans like to travel in 2025

702s Relebogile Mabotja speaks with Lynette Machiri, Customer Experience Leader at Flight Centre and Antoinette Turner the General Manager at Flight Centre.

Listen below:

With the Easter long weekend just a few days away it is hard not to think about travel.

This year South Africans are all about multi-city adventures and extended family adventures.

These are the travel plans Flight Centre expects to see this year:

South Africans want to get the most they can out of their trip by seeing as many cities as possible. Those with Schengen visas may cross off cities like Paris, Venice, and Barcelona in one trip.

For 2025 it is the more the merrier with more people opting to take multi-generational family holidays to places like Phuket and Dubai.

Holidays are not just about relaxing, as sports tourism is booming. People are saving up their leave and funds for Prix, MotoGP, and Premier League matches.

If you are spending your hard-earned money on a trip, the trend for 2025 is to do it in style. More travellers are choosing premium airfares and multi-class flexibility.

Machiri says we are seeing people taking fewer holidays but splurging on 4- or 5-star resorts when they do go.

“People are all about that enhanced travel experience.”

- Lynette Machiri, Customer Experience Leader at Flight Centre

Last year the top international destinations were London, Dubai, Harare, Mauritius, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Lagos, Phuket, Paris, and Auckland.

However, Machiri says some new favourites are emerging including Brazil and China.

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