For South Africans who believe a holiday is out of reach because of the cost, tourism experts have a different message: you may not need to travel far, but you do need to plan.
Only 11% of South Africans plan and budget for their trips, according to Mashoto Mokgethi, head of domestic tourism at South African Tourism.
The figure was shared during The Great Debate, a Tourism Month media roundtable held at Rosemary Hill Farm in Pretoria on Wednesday, which tackled the question: Is South Africa too expensive for South Africans to travel?
The discussion explored domestic travel affordability – how travellers can get better value for their money, and how social media, digital platforms and artificial intelligence are changing the way people discover and plan trips.
For personal finance coach Mapalo Makhu, one of the first steps towards making travel more achievable is intentional planning. She encouraged travellers to establish what type of holiday they want, work out what they can afford and then start saving towards it.
“If you know that these holidays will be costing R12 000, to make it simple, R1 000 every single month,” Makhu said.
She also encouraged travellers to make use of expected income such as bonuses or tax refunds and to consider travelling during off-peak periods, when better-value opportunities may be available.
“Do not be afraid of an Excel spreadsheet.” The point, she explained, is to understand your own finances rather than trying to match someone else’s holiday.
“Budget differs from home to home, from person to person,” Maku said.
She also cautioned against taking a holiday that leaves a traveller financially strained afterwards.
“You want to go on holiday and come back and be like, ‘I just ended it in a card,’” she said.
Your next getaway could be closer than you think
The panel also challenged the assumption that domestic travel has to mean an expensive hotel stay or a long-distance journey. Fari Sanyika, a travel content creator, said some of their best travel experiences had involved driving for only an hour or two and discovering something new close to home.
“Some of my best trips have been these two-hour drives, hour drives,” she said.
Also Read: South Africa’s best-kept travel secret finally revealed
Living in Cape Town, the traveller said they could drive for an hour and find something special in a small town.
“For me, as a young professional, I don’t have much.” The idea is to find experiences that work for an individual’s circumstances instead of measuring a holiday against what other people are doing.
For another panellist, value was less about the price tag and more about the feeling that came from finally experiencing something they had planned and saved for.
“I feel like a sense of accomplishment and pride when I get to find something different and something that I’ve been planning and I actually made it happen,” she said.
She recalled visiting a tidal pool in Mossel Bay after seeing it on Instagram.
“I’m swimming in this tidal pool in Mossel Bay that I’ve been looking at on Instagram… and I just feel so happy in this moment,” she said.
For her, the experience made the journey worthwhile.
“You kind of have a moment each time where you’d be like, ‘Wow, those hours that I drove there, this was so worth it.’ That’s what it is really. It’s a feeling.”
Travel off the beaten path
Mokgethi also encouraged South Africans to look beyond the country’s most well-known tourist attractions. She said travellers could make their money go further by exploring local communities and finding affordable experiences once they arrive at a destination.
She pointed to travel content creator Popi Sibiya as an example of someone who immerses herself in communities rather than simply visiting conventional tourist attractions.
Mokgethi recalled visiting Venda and described it as one of her best trips because she spent time walking through villages and seeing how people live.
“Travel off the beaten path. Sometimes it will surprise you in the most beautiful way and it doesn’t cost as much,” she said.
The approach can also help travellers discover experiences that are not necessarily included in standard tourist itineraries. For families, this could mean looking for affordable activities that children can enjoy rather than building a holiday entirely around expensive attractions.
Social media is becoming a travel guide
Sanyika said social media has made it easier for travellers to discover destinations through people who have already experienced them. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram allow potential travellers to see destinations through the eyes of people they can relate to.
“There’s something about seeing someone who’s like you, who’s doing that experience,” Sanyika said.
She encouraged travellers to engage with content creators and ask questions rather than simply scrolling past travel videos. Sanyika also suggested speaking to people who live in the places travellers want to visit.
If someone is planning to explore an area such as the Northern Cape, for example, locals may be able to recommend experiences, restaurants, accommodation or attractions that are not immediately obvious through conventional online searches.
“Lean on other people, you know, people who are from there,” she said.
She believes this can help travellers uncover experiences they might otherwise miss. Sanyika also advised travellers to research prices before they are ready to book. She said people planning a holiday several months ahead should familiarise themselves with the normal cost of accommodation, flights and car hire.
That way, when a promotion appears, they can determine whether it actually represents good value.
“If you plan to travel at the end of the year or a few months’ time… just familiarise yourself with how much things cost,” she said.
This could also help consumers avoid making rushed decisions based solely on the appearance of a discount. Sanyika said Sho’t Left had been a useful source of travel information for her own trips.
“I’ve always leaned on Sho’t Left’s platform,” she said.
She also encouraged small tourism businesses to make themselves visible online.
“If other small businesses are also encouraged, like, put yourself out there, make sure you’re listed there,” she said.
SA Tourism Head of Domestic travel Mashoto Mokgethi on how AI is changing how trips are planned, and future of travel agents.
📹 @Enhle1005 #TourismMonth #DomesticTourism #TravelSA pic.twitter.com/uKzS6sRpaD— Sunday World News (@SundayWorldZA) September 23, 2026
AI is changing how trips are planned
The discussion also turned to artificial intelligence and its growing role in travel planning. Consumers can now use AI tools to search for destinations based on specific interests, budgets and the type of experience they want.
Instead of simply asking where to go, travellers can ask for suggestions based on their available time and budget, then use those recommendations as a starting point for further research.
Social media, travel platforms and AI are, therefore, increasingly working together in the discovery process. A traveller might first see a destination on TikTok, research it through a digital platform, ask AI to suggest an itinerary and then compare prices before making a booking.
The panellists acknowledged that this does not remove the role of tourism operators or travel professionals, but it does give consumers more ways to research before spending their money.
The debate ultimately moved away from the simple question of whether South Africa is “too expensive” and towards how travellers can make domestic tourism work within their individual circumstances.
Planning ahead, saving monthly, travelling off-peak, researching prices and looking beyond the obvious tourist attractions were among the suggestions raised.
For Mokgethi, the country’s tourism offering also needs to continue creating opportunities for South Africans to discover places that they may not have considered before.
And with social media making it easier to find hidden gems, travellers increasingly have access to information that can help them build trips around their interests and budgets.
Also Read: The travel agent isn’t dead yet, but technology means they have to evolve
- For South Africans who believe a holiday is out of reach because of the cost, tourism experts have a different message: you may not need to travel far, but you do need to plan.
- Only 11% of South Africans plan and budget for their trips, according to Mashoto Mokgethi, head of domestic tourism at South African Tourism.
- The figure was shared during The Great Debate, a Tourism Month media roundtable held at Rosemary Hill Farm in Pretoria on Wednesday, which tackled the question: Is South Africa too expensive for South Africans to travel?
- The discussion explored domestic travel affordability – how travellers can get better value for their money, and how social media, digital platforms and artificial intelligence are changing the way people discover and plan trips.
- For personal finance coach Mapalo Makhu, one of the first steps towards making travel more achievable is intentional planning.
For South Africans who believe a holiday is out of reach because of the cost, tourism experts have a different message: you may not need to travel far, but you do need to plan.
Only 11% of South Africans plan and budget for their trips, according to Mashoto Mokgethi, head of domestic tourism at South African Tourism.
The figure was shared during The Great Debate, a Tourism Month media roundtable held at Rosemary Hill Farm in Pretoria on Wednesday, which tackled the question: Is South Africa too expensive for South Africans to travel?
The discussion explored domestic travel affordability – how travellers can get better value for their money, and how social media, digital platforms and artificial intelligence are changing the way people discover and plan trips.
For personal finance coach Mapalo Makhu, one of the first steps towards making travel more achievable is intentional planning. She encouraged travellers to establish what type of holiday they want, work out what they can afford and then start saving towards it.
“If you know that these holidays will be costing R12 000, to make it simple, R1 000 every single month,” Makhu said.
She also encouraged travellers to make use of expected income such as bonuses or tax refunds and to consider travelling during off-peak periods, when better-value opportunities may be available.
“Do not be afraid of an Excel spreadsheet." The point, she explained, is to understand your own finances rather than trying to match someone else’s holiday.
“Budget differs from home to home, from person to person,” Maku said.
She also cautioned against taking a holiday that leaves a traveller financially strained afterwards.
“You want to go on holiday and come back and be like, ‘I just ended it in a card,’” she said.
The panel also challenged the assumption that domestic travel has to mean an expensive hotel stay or a long-distance journey. Fari Sanyika, a travel content creator, said some of their best travel experiences had involved driving for only an hour or two and discovering something new close to home.
“Some of my best trips have been these two-hour drives, hour drives,” she said.
Also Read: South Africa’s best-kept travel secret finally revealed
Living in Cape Town, the traveller said they could drive for an hour and find something special in a small town.
“For me, as a young professional, I don’t have much." The idea is to find experiences that work for an individual’s circumstances instead of measuring a holiday against what other people are doing.
For another panellist, value was less about the price tag and more about the feeling that came from finally experiencing something they had planned and saved for.
“I feel like a sense of accomplishment and pride when I get to find something different and something that I’ve been planning and I actually made it happen,” she said.
She recalled visiting a tidal pool in Mossel Bay after seeing it on Instagram.
“I’m swimming in this tidal pool in Mossel Bay that I’ve been looking at on Instagram… and I just feel so happy in this moment,” she said.
For her, the experience made the journey worthwhile.
“You kind of have a moment each time where you’d be like, ‘Wow, those hours that I drove there, this was so worth it.’ That’s what it is really. It’s a feeling.”
Mokgethi also encouraged South Africans to look beyond the country’s most well-known tourist attractions. She said travellers could make their money go further by exploring local communities and finding affordable experiences once they arrive at a destination.
She pointed to travel content creator Popi Sibiya as an example of someone who immerses herself in communities rather than simply visiting conventional tourist attractions.
Mokgethi recalled visiting Venda and described it as one of her best trips because she spent time walking through villages and seeing how people live.
“Travel off the beaten path. Sometimes it will surprise you in the most beautiful way and it doesn’t cost as much,” she said.
The approach can also help travellers discover experiences that are not necessarily included in standard tourist itineraries. For families, this could mean looking for affordable activities that children can enjoy rather than building a holiday entirely around expensive attractions.
Sanyika said social media has made it easier for travellers to discover destinations through people who have already experienced them. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram allow potential travellers to see destinations through the eyes of people they can relate to.
“There’s something about seeing someone who’s like you, who’s doing that experience,” Sanyika said.
She encouraged travellers to engage with content creators and ask questions rather than simply scrolling past travel videos. Sanyika also suggested speaking to people who live in the places travellers want to visit.
If someone is planning to explore an area such as the Northern Cape, for example, locals may be able to recommend experiences, restaurants, accommodation or attractions that are not immediately obvious through conventional online searches.
“Lean on other people, you know, people who are from there,” she said.
She believes this can help travellers uncover experiences they might otherwise miss. Sanyika also advised travellers to research prices before they are ready to book. She said people planning a holiday several months ahead should familiarise themselves with the normal cost of accommodation, flights and car hire.
That way, when a promotion appears, they can determine whether it actually represents good value.
“If you plan to travel at the end of the year or a few months’ time… just familiarise yourself with how much things cost,” she said.
This could also help consumers avoid making rushed decisions based solely on the appearance of a discount. Sanyika said Sho’t Left had been a useful source of travel information for her own trips.
“I’ve always leaned on Sho’t Left’s platform,” she said.
She also encouraged small tourism businesses to make themselves visible online.
“If other small businesses are also encouraged, like, put yourself out there, make sure you’re listed there,” she said.
SA Tourism Head of Domestic travel Mashoto Mokgethi on how AI is changing how trips are planned, and future of travel agents.
📹 @Enhle1005 #TourismMonth #DomesticTourism #TravelSA pic.twitter.com/uKzS6sRpaD— Sunday World News (@SundayWorldZA) September 23, 2026
The discussion also turned to artificial intelligence and its growing role in travel planning. Consumers can now use AI tools to search for destinations based on specific interests, budgets and the type of experience they want.
Instead of simply asking where to go, travellers can ask for suggestions based on their available time and budget, then use those recommendations as a starting point for further research.
Social media, travel platforms and AI are, therefore, increasingly working together in the discovery process. A traveller might first see a destination on TikTok, research it through a digital platform, ask AI to suggest an itinerary and then compare prices before making a booking.
The panellists acknowledged that this does not remove the role of tourism operators or travel professionals, but it does give consumers more ways to research before spending their money.
The debate ultimately moved away from the simple question of whether South Africa is “too expensive” and towards how travellers can make domestic tourism work within their individual circumstances.
Planning ahead, saving monthly, travelling off-peak, researching prices and looking beyond the obvious tourist attractions were among the suggestions raised.
For Mokgethi, the country’s tourism offering also needs to continue creating opportunities for South Africans to discover places that they may not have considered before.
And with social media making it easier to find hidden gems, travellers increasingly have access to information that can help them build trips around their interests and budgets.
Also Read: The travel agent isn’t dead yet, but technology means they have to evolve
