Looking back at more than a month of peak-season beach closures around the South African coast (except in the Northern Cape), industry professionals report that the December lockdown regulations meant there was a sudden switch of interest from beach trips to inland holidays, such as bush and berg breaks. 

GM of Bushbreaks&More, Kathy Nel, told Tourism Update that, when the beach closures were announced, a number of clients had cancelled their beach holidays in December and opted to go to the bush.

She said, historically, lodges pushed up their prices during peak season to capitalise on the international market but, with travel bans in place, they had had far more availability than usual and were able to offer much better rates for South Africans. 

Nel added that Bushbreaks&More had seen a slight dip in January bookings but this was expected to pick up again now that the regulations had been lifted.

Travel Counsellor, Kerith Hulme, said while none of her clients had cancelled outright the coastal holidays she had booked for them – opting to explore inland attractions in the region instead – there had been a huge amount of interest in bush options during December, with most bookings taking place at short notice.  

“Some of our top game lodges, which usually have rates of R30 000pppns (€1670) during this period, brought their rates down to only R5 000 (€270) or R6 000pppns (€330) and I saw a lot of local clients who would usually have spent R100 000 (€5590) on an international trip in December opting to spend the same budget on a local trip this year and take advantage of these offers. There was also a lot of interest in more affordable inland options, such as SANPark properties and the KZN Midlands.

“Clients did express their frustration when the alcohol bans came into effect, though, especially when they were unable to take advantage of the all-inclusive rates that they had booked at the game lodges and had to miss out on the traditional sundowner experience,” said Hulme.

In a recent media briefing, KZN Premier, Sihle Zikalala, also announced that December occupancy stats had reflected that inland areas had benefited from the beach bans. The uThukela region, for instance, where the Drakensberg resorts are located, recorded the highest occupancy rates in the province during December, at 95%.