Travel fares to South Africa from major source markets including the US, UK, France and Germany, are very competitive in relation to destinations such as East Africa and Australia – provided they are booked six months in advance.
Visitors to South Africa booking their visits only a month in advance, however, can pay up to 67% more for non-stop flights to SA, compared with visitors who book six months in advance.
Tourism Update investigated the difference in airfares as a result of recent reports that the South African tourism industry is being hurt by high airfares into Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport.
Using Expedia, one of the largest online travel agent platforms, Tourism Update compared flights from New York, London, Paris and Frankfurt to Johannesburg and competing destinations such as Nairobi and Sydney.
The fares were sourced on March 14 for a two-week return trip commencing on September 14. This is what Tourism Update found:
In comparison, the cheapest airfares for non-stop flights to Johannesburg, booked as a two week return trip starting from April 14 from the same source markets were as follows:
