SATSA

14/10/2026

Congratulations to our members!

Condé Nast Traveler readers have spoken, and plenty of SATSA members made this year’s Readers’ Choice lists. Nearly a million responses from the US and UK helped decide the results, and South Africa ranked 11th in the world and 10th for food. Cape Town was also named the world’s 10th friendliest city.

Here’s who we’re cheering on:

🔹Top Hotels in South Africa
Congratulations to One&Only Cape Town ( #5), Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel ( #7), The Plettenberg ( #8), The Marine ( #9), The Cellars-Hohenort ( #12) and Spier Hotel ( #14).

🔹Best Hotels in Eastern & Southern Africa
Mount Nelson took the top spot, with The Oyster Box at #10, One&Only Cape Town at #14 and The Plettenberg at #15.

🔹Top Resorts in South Africa
Well done to Tintswalo Safari Lodge ( #7), Tanda Tula ( #9), Tswalu Kalahari ( #10) and Lepogo Lodges ( #11)

🔹Best Resorts in the World, South Africa section
Singita Lebombo Lodge came in at #1, with Singita Boulders Lodge at #9 and Cheetah Plains at #11. andBeyond had a particularly strong year, with five lodges on the list: Phinda Forest Lodge ( #3), Kirkman’s Kamp ( #6), Ngala Tented Camp ( #8), Phinda Zuka Lodge ( #12) and Tengile River Lodge ( #13).

🔹Best Tour Operators in the World
andBeyond also placed #9, with Ker & Downey Africa at #11.

🔹Best Train Trips in the World
Rovos Rail came in at #2.

Congratulations from all of us at SATSA! We are proud to have product and experiences of this calibre within our membership 💙

06/10/2026

Since 1 July 2026, every traveller entering or leaving South Africa by air, land, sea or rail has to submit an online declaration before reaching the border. To help our members stay ahead, SARS is hosting a webinar:

Plan. Declare. Travel.
📅 Wednesday, 14 October
🕔 17:00 to 19:00
💻 Zoom and YouTube
🔗Register here: https://tinyurl.com/3858dhxs

You will hear who needs to declare, what must be declared, and how guests can complete it before they reach a port of entry. There will also be a live Q&A with SARS officials, so bring along any questions you may have.

30/09/2026

From January to July 2026, South Africa welcomed 29 525 travellers from India. That is down 30.8% on last year, and only about half of 2019 levels for the same period.

SATSA CEO David Frost points to air connectivity as the main hurdle. Right now, travellers from India have to connect through another hub to reach us. A direct flight would make South Africa a stronger long-haul choice and give the travel trade more reason to get behind the market.

Flights are only part of the answer. We also need the right marketing, trade partnerships and experiences to turn access into arrivals. Read the full article in The National.

Reconnecting South Africa and India with direct flights could halt a 30% tourist slump and open major economic doors.

28/09/2026

📢Reminder: Webinar, Tuesday 29 September, 14h00 UK | 15h00 SAST

What can you say about your sustainability credentials, and what should you be reviewing in your business now?

With new EU sustainability rules now in effect, travel businesses need to understand what has changed and how it could affect the way sustainability is communicated.

Join SATSA and industry partners on 29 September for a practical webinar covering everything from green claims and marketing to certification, compliance and the information being shared between buyers and suppliers.

The focus is practical: helping you understand what the changes mean for travel and what you can start doing now.

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/3zk3uns6

27/09/2026

🇿🇦 We’re doing it for tourism.

Look closely at the wrists of the Brahman Hills team and you’ll spot a small reminder of something much bigger.

Our South African beaded bangles are part of Doing It for Tourism, a movement bringing people together to support South Africa’s tourism industry and the emerging entrepreneurs helping shape its future.

Because tourism is about more than places.
It’s about people.

The people who welcome you, care for the gardens, prepare your stay, create memorable experiences and proudly share this beautiful corner of South Africa with you.

This World Tourism Day, we’re proud to stand alongside the people and businesses who make South African tourism what it is: an industry built by many hands, many stories and a shared love for our country.

One bead. One contribution. One shared vision for tourism.

Join the movement and discover how you can play your part in creating the World Record Beaded Flag at www.doingitfortourism.co.za



SATSA Sigma International

27/09/2026

As Tourism Month draws to a close and World Tourism Day is marked across the globe, South Africa’s theme, “Growing South Africa’s Tourism Sector in a Digital Era,” reminds us that tourism’s future will be shaped by both innovation and people.

Digital tools can help us improve access, visibility, booking confidence, market reach and the traveller experience. But the real value of digital progress is in what it unlocks for businesses, communities and the people whose livelihoods depend on tourism.

According to Statistics South Africa’s latest Tourism Satellite Account report, tourism supported 953,981 direct jobs in 2024, accounting for 5.7% of the country’s labour force. That means roughly one in every 18 South Africans is directly employed in tourism.

Tourism also accounted for 4.9% of South Africa’s GDP in 2024, exceeding its 3.7% contribution in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

For SATSA, these numbers are more than statistics. They represent tourism businesses and communities who bring South Africa to life for travellers.

We often say that tourism is a livelihoods sector. Every tourism job in a rural area can help put food on the table for between 12 and 15 people. Conservatively, we estimate that one in six South Africans eat at night because of tourism.

As South Africa grows tourism in a digital era, we must keep the heart of our industry firmly in view. Better access has greater value when it brings investment into an area and when communities have a direct stake in that growth.

This World Tourism Day, we celebrate the people who make tourism possible, the businesses that keep showing up, and the communities whose futures are strengthened when tourism grows well. 💙

24/09/2026

This Heritage Day, we celebrate the extraordinary diversity that makes South Africa the country and destination it is.

Our heritage lives in our cultures, languages, traditions, food, stories and communities, and in the people who bring all of these to life.

It is also exactly this richness that sits at the heart of South Africa’s global tourism appeal. The Tourism in South Africa with Trevor Noah campaign captures so much of what we know to be true: South Africa is warm, layered, surprising, generous and unforgettable.

For those of us in tourism, it is a privilege to share that richness with travellers from around the world and, through the experiences we create, offer them a deeper connection to South Africa and its people.

That same diversity is reflected across our membership and our industry, where different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences come together around a shared passion for tourism and for showcasing the very best of our country and region.

Today, we celebrate the heritage we carry, the stories we share and, most importantly, the people who make South Africa what it is.

Happy Heritage Day from all of us at SATSA 💙

Remember when you asked about South Africa? It turns out the questi...

21/09/2026

With new EU sustainability rules coming into effect, travel businesses need to understand what is changing and how it could affect the way sustainability is communicated.

Join SATSA and industry partners on 29 September for a practical webinar covering everything from green claims and marketing to certification, compliance and the information being shared between buyers and suppliers.

The focus is practical: helping you understand what the changes mean for tourism and what you can start doing now.

📆 Tuesday, 29 September 2026
🕑14:00 UK / 15:00 SAST
🔗Register here: https://tinyurl.com/3zk3uns6

17/09/2026

📢 SATSA has partnered with Joburg Tourism to launch Welcome2Joburg Experience, a first-of-its-kind initiative connecting Johannesburg's destination marketing directly to bookable tourism products.

For years, tour operators have said the same thing about Johannesburg: strong demand, not enough ready-made product to sell against it. This partnership sets out to close that gap.

The numbers tell their own story. According to S&P Global, visitor numbers to the city grew from just over 4.5 million in 2024/25 to five million in 2025/26, generating more than R106 billion in tourism spend, resilience shown amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and a global economic downturn.

The partnership rests on four pillars:

🔹Market-ready offers, with SATSA members packaging 72-hour, longer-stay and shorter-stay Johannesburg itineraries
🔹Consumer demand generation through Joburg Tourism's ongoing marketing campaigns
🔹Conversion via an Experience Hub, a booking platform linking travellers directly to Johannesburg products
🔹Consumer insights, gathered to continually refine what's on offer

SATSA CEO David Frost calls Johannesburg the true cultural heartbeat of South Africa, with a depth of culture, cuisine, art and history that rivals any city on the continent, and says this model of collaboration is one the rest of the country should follow.

SATSA members can now put their Johannesburg offerings forward for the programme.

🔗Full details in the release: https://tinyurl.com/33vw38pp

17/09/2026

“Accessible tourism begins long before a traveller arrives. If a traveller cannot find out whether a hotel, activity or journey can accommodate their needs, that uncertainty can be enough to stop them booking,” SATSA told Nomad Africa Magazine.

SATSA recently contributed to Nomad Africa’s feature on why Africa’s next tourism opportunity begins with inclusion.

Accessibility cannot be viewed only through the lens of hotel rooms, ramps or parking bays. It sits across the full customer journey, from reliable information before booking to staff awareness, appropriate assistance and the confidence travellers need to move through their journey with ease.

There is growing awareness across the industry and, importantly, a growing willingness to listen, learn and improve.

Africa’s tourism industry is embracing accessible travel, with experts calling for inclusive marketing, better information.