The South Africa Issue

Why your next holiday should be South Africa.

To start, the entire country is breathtakingly beautiful: it has rugged bushveld, the soaring Drakensberg mountains, miles of beaches, dense forests, spectacular deserts and lush, sub-tropical coastal areas. It is also incredibly diverse — in its people, food, languages (there are 11 official languages), climate, landscapes and of course its significant biodiversity. But the best reason to visit is because South Africans are some of the most warm and friendly people you will find.

There is so much more that South Africa can offer tourists beyond its most popular destinations. For example, you could do a wilderness trail in Kwa Zulu Natal, or go star gazing in remote Sutherland where world’s most powerful radio telescope system is based, or discover the diamond mining town of Kimberly, travelling there on a luxury train, Rovos Rail. The options are endless.

Of course, our beloved country is not without its problems, and the biggest of these is poverty and unemployment. This month I spent some time at the World Travel Market (WTM) Africa in Cape Town. At WTM Africa much was said about the positive contribution of tourism to the South African economy, especially in the form of desperately needed jobs. At the same time overtourism is having a negative impact on cities such as Paris, Barcelona and Dubrovnik, among many others. There are clearly advantages and disadvantages of tourism.

On balance I think that tourism has a net positive impact in South Africa as long as companies such as Leopard promote responsible tourism and authentic experiences. If you spend your “tourist dollar” wisely, it makes an important contribution to South African small businesses, as well as giving you an extraordinary holiday and memories that will last a lifetime. If you need more reasons to use Leopard for your next trip to South Africa, read our list of 7 reasons here

While in Cape Town, I took the opportunity to visit a few hotels for clients who will be spending their honeymoon here. You can view the videos I made of each hotel visit over at my Instagram account (no login required to view the videos, but please follow us if you are on Instagram).

Happy travelling!
Diana