Family Visits Lead South African Domestic Travel

Statistics South Africa's 2025 Domestic Tourism Survey shows overnight trips to visit family still outnumber leisure travel.

Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Africa

Family Visits Lead South African Domestic Travel

Live Poll

Do you plan to visit family or friends during the upcoming holiday season?

Statistics South Africa released its Domestic Tourism Survey on 27 October 2026. Visiting friends and relatives accounted for 48.2% of respondents' most recent overnight trips in 2025, while leisure travel made up 24.2%.

Why it matters

The survey indicates that staying with friends and relatives remains the most common accommodation arrangement for South African domestic travellers. Financial constraints were the leading reason cited by respondents who had not travelled, which bears on tourism planning across South Africa.

Stats SA's survey recorded 24.5 million overnight trips in 2025, down from 26.2 million in 2024, while total domestic tourism spending rose to approximately R63.2 billion. The extraction does not explain the drivers behind the change in spending.

The players

Statistics South Africa

Statistics South Africa is the national statistical agency responsible for official surveys and economic and social data releases in South Africa.

The details

Respondents reported on their most recent overnight trip, and staying with friends and relatives was the most common accommodation arrangement. Financial constraints were the leading reason given by people who did not travel in 2025.

2024: family visits made up 50.4% of overnight trips and South Africans took about 26.2 million trips.
2025: family visits fell to 48.2%, leisure travel reached 24.2%, and about 24.5 million overnight trips were undertaken.
27 October 2026: Statistics South Africa released its Domestic Tourism Survey.
December 2026: households weigh festive-season travel expenses before planning trips.

Seasonal Patterns

The survey's 2024 figures set the baseline for the 2025 results, with family-visit share falling from 50.4% to 48.2% in the Statistics South Africa series. Measured year on year, the decline in overnight trips from 26.2 million to 24.5 million marks a shift in domestic travel behaviour.

Households considering festive-season trips should weigh travel costs against budgets, since financial constraints were the top reason respondents gave for not travelling. Booking with friends and relatives remains the most common low-cost option reported in the survey.

The takeaway

Domestic travel in South Africa is increasingly shaped by budget limits, with visits to family remaining the dominant reason for overnight trips. Travellers planning ahead can factor in accommodation with relatives to manage costs.