Travelstart releases 2014 Travel Trends Report

The report, which is based on Travelstart's internal data, looks at domestic, regional and international flights booked on the travel website in the first quarter of 2014.

Comparing bookings made in January, February and March of 2014 with the same period last year, analysts at Travelstart say travel increased across the board in each of the top 10 destinations examined.

1. Cape Town
2. Johannesburg
3. Durban
4. Port Elizabeth
5. Lanseria
6. George
7. East London
8. London
9. Windhoek
10. Bloemfontein

In line with international trends, the demand for domestic travel is as prevalent as it was in 2013 and overall bookings to the top 4 cities - Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth - increased by 36%. The route between Johannesburg and Cape Town is still one of the busiest in the world, appearing on The Economist's list of the world's busiest commercial airline routes with an estimated 4.5 million passengers using the route in 2011. Rounding up the top domestic destinations are Lanseria, George, East London and Bloemfontein.

Apart from the increased number of bookings made on the travel website, there were no huge changes in the top 10 list. Despite inconvenient visa regulations, London remains a popular overseas destination. However, the British capital dropped from sixth in 2013 to eighth in 2014 in the top 10 list. Outside the top 10, most noticeably Paris flight bookings increased by 152% between 2013 and 2014, while Bangkok dropped from 14th most popular city in 2013 to 22nd most popular city in 2014. Tourism to Thailand has been marred by political unrest for the last few months; however, travel specialists at Travelstart expect to see an increase in travel to the region as rules affecting holidaymakers become more flexible.

Windhoek remains the most popular regional destination booked through the online travel agency with bookings growing by 133% from 2013 to 2014.

Total bookings increased by 41% in the first quarter of 2014. The 10 most popular destinations report is based on flight bookings made on www.travelstart.co.za from 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2014.