South Africans' holiday activities under the microscope

The survey, conducted in seven countries, also found that South Africans give a higher priority to sport and physical activity while holidaying than any of their counterparts in the South Asia, Middle East and Africa (SAMEA) region. Sport and physical activity - such as snow boarding, skiing, hiking and mountain biking - is ranked fifth after sightseeing, shopping, rest and relaxation and entertainment.

Only Indian and United Arab Emirates' holidaymakers joined South Africans in nominating sightseeing as their preferred travel pursuit. Travellers in Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon favoured the man-made attractions of shopping, entertainment centres and theme parks.

The survey furthermore revealed that 46% of South Africans would prefer to visit the United Kingdom, with 21% preferring to visit the USA on their next holiday. Other destinations of choice for South Africans included European countries (14%), Australia (12%) and New Zealand (5%).

According to Stats SA, there are currently over 400 000 South African's living or working abroad, with the UK, Australia and the USA the most popular choice of destination.

Anton van der Merwe, director of marketing at MasterCard Southern Africa, says: "It makes sense that family, friends and colleagues living in South Africa would choose these destinations for travel purposes, to visit their loved ones."

Part of the MasterIndex of Consumer Confidence, the MasterIndex Consumer Lifestyle survey encompasses a six month forecast of outbound personal travel and trends for seven countries (South Africa, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and India).

Respondents were amongst the 'banked' population (i.e. to have at least a savings account, or a home/auto loan, a plastic payment or ATM card) and were between the ages of 18-64. A total of 2 805 consumers across the seven countries participated in the survey.

The full report can be found at the website www.mastercard-masterindex.com