SA tops for Dutch travellers?
2012-11-07 12:10
Online travel agency Expedia.nl recently announced that South Africa had become one of the 10 most popular holiday destinations for Dutch travellers.
The agency said bookings for SA had increased by 90% compared with 2011. Dutch tour operators have, however, questioned these high increases, calling them improbable in the current economic climate, Tourism Update reports.
Ellen van Zandwijk, Owner of Gemsbok Reizen, says the figures released by Expedia don't seem to reflect the reality on the ground. "If an agency sees increases of between 1% and 5%, they are usually quite happy." She added that their online booking tool had seen a traffic surge, which could correlate with the increase Expedia announced, but that it was nowhere near 90%.
She says it seems that more Dutch travellers feel confident about SA, which has resulted in a shift to travellers compiling their own trips and itineraries instead of opting for organised tours.
Douwe Baas, Owner Suid Afrika Reise, says he was surprised to hear about the surge in interest, saying they had not noticed a rise in bookings for South Africa.
However, Expedia maintains the figures are correct. René Nieuwmans, Senior Product Manager at Expedia says: "When it comes to the autumn destinations outside of Europe, we can see the US remains the absolute number one. South Africa, a country that has so much to offer, is definitely up and coming."
