THRIVE ISSUE 5 DECEMBER 2024 6 By Velma Corcoran, Director, Policy Strategy (EMEA), Airbnb The majority of women who are travelling are Gen-Zs. 60% Gen Z women want to travel versus 40% Gen Zs who are men. So you can see decisions are being made and where the demand is coming from “They are informed by television shows such as Emily in Paris. ‘‘- Corcoran On the eve of World Tourism Day 2024, I had the privilege of being part of a panel at the Tourism Leadership Conference , hosted by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa. The question that was asked is: what does the future of South Africa’s tourism sector look like 10 to 15 years from now? In my view the real opportunity for South Africa, 10 to 15 years from now is to triple our contribution to GDP, which would bring us more in line with where people are globally. And I think that change will come from the demand side. Based on what we have seen from Airbnb there are two significant trends that influence this. Redefining The Future Tourism In South Africa Women & Gen-Zs A new breed of traveller that is looking for fun, joy and experience. I’m not just saying this because I am a woman, but 2024 is the year of women. 55% of travel decisions are driven by women. The major travel phenomenon of this year was a woman. The Eras Tour, which began in Glendale, Arizona in March 2023 is set to conclude in Vancouver in this month of December consisting of 149 shows spanning five continents. The tour delivered $5billion in incremental spend in the destinations where it was held. The average Swiftie, who is about 16 years old; spends $1,800 on tickets, accommodation and bracelets. And so, we are seeing the power of events and entertainment to drive travel. We saw 300% increase of searches on our platform in destinations where the Eras tour was taking place.
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