As 2023 draws to a close and the South African hospitality sector gears for the summer holiday season, it’s important to take a moment and assess how far the industry has come in 2023. It’s been a long, hard battle, but we’re finally starting to see real progress. But, is it enough and what do hospitality businesses need to keep in mind heading in 2024?

The restaurant industry in South Africa is not what it used to be several years ago. We all know this. The “you-know-what-demic” in 2020 that we’re still trying to emerge from three years later has irrevocably changed the way restaurants operate.

With South Africa’s tourism figures hitting a record high since 2020, travel is steadily picking up again. New travel habits and patterns are birthing new trends on both a local and global scale. Getting to grips with these emerging trends can help hotels better meet evolving guest expectations.

Initially implemented as a way to combat demand outpacing supply, load shedding has unfortunately become a fixed feature of everyday life in South Africa thanks to ongoing power generation constraints - and every industry, from manufacturing to delivery, has been affected.