With Easter just weeks away and travel plans taking shape across the country, the annual long weekend is looking a little different in 2026. The restaurant has already been booked. The running route has been mapped. The family group chat has been active for days negotiating logistics, and increasingly, whether the dog can come too.
New insights from Radisson Hotel Group point to a clear move away from the standardised escape and towards what the chain calls the “intentional itinerary”. Holidays are no longer about stepping out of real life. It is about taking routines and priorities with you, just in a different setting.
South Africans are travelling just as much as before, if not more, with SA Tourism reportedly expecting a surge in domestic travel over the long Easter weekend. What has shifted is motivation. Holidays are increasingly shaped by the same considerations that guide everyday life, from wellbeing and family inclusivity to a preference for places that feel rooted rather than packaged. The focus has moved away from ticking off sights and towards spending time in a destination, even briefly, on its own terms.
“Holidaymakers aren’t just passing through anymore,” says Paul Rivett, General Manager of the Radisson Hotel Cape Town Foreshore. “They arrive with intention, expecting the same standards, routines and priorities they value at home to be reflected in their travel experience.”
He outlines six shifts now visibly shaping how South Africans are spending their holidays:
1. Food as the Destination: The Easter table has always mattered, but now it starts long before anyone sits down. Menus are being studied as carefully as museum lists, with 81% of people saying dining plays a decisive role in where they go. Many secure restaurant reservations before booking accommodation. The draw is authenticity: flavours that feel local and lived in, whether that’s a Soweto braai, a Bo-Kaap curry, or a small kitchen known more by word of mouth than online reviews.
2. Pet-Inclusive Holidays: For many families, a proper break no longer means leaving anyone behind. More than half of pet owners now holiday with their animals, making pet-friendly accommodation an expectation rather than a bonus. The motivation is continuity. Travelling with pets allows holidaymakers to maintain the rhythms of home while away. In South Africa, this is already shaping where people book, with hotels such as Radisson RED V&A Waterfront and Radisson RED Rosebank catering to those who plan their trips around their pets rather than despite them
3. Later-Life Explorers: For older South Africans, the long weekend has become something to savour rather than rush. Sixty-five percent of vacationers globally see later life as the ideal time to explore, and many are doing so with patience and purpose. Weekend dashes give way to longer stays. Packed itineraries are replaced by slow immersion. This generation holidays with confidence and curiosity, lingering in destinations, revisiting long-held ambitions and choosing depth over speed.
4. Wellness Without Interruption: The spa weekend has evolved. Today’s Easter-breakers pack running shoes, map early-morning routes and seek out hotels that support fitness as a routine. Wellness has become portable. From marathon-linked trips to stays chosen for lap pools and outdoor access, holidays are designed to maintain momentum and return travellers home rested and reinvigorated.
5. Family Travel, Rebalanced: The long weekend has shifted away from adult-centric schedules towards shared discovery. With 68% of parents allowing children to influence plans, the focus has moved from keeping kids entertained to experiencing a place together. Nature walks replace guided tours. Exploration replaces entertainment. Parents are finding that when children participate meaningfully, holidays feel less demanding and, often, more restorative.
6. The Return to Meaningful Places: Easter has always carried a pull towards the familiar, and this year that instinct is especially strong. Eighty-two percent of Gen Z and 75% of Millennials are returning to destinations tied to memory: places visited in childhood or landscapes linked to family tradition. Sometimes described as “nostalgification”, the trend reflects a desire for emotional continuity. These holidays are about reconnection, often revisiting the same view or the same photograph decades later, now with a new generation in the frame.
“The idea of a holiday as an escape is fading,” concludes Rivett. “In its place is something more considered. Time away that reflects how people actually live and who they want to share it with. This Easter, the most memorable holidays won’t disrupt routine. They will elevate it.”
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