By Gofaone Motsamai

While tourism remains one of South Africa’s biggest economic growth areas, little research has been done to investigate the travel habits of black city dwellers who are a fast-growing sector of the market.

Step up Kamohelo Lempe, a second-year MA Tourism candidate at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, who is charting new territory in South African tourism research.

His study, “Assessing the factors influencing the travel decision-making of black South African urbanites”, has placed him at the forefront of an underexplored field and earned him a bursary from the Department of Tourism to support his work.

Kamohelo, who also lectures in philosophy at the NWU, is one of the first researchers to conduct an in-depth study of how middle-class, economically active black South Africans in metropolitan areas make decisions about domestic leisure travel. While this group forms a significant part of the travel market, they remain largely absent from scholarly and policy discussions.

“Since the end of apartheid, participation in leisure travel among black urbanites has grown steadily, but their unique travel patterns and decision-making processes are still overlooked,” Kamohelo explains. “My research seeks to fill this gap and provide evidence-based insights that can guide both tourism policy and marketing.”

The study examines how socio-economic mobility, cultural identity and digital engagement shape travel behaviour in this group.

Some plan, others want to get up and go

Preliminary findings indicate that while some are planners who consider safety, affordability and reliable information, others make decisions based on trends, emotional appeal or peer recommendations on social media.

“Tourism strategies must recognise the diversity within this market,” Kamohelo notes. “While detailed content and transparent pricing may appeal to early planners, spontaneous travellers are more likely to respond to time-sensitive promotions and peer recommendations on social media.”

The significance of Kamohelo’s study lies in its potential to shape inclusive growth strategies that directly address safety concerns, affordability and representation in marketing campaigns. By bringing the experiences and voices of black South African urbanites to the fore, his work has the potential to expand participation and build loyalty in the domestic travel sector.

Kamohelo Lempe, MA Tourism student and philosophy lecturer at the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus, is pioneering research on the travel behaviours of black South African urbanites.