While 2024 may have been an exceptionally challenging year for the travel industry, it was also one in which Travel Counsellors South Africa was able to transform its business model and achieve double-digit growth.
This is according to Mladen Lukic, GM of Travel Counsellors South Africa, who says the stop-start nature of the market, influenced by the election and its economic impact, made it a difficult period. “Many businesses were simply trying to reach the end of the year with minimal damage. However, despite these challenges, we achieved double-digit growth across every aspect of our business.
Speaking to Travel News during the Travel Counsellors South Africa annual conference, which took place at the Arabella Resort and Spa last week, Lukic said historically, Travel Counsellors was a predominantly corporate-facing travel company. “While we never exclusively focused on corporate travel, it was the core of our business for the first 12 years. Over the past year, however, we have managed to shift towards a more balanced 50/50 split between corporate and leisure.”
He says that in addition, the leisure segment has leaned heavily into premium travel – accounting for 60% of total leisure business, and with 20% of that being domestic, an area that has been historically difficult to tap into.
“Our success has been largely driven by the exceptional work of our Travel Counsellors (TCs), who are the heart of our business. The strength of our model lies in the fact that each TC runs their own business, and our role is to provide them with the tools and support to excel,” said Lukic.
In agreement, Jim Eastwood, Global Sales Director, pointed out that South Africa’s travel industry operates against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, volatile currency exchange rates, ongoing power cuts, and social inequality. Despite these challenges, he remains confident in the market’s long-term sustainability, stating that in an objective market analysis exercise, South Africa was identified as the most resilient of all of Travel Counsellors’ markets.
Additionally, the SA economy has shown similar resilience, growing by 1,2% in 2024, with forecasts indicating a further expansion of 2% in 2025, surpassing the 0,8% growth initially projected. With an addressable market valued at R65 billion in 2025 and a relatively small market share of 1,5%, Travel Counsellors sees significant room for expansion.
Eastwood highlighted that South Africa represents a unique success story within the group. The country’s Travel Counsellors operate differently from their global counterparts, forming a distinct and successful model that could serve as a blueprint for further international growth.
On a broader scale, the business has surpassed £1 billion (R23,5 billion) in sales, achieving a 13% year-on-year increase. The first quarter of 2025 was the company’s strongest on record, with Travel Counsellors now boasting 2 172 independent advisors worldwide and earnings growth exceeding 10,2% year on year.
