Don’t Leave Restaurants Off the Itinerary

SSouth Africa’s Food Story Is Part of the Travel Experience

When we package South Africa for visitors, we think about wildlife, beaches, scenery, culture, and adventure. But another part of the visitor experience deserves a more deliberate place in the itinerary: where visitors eat.

New visitor sentiment data from Data Appeal suggests that South Africa’s restaurant and food experience is already one of the country’s strengths. Based on more than 1.3 million reviews from international travellers between September 2025 and September 2026, South Africa’s Food & Beverage sector recorded an overall sentiment score of 90.7 out of 100.

Restaurants should not be treated as the gap between activities; they are part of the experience we are selling. Dining gives international visitors another opportunity to connect with South Africa through its people, flavours, culture and sense of hospitality. A well-chosen restaurant can add depth to an itinerary, create a memorable evening, introduce visitors to local ingredients and cuisine, and often become one of the moments they talk about long after the trip has ended. When restaurants are deliberately selected and packaged as part of the journey, they help turn a good itinerary into a richer and more complete South African experience.

Visitors remember how we make them feel

One of the strongest findings isn't simply about the food; it is about the people serving it.

Staff emerged as the most discussed topic, generating more than 254,000 reviews and a sentiment score of 83.3. Hospitality also performed strongly, with a sentiment score of 86.9.

This matters because many small interactions shape an international visitor’s impression of South Africa during their trip. A warm welcome, an attentive waiter, a chef’s recommendation, or a memorable dinner conversation can become as much a part of the holiday story as the attraction visited that morning.

The data also shows that hospitality is becoming increasingly prominent in visitor conversations, with its share of mentions rising from 9.7% to 11.7%.

That famous South African welcome is therefore something the trade can confidently build into destination storytelling.

Food needs a seat at the packaging table

For tour operators, DMCs, accommodation establishments and itinerary planners, this presents an opportunity.

Instead of just giving visitors “an evening at leisure”, consider the restaurant experience as an intentional part of the itinerary. A great dinner can introduce visitors to South African flavours, people, neighbourhoods and culture in a way another sightseeing stop cannot.

It is important to remember who talks about these experiences. Germany accounted for 14.4% of international Food & Beverage reviews, the UK 13.4%, the USA 7.4% and Saudi Arabia 6.9%. Visitors from key tourism markets are not only eating in our restaurants; they are also sharing those experiences online.

Overwhelmingly, they share them on Google, which accounts for 98.7% of the reviews analyzed. A restaurant’s digital reputation is therefore also part of South Africa’s destination reputation.

Areas for improvement

While the overall restaurant experience remains positive, the data highlights a few areas where more attention could strengthen the experience for international visitors. Waiting times, reservations, value for money, safety, and toilet facilities recorded lower sentiment scores, pointing to opportunities to improve service efficiency and the guest journey. Cleanliness also declined from 82.6 to 76.6. These findings suggest that alongside great food and hospitality, consistent attention to practical details of the dining experience is important to maintain South Africa’s strong reputation with international visitors.

By working together across the tourism trade and restaurant sector to address these areas, we can further improve visitor satisfaction and strengthen South Africa’s overall food and dining experience.

What should the trade do differently?

The opportunity is to become more deliberate about the restaurants included in tourism packages.

Choose venues not only for location and price but also for service quality, consistency, atmosphere, cleanliness, value, and their ability to cater to different visitor needs. Allow enough time in itineraries for the dining experience instead of squeezing meals between activities. Check reservation processes, understand dietary requirements, and ensure the restaurants you recommend are ready for guests.

And importantly, look beyond the usual tourism hotspots. The data shows strong restaurant sentiment in places such as Kimberley, the Eastern Cape, and the Northern Cape, showing that excellent food experiences can also support geographic spread and help visitors discover more of South Africa.

The takeaway

South Africa already has an excellent food and hospitality story. International visitors respond positively to our people, hospitality, and restaurant experiences. The opportunity now is to stop treating food as an afterthought.

When we package South Africa, the question should not only be “What will visitors see and do?” It should also be “Where will they eat and what will that experience say about South Africa?”

Because sometimes, the experience a traveller remembers most happens around a table.

This article has been prepared by the South African Tourism Analytics and Insights unit.