South African Airways is making a calculated bet on proximity. At Africa’s Travel Indaba 2025, the airline announced its plans to significantly expand its domestic and regional footprint. Johannesburg-George flights will resume in April 2026. East London will return to the network, and the well-travelled Cape Town-Durban corridor is also due for a comeback. Cross-border additions include a new Johannesburg-Gaborone route launching in October this year.
This pivot echoes a broader trend reshaping corporate mobility worldwide. In its Business Travel Trends 2025 report, Globetrender highlighted the emergence of “proximity power” – a shift towards prioritising regional and domestic trips that offer greater flexibility, reduced fatigue and lower environmental impact.
“Domestic and intra-regional travel is no longer considered second-tier,” the report notes. “Businesses are favouring shorter, more frequent trips that deliver high value without long-haul complexity.”
For South African companies adapting to tighter margins and the continued need for face-to-face interaction, this message lands at just the right time.
“Globetrender’s proximity trend mirrors what we’re seeing across our client base,” says Herman Heunes, GM at Corporate Traveller. “Companies are asking themselves: Do we need to go far, or do we need to be fast, lean and visible closer to home?”
Herman Heunes, GM, Corporate Traveller South Africa
The value of regional reconnection
The benefits of proximity-based travel go beyond cost control. Flying from Johannesburg to Gaborone, for example, takes under an hour. Business travellers can meet clients face-to-face and return home in time for dinner. With no jet lag to recover from and minimal time away from day-to-day responsibilities, efficiency improves.
“Short-haul doesn’t mean short impact,” explains Herman.
For South African businesses, the case for boosting regional and domestic engagement is becoming even more compelling off the back of SAA’s renewed connectivity.
- Faster turnaround: Reduced planning cycles and shorter flight times support agile decision-making.
- Wellbeing benefits: Travellers face fewer disruptions to sleep, family life and work rhythm.
- Cost clarity: Domestic routes minimise exposure to currency volatility and eliminate the need for visa fees and extended stays.
- Sustainability alignment: Reduced emissions can help strengthen ESG compliance – particularly as larger customers and partners seek greener supply chain performance.
Notably, Globetrender’s report flags the growing role of wellbeing in travel decision-making. Companies are increasingly considering the toll of long-haul travel – jet lag, stress, burnout – as a key metric in assessing trip value.
When global still matters
Despite the shift towards shorter, targeted trips, few decision-makers are advocating for an end to international travel entirely. In fact, Globetrender highlights a key counter-trend: “essential internationalism.” These are the trips that cannot be replaced by Zoom.
“Proximity travel covers a lot, but global design thinking, market knowledge and partnerships still hinge on nuanced personal exchanges that don’t travel well over the wire,” observes Herman. Among those irreplaceable needs:
- Market entry and expansion: Exploring new territories demands in-person immersion – especially in cultures where trust is best built through direct engagement.
- Strategic partnership development: Joint ventures, product launches or investor roadshows benefit from the ability to build rapport and respond in real-time.
- Crisis response: Customer issues or operational delays can’t always be resolved remotely, and appearing on the ground signals serious intent.
- Knowledge transfer: Technical training and collaborative problem-solving often require teams to be physically together, especially in manufacturing or R&D environments.
“It comes down to impact,” says Heunes. “If the objective can be achieved effectively closer to home, that’s usually the smarter, more sustainable choice. Save the long-haul flights for the moments when presence truly matters.”
To make proximity power more than just a trend, it needs to be reflected in your travel policy, adds Herman.
“Start by creating clear guidelines that encourage regional travel, especially for routine meetings, site visits, or check-ins with nearby clients or teams. This could mean requiring fewer approvals for domestic or short-haul trips, or building in automatic options for day-return travel where it’s feasible. Consolidate meetings into single, purposeful trips to make better use of time and budget,” advises Herman.
“It’s not just about cutting long-haul trips. It’s about putting the right structures in place so teams can act quickly and travel often without the admin load. A good travel policy empowers people to move with agility when it matters most,” he concludes.
