Visa’s global travel programme integrates digital-first technology and AI assistance. (Image source: iStock)
Global digital payments firm Visa has rolled out its Visa Destinations digital travel platform in South Africa.
This means SA is the first African market to go live with the platform, joining initial international locations such as New York, London, Dubai, Thailand and Mexico City.
Visa Destinations, launched in July, is the firm’s global travel programme that integrates digital-first technology, artificial intelligence (AI) assistance and built-in safety features for a curated travel-related experience.
Through partnerships with merchants and experience providers, the programme is expected to support the broader tourism ecosystem by showcasing distinctive South African businesses to local and international travellers.
Yesterday, Visa brought together various industry partners across banking, merchants, travel and tourism, to showcase the local offering through a curated experience of some of Cape Town’s “gems”.
Speaking at the launch event, Lineshree Moodley, country head of Visa South Africa, said the burgeoning tourism sector and its potential make the country the ideal location to launch Visa Destinations.
“It is a digital-first platform where we enable travel experiences and we curate different benefits across multiple pillars.
“At Visa, we don’t just want to enable the transaction. We want to ensure we provide experiences to our cardholders across the globe, and travel has emerged as a big requirement or need.
“Visa Destinations South Africa responds to this shift by connecting Visa cardholders to carefully curated experiences, from the bushveld and coastline, to the country’s food, culture and cities, while supporting the businesses that help power South Africa’s tourism economy.”
She explained that Visa Destinations is about choosing cities globally, but in the case of South Africa, the company has chosen an entire country because it “couldn’t narrow it down to say it’s just Cape Town”.
Lineshree Moodley, country manager for Visa South Africa.
Employing over a million people, South Africa’s tourism economy has continued to rebound in recent years, with the country welcoming 11 million visitors in 2025.
The country has continued to appeal as both a regional and global destination.
Latest figures from the Department of Tourism show that more than 7.5 million international tourists visited the country between January and August, and over one million in August, representing a 7.4% increase over the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Visa’s 2026 Global Travel Intentions (GTI) survey indicates travellers are increasingly choosing destinations based on passion, purpose and experiences, not just geography.
“The country’s tourism momentum reflects its enduring appeal among international visitors. Today’s travellers are increasingly seeking distinctive experiences that are relevant, rewarding and easy to access,” said Moodley.
“This is about helping travellers explore South Africa through distinctive, passion-led experiences, supported by seamless and secure payments, and digital ease, while creating greater visibility for the merchants behind them.”
Oleksii (Alex) Nazarenkov, head of strategy and operations for Visa Consulting and Analytics: CEMEA region, said the GTI survey asks consumers why they travel, what they are seeking while they are travelling, and what is preventing them travelling.
For South Africa, roughly 35% of the visitors to the country, based on the survey, are coming for the experiences, Nazarenkov revealed.
He added that people are increasingly using AI to plan travel. In South Africa, based on the survey, the relative share of people using AI to plan the travel and find the experiences is higher than in several other markets.
“Around 50% of people who are coming to South Africa are planning their visit using AI tools. Someday they will also use AI tools for bookings and to pay for travel. Digital is not just digital, it’s also AI.”
Safety is the third trend in the GTI survey, he noted, adding this is not physical safety, but payment security and fraud protection.
“People are concerned in the initial stage of their planning because they are not sure if there will be enough card payment acceptance. We know it’s not a problem…it’s an initial planning stage problem. If we solve that, we will bring more people to the destinations like South Africa.”
Following the South African launch of Visa Destinations, the programme will expand to Spain next, concluded Nazarenkov.
