Words & Photo: SafariNow
Are you itching for a holiday or weekend away but don’t even know where to start looking, or what type of getaway you feel like? SafariNow, South Africa’s largest online accommodation booking site, has launched a nifty new feature that takes the hassle out of discovering new places to go when you’re feeling a bit indecisive.
Using the power of social search, SafariNow’s Destination Inspiration Finder shows top destinations based on various interest themes as rated by SafariNow travellers who have actually been to the destinations.
“It’s all about personal preference and helping travellers discover new places based on the type of holiday they’re in the mood for. If someone is in the mood for a hiking holiday, but they’re not sure where to go, then the Top Hiking Destinations page would share the most popular destinations according to travellers who have already stayed there,” says Matthew Swart, CEO of SafariNow.
Some of the more popular themes include top destinations for beach, art, spa, wildlife, surfing and golfing holidays. The top 11 categories are presented on SafariNow’s home page, but travellers can search over 200 categories for further inspiration – including the top destinations for star gazing, dolphins, shipwrecks, ziplining, ghost tours…and even fresh country air.
In addition, the Top Weekend Getaways Near Me feature allows travellers to see top destinations based on where they are travelling from.
“We decided to incorporate this feature because many of our bookings are for weekend getaways. The ‘Near Me’ feature shows the most popular spots within a maximum of three hours’ drive from a user’s current location – the ideal weekend driving distance,” says Swart.
He adds that SafariNow was inspired to develop the feature when they realised that many travellers feel overwhelmed by the choice available to them when deciding to book a holiday.
“On our site alone there are more than 19,000 establishments to choose from. The search results that are presented by the Destination Inspiration Finder are far more social and match the independent reviews of previous customers to a user’s personal interests in ranking order.
“It really is quite powerful and has made our site far more useful for travellers – it’s a good example of tech that works. Since launching in mid-September the uptake from users has been very positive. We believe that as they get used to the tool, it will become the most popular search feature on our site. Using the Destination Inspiration Finder, South Africans don’t need to spend another weekend on the couch wishing they were somewhere else,” Swart concluded.
Visit www.safarinow.com to find inspiration for your next holiday destination.
