Every December, a handful of South African towns transform almost overnight. The schools close, the visitors arrive for a busy few weeks, and then things settle back to normal.

When we look back at our data over the last four festive seasons, we see a consistent uplift, with many of the same customers coming back. 

In this second installment of our festive season spending report, we break down the towns that see the biggest uptick in festive spending and look at what businesses in them can do to make the most of this time.

December is more than just a “lucky month” for many towns

Earlier this year, we looked at which towns see the biggest jump in spending between November and December. So we went back to check whether 2025 was a one-off. It wasn't. 

Every coastal town in that report except Ballito saw December spend at least 40% higher than November in each of the last four seasons. And the order of the towns barely changes from year to year.

Kenton-on-Sea leads the pack and experienced the biggest jump in spending in each year we looked at. Last December, independent businesses in the town processed more than five times as much in sales as they did in November. 

What’s more, Kenton-on-Sea’s November-to-December spending increase has averaged about 455% over the past four festive seasons. 

Stilbaai is another town that’s seen a massive jump in festive spending and which has grown every year. In 2022, independent businesses in the town saw December spending 197% higher than November. By 2025, it had grown to 284%.

On the coast, the towns of Struisbaai (+154%), Southbroom (+140%), St Francis Bay (+113%), Port Edward (+108%) and Yzerfontein (+104%) all saw their independent businesses more than double their November trade last December. 

It isn't only coastal towns benefiting from a holiday boom. Inland getaways like Mtubatuba, the gateway to St Lucia (+109%), Vanderkloof (+100%), De Rust (+91%) and Dullstroom (+64%) also saw big jumps in spending between November and December last year.

These increases aren’t one-offs either. They’re something you can plan for, and the data suggests many of these visitors come back each year. 

Visitors and spending that keep returning

Using anonymised card data from businesses that partner with Yoco, we looked at holiday makers who shopped in 17 coastal towns over the 2024/25 holiday season, and checked whether they came back the following December.

Many did. Of the holiday makers we could track into the next season, 29% came back to the same town. And about 12% went back to the very same business.

In the most seasonal towns, the numbers are even higher. In Stilbaai and Kenton-on-Sea, for example, about 4 in 10 people came back to the same town. On top of that, about 1 in 5 went back to the same shop, restaurant or business.

The data suggests holiday customers aren’t always a one-off sale for many businesses in South Africa’s holiday towns. In many of these towns, the person you serve this December has a real chance of walking back through your door next year. 

Making your December count, this year and next

Knowing that a solid festive season is not down to pure luck can make it possible to plan ahead and set yourself up for success. If you’re trading in a holiday town, here are four ways to think about making the most of your December. 

1. Plan for the season and not a surprise

If your town's December has looked the same for four years, there’s a very good chance it'll look similar again this year. Coastal towns usually start picking up about two weeks before schools close (on 9 December this year), so get your stock, staff and menus sorted before then.

2. Be ready for the rush at the till

For businesses in holiday towns, managing the rush can be the difference between a good and a poor customer experience. When the queue is out the door, having an extra point of sale or card machine can help. 

In each of the last three seasons, businesses that added a card machine between October and mid-December saw December trade of 1.4 to 3.2 times their normal level, compared with 1 to 1.3 times for businesses that didn’t. We can’t say the extra machine caused the jump, because many of these businesses were already expecting a rush. But it shows that the busiest businesses gear up before it arrives. 

3. Treat new faces like future regulars

The customer who's new to you this December may be back next year. Small things stick: a friendly welcome, remembering an order, a thank-you on the way out. Those are the details people remember twelve months later.

4. Give them a reason to come back

A quick sign-up at the till keeps you connected long after the holidays. Yoco Loyalty makes that easy: customers join with their cell number, earn points automatically on every tap and check their balance on WhatsApp. So when they're back in town, they've got a reason to choose you again. It's included on the Plus Plan.