Veldsight
Issue 01 · July 2026
Confidential
The cover story

South
Africa
sold out.

10.5 million arrivals. R31 200 average wildlife spend. The record tourism year is happening in real time — and most brands are still marketing to last year's traveller.

This is a working atlas of the demand behind that number. Sixty verified facts, seventeen decisions with money attached, twenty-six sources on the record. Built for marketers who have to move budget on Monday.

10.5m
Arrivals · 2025
+17.7% YoY
R31 200
Wildlife spend
2.6× all-visitor
22.8%
Overseas share
70–80% of lodge revenue
+12.8%
Jan–May 2026
ahead of record year
80%
Use generative AI
18k travellers · 14 countries
17
Plays with money
priced, phased, testable
In this issue · fourteen tabs
Tap any card to open →
The method

Every figure is either verified — reproduced as published — or modelled and clearly flagged. Never blurred.

The chain

Facts feed plays. Plays cite facts. Every play carries a Monday action, arithmetic, and a KPI you can measure by Friday.

The receipts

Twenty-six sources: SA Tourism, Wesgro, Deloitte, UNWTO, Accenture, IATA. Every number resolves in the Receipts tab.

COVERAGE CHECKLIST · 30 SHEETS → HOME CONFIRMED
✓SB 00 The Argument00 Method
✓SB 01 Fact Bank (F01–F60)03 Fact Bank
✓SB 02 The Twelve Plays (P1–P12)02 The Seventeen Plays
✓SB 03 Stress Test02 Plays — inline stress notes
✓SB 04 Platform Fix List00 Method (build discipline)
✓SB 05 Pitch Narrative12 The Briefing
✓SB 06 Source Register (S1–S26)13 Receipts
✓SB 07 Demand Analytics07 Demand-Side Intelligence
✓SB 08 Capacity & RevPAR09 The Money Room · hero stat
✓SB 09 Play P&L Engine09 The Money Room · engine
✓SB 10 Sensitivity Grid09 The Money Room · sensitivity
✓SB 11 Media Phasing Matrix09 The Money Room · phasing
✓SB 12 KPI Dictionary10 Proof — scorecard preview
✓SB 13 Data Gaps Register10 Proof — first 30 days
✓SB 14 Demand-Side Plays (P13–P17) + Corrections02 Plays + 11 Watchlist
✓SB 15 Personas07 Demand-Side Intelligence
✓SB 16 Resilience Line08 Reallocation & Resilience Line
✓SB 17 Allocation Framework09 The Money Room · allocation
✓Atlas 00 Read Me00 Method
✓Atlas 01 Master Matrix04 The League
✓Atlas 02 Tier 1 Profiles05 Market Files
✓Atlas 03 Tier 2 Profiles05 Market Files
✓Atlas 04 Tier 3 + Watchlist05 Market Files + 11 Watchlist
✓Atlas 05 Tier 4 Base Load05 Market Files
✓Atlas 06 Two-Calendar Seasonality06 Two Calendars
✓Atlas 07 Behaviour Benchmarks07 Demand-Side Intelligence
✓Atlas 08 Channel & Trade Map05 Market Files (channel card)
✓Atlas 09 Budget Allocator09 The Money Room · allocator
✓Atlas 10 Dashboard Spec00 Method (build discipline)
✓Atlas 11 Source Register13 Receipts