Viewers Vote on South Africa's Best-Kept Secrets in New BBC Interactive Series

Travel storytelling is changing. Audiences are no longer content to watch passively as cameras pan across glossy destination footage; they want a say in where the story goes. Hidden Gems: South Africa, a new interactive series launching on BBC Lifestyle, puts that choice directly in viewers’ hands, asking them to vote on which lesser-known South African destination deserves the title of ultimate hidden gem.

The format pairs travel influencers with real-time audience participation. As local travel personalities journey to surprise locations, documenting design, dining, activities, and atmosphere, viewers weigh in through voting to determine the winning destination. Weekly rewards and a grand prize sustain engagement across the run, transforming what has traditionally been a one-way viewing experience into a live conversation between creators and audience.

Producers Trevor Kaplan and Nico Nel of PD Production developed the concept through years of collaboration with BBC Lifestyle. Their earlier work focused heavily on opulence, particularly in showcasing beautiful property interiors. The breakthrough came when they added a travel element to the format, discovering a structure that offered both dynamic range and scalability while maintaining the visual richness lifestyle television audiences expect.

Two elements distinguish the series from conventional travel programming. The first is the use of social media influencers rather than traditional presenters, which creates a sense of intimacy and authenticity. These are people viewers likely already follow on Instagram, individuals who pack their own bags and travel independently. Kaplan and Nel deliberately selected growing voices rather than mega-influencers, seeking personalities with solid follower bases but fresh, untainted perspectives. The selection process prioritized personal connection; the producers wanted individuals they could spend days filming with, people who saw mutual value in the collaboration.

The second distinguishing element is the interactive voting, which is genuinely novel in the travel genre. Audiences decide not just whether they enjoy the content, but which destination ultimately prevails. This raises complex production questions. Travel is inherently subjective. What one viewer values as the ultimate gem another might dismiss entirely. Is the deciding factor location, opulence, luxury, dining quality, or surrounding activities? Kaplan and Nel acknowledge they are genuinely uncertain which way the vote will go, despite having personal favorites and initial predictions.

Identifying the ten featured destinations required careful curation. The producers began by asking their selected influencers for their favorite locations, using those suggestions as a starting point while not necessarily returning to those exact places. The real challenge lay in aligning production schedules, travel logistics, and influencer availability across multiple trips. To ensure variety, the team organized destinations around specific themes: water, mountain, urban, eco, and others. Within each category, they selected options that showcased diverse accommodations, landscapes, and dining experiences.

The definition of a hidden gem extends far beyond accommodation. Kaplan emphasizes that a true gem is a holistic experience encompassing unique dining, often featuring local cuisine, and various activities. It is the story you tell on Monday morning after your trip, the narrative that makes the experience memorable enough to share with colleagues and friends. All ten featured destinations meet this standard, each offering a complete experience rather than simply a place to sleep.

During filming, the variety of South Africa’s lesser-known destinations proved surprising. While social media provides images and glimpses, the actual travel experience, the hunt, and the moment of discovery are entirely different. What struck Kaplan and Nel most was realizing just how many hidden gems exist across the country. Gems are not exclusively expensive; several featured destinations are affordable to most people, accessible regardless of which corner of South Africa viewers call home.

Meanwhile, the shift toward audience participation reflects broader changes in how modern campaigns must function. Successful engagement now requires presence across multiple platforms: linear television, out-of-home advertising, and curated social media. This format ensures a 360-degree conversation where audiences are fully integrated into the experience. In 2026, this level of participation feels not innovative but expected.

The producers hope the series encourages South Africans to travel locally and support smaller businesses. In the post-COVID landscape and amid current economic pressures, local tourism matters. The show also provides complete objectivity; unlike social media feeds where endorsements might be paid, no one is paying to be featured. This curated, honest perspective reinforces that these gems are genuinely within reach, potentially inspiring spontaneous weekend getaways.

What makes Hidden Gems: South Africa distinct in an oversaturated travel content landscape is curated authenticity and compelling storytelling. The most interesting destinations incorporate local tales and history, including ancient rock art thousands of years old. South Africa possesses extraordinary undiscovered history and cultural legacies that remain largely unknown, and the series aims to reveal exactly what the country has to offer.

Modern travel storytelling, according to Kaplan and Nel, must prioritize authenticity by allowing local people to tell their own stories. When choosing a holiday, families face pressure to satisfy everyone’s preferences and ensure value for money in a difficult economic climate. By showcasing authentic experiences that have been thoroughly vetted, the series provides certainty and confidence. Viewers learn what to expect, what memories they might create, and what potential challenges they might avoid. This transparency matters when planning limited vacation time and resources.

Balancing exclusivity with accessibility required careful consideration. South Africa offers diverse gems across various price ranges. Exclusivity is not solely about cost; if a destination is beyond your budget, it remains exclusive to you. Even when traveling four hours to a gem in the Klein Karoo, viewers can expect luxury amenities, quality dining, and distinct local stories. The locations selected were crucial to demonstrating that this variety exists, that a holistic travel experience awaits regardless of price point.

Kaplan and Nel find it nearly impossible to choose personal favorites from the ten destinations. Each offers something different, and their preferences diverge based on what they individually value in a travel experience. This difficulty in selecting a single gem is precisely why they are eager to see what audiences decide. The discussion itself, the conversation about which destination reached someone’s top three or which elements mattered most, creates interesting dialogue and reveals what viewers truly value. Whether the winning gem turns out to be a mountain retreat, something in the Klein Karoo, or elsewhere entirely is a question only the audience can answer.