Adventure
product for
Indian Ocean
island explorers,
from page 8.
Sell, package and
explore Swaziland
in the Destination
Update on page 16.
The best forex and
insurance advice for your
customers on page 18.
Travel Industry Review
Published by TTG Southern Africa
Retailers concentrate on products
with high potential commissions
BY SARAH WHITESIDE
OPER ATORS and retailers, reporting on methods
for improving commission
ear nings, have identif ied
land arrangements, cruises
and ancillary services as the
products likely to have the
biggest impact on an agency’s bottom line. Cross-selling and pre-
ferred partner sales were the
most frequently mentioned
st rategies for i ncreasi ng
prof it margins as well as
commission splits for companies working with ITCs. While air sales were considered most agencies’ bread
and butter a decade ago, the
industry now employs air
price baiting in drawing clients who will almost certain-
Reader's Letter:
WITH permanent foreign residents still
being warned they should be prepared
to produce their original resident authorisation documents, in addition
to passports and IDs, when re-entering South Africa (TIR
December 2014), Jo Meintjes of Jo Meintjes Travel, headed
straight to Home Affairs to begin the process of reapplying
for her original permanent resident certificate. She wrote in to
share her experience with others facing the same conundrum.
Last month, seven months after we first heard from her, the
process was finally concluded...
“Dear TIR,
I wonder if you heard any more from any readers about
their replacement for their Permanent Residence Certificate. This took a lot of chasing up as VFS Global (the
agents for Dept. of Home Affairs) said it would take 10
months, others said it would be a year.
I had been told by VFS Global’s website that it would
be one more working day until I could collect my replacement certificate. So, I hopefully went to see their
office in Rivonia on a Monday. Apparently Mondays
are not a good day [with] perhaps 80 people squashed
into one small room, either standing or sitting on a few
chairs. Those collecting Schengen visas occupy the
same room. You submit your receipts in batches and
then they randomly call out your name as they find
your documents. After a two-hour wait I was told I had
arrived too soon.
There is no loudspeaker or TV screen to hear/see
your name so just be very alert in what can be a very
noisy room. You may be called by one of your Christian
names instead of surname.
continued on page 4
ly require products with more
lucrative earning potential.
John Ridler, PR and Media Manager for Thompsons
Holidays, urged agents not
to be order takers: “Sell your
clients a bundle of packages
and earn extra commission
before they depar t. Once
you have provided the client
with their basic requirements
there is always an opportunity to offer them more…” Monica Hor n, Product
Manager at Harvey World
Travel, said she always ad-
vised Har vey’s agents to
cross-sell and upsell, offering
as many travel related services as possible. “This yields
two results – it increases the
value our clients receive from
working with us and also increases our revenue.” Geraldine Boshoff, Manager: Contract and Marketing
for Sure Travel, suggested
consultants ask clients as
many questions as possible
in order to correctly qualify
them. “Then offer them the
continued on page 13
Pictured in Abu Dhabi during an exploratory tour last
month: TCA Abu Dhabi representative, Natalia Rosa of
Big Ambitions and John Ridler, Thompsons Holidays. The
tourism authority reported a huge response to its inaugural product roadshow in South Africa last month. Arrival
numbers in July 2015 were up a record 100 percent on
last year. Educationals for wholesalers, MICE buyers, as
well as local golf specialists, are being planned.
Precedent is set on agencies’ client ownership BY SARAH CORNWELL
A HARVEY World Travel
agency in Gauteng has successfully enforced a restraint
of trade against a for mer
in-house travel consultant,
with costs, in what may be
a landmark decision to protect client ownership. It has
Joining the Johannesburg leg of the 2015 AVIAREPS
Airline Mini Fair last month: Kholo Mmola from Qantas’
Commercial Support team in South Africa and (right)
Lauren Egger, the airline’s Sales and Marketing Executive.
long been an issue for highstreet travel agencies when
employees, who have built
a personal relationship with
clients, leave and take clients
with them.
The case was heard in
the Labour Court of South
Africa in Johannesburg last
month. The respondent, who had
resigned from the company,
was restrained for a period of
eight months from working
for or doing business with
five of the agency’s corporate
clients. Legal representatives
for the applicant requested
TIR not to refer to the clients.
Craig Cowgill of Harvey
World Travel Lifestyle, said
the ruling showed “restraints
are fully enforceable”. “I thought there had been
various cases in the [travel] industry… We, as travel
management companies, go
out and get business, only for
someone to come in and
think they can build a relationship [with the client]…
We have now finally set a
precedent,” he said.
Gareth Cremen, of legal
firm Ramsay Webber, representing the applicant, said he
believed there was a common
misconception in the retail
sector that restraints were
unenforceable.
Association of Southern
African Travel Agents’ Chief
Executive Officer, Otto de
Vries, said he was not familiar with the details of this
specific case but agreed, “in
a lot of cases, businesses are
often shy or don’t believe
there is any way of stopping
the loss of potential customers when someone leaves…
but this shows it can be done.
It is how and about approaching the right courts. I don’t
know the details of the case
continued on page 4
News Digest
New government contracting
system kicks-in with effects
on non-ASATA TMCs
BY SARAH CORNWELL
ONLY members of the Association of Southern African
Travel Agents will be eligible to register on the government’s new online supplier
database. This follows a major effort by the organisation to help shape the government’s travel procurement
policy and establish recognition for its position as the
travel industry’s representative body.
ASATA has been working jointly with the Treasury’s Chief Directorate of
Strategic Procurement over
the past year to develop a
sourcing strategy for travel
and accommodation, including travel agents or TMCs,
domestic accommodation,
domestic car rental and domestic transport.
A code of conduct, outlining the responsibilities of, or
proper practices for, an individual, party or organisation
conducting government business, was also developed.
Although travel will continue to be procured by departments and provinces, last
month ASATA conf irmed
obligator y ASATA membership is stipulated in the
standard terms of reference
for the future appointment of
enews updates
1
ASATA membership mandatory for new
government contracting system
2
Parliament questions SAA recognition of
crisis
3
Late demand surges for Rugby World Cup
packages
4
5
Delta Air Lines, in conjunction with TIR, is providing
two confirmed return tickets to a city of your choice in the Continental USA served by
Delta to a lucky travel agent and partner. Enter by answering two questions from each
of the September, October & November issues of TIR. The answers will be in news
stories about Delta appearing in these issues. Entries will be done via tir.co.za and can
only be submitted between November 1 and November 30, 2015. All six answers will
be required on the entry form, so make sure to keep a note of your answers from each
issue – or use the archive of TIR editions when entering. Winner will be announced in
the January 2016 issue of TIR. Below are questions three and four...
Questions 3 & 4:
Question 3: How many aircraft will Delta paint in its breast cancer awareness and
fundraising campaign?
Question 4: Which South American city will Delta start operating to four times
weekly from Orlando on December 19?
* Competition only open to retail
travel agency consultants and staff.
ister for tender defaulters and
database of restricted suppliers. Suppliers currently on
any state database have been
told to maintain their records
through the existing supplier
systems for the interim period – September 1, 2015 to
March 31, 2016.
How will these developments benefit or
disadvantage your business?
Most Read
stories from the
past month...
a TMC.
The country’s new Central
Supplier Database is intended to simplify the process of
doing business with the government, and to reduce costs
for suppliers and the state. It
went live on September 1.
Prospective suppliers can
self-register on the CSD website – www.csd.gov.za. The
system will also interface
with the South African Revenue Service to verify tax
clearance certificates and
the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission
for business registration and
business ownership information. Supplier information
will be verified with the reg-
Enter to win with Delta & TIR!
Evidence continues to mount on visa damage
Lufthansa denies drop after GDS fee intro
www.tir.co.za/enews
› Share your feedback with us: sarah@tir.co.za
Precedent is set
on client ownership continued from page 1
and I don’t know what the
final outcomes are… Maybe
this sparks the conversation
again [about] who owns the
customer. At the end of the
day, we have seen scenarios where ITCs have taken
customers but that has been
agreed upon, but one has to
wonder why businesses are
now doing more to keep their
customers… when there is
blatant disregard… it is important that businesses know
they have got recourse.”
continued from page 1
“On the day, the website announced they had received my permit, I returned to find a half empty
room and I was dealt with, within 40 minutes. It is
only a letter from the Department of Home Affairs.
Rather uninspiring, since I was photographed and my
fingerprints taken at the interview lasting 2.5 hours,
but at least I am now permitted to travel.
I was told during the course of my nagging that I
would not even be able to leave the country let alone
re-enter it. Besides my personal details it says: “Duplicate permits for permanent residence are not issued.
You are advised to safeguard this permit as you will have
to present the original to the Immigration Authorities at
ports of entry, should you wish to travel.”
So, I think this paragraph should clarify it for all
other travellers on foreign passports. You must have
this letter or original certificate with you. Other documents like ID will not suffice. I paid R1,350 to VFS and
R100 for the visa, plus a further R20 for SMS’ to notify me (R1,470 total) but only ever received one SMS
in March to say they had received my documents
after my interview.
I hope others will gain some benefit if they are in
the same predicament.”
– Jo Meintjes
Comment
Competition grows for experienced counsellors
www.tir.co.za
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
John Wardall
MANAGING EDITOR
Sarah Cornwell
Tel: 021 789 0053
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Dominic Wardall
CONTRIBUTORS
Richard Holmes
Sarah Whiteside
PUBLISHER
John Wardall
BR AN DS are good, promotion is good, back office
and other systems are good,
products are good, and so
is a lot of other stuff, which
makes up the travel process
and buying experience.
But, as the story in last
month’s issue of TIR on travel agents’ remuneration made
clear, the most important and
inf luential element in sales
and repeat business is the
travel counsellor.
It takes time, experience,
training, attention to detail,
inter personal skills and a
commitment to customer service to create a travel agent,
who is sought and valued by
employers and clients. It is a
demanding and skilled job.
There are heavy work demands on agents and a re-
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HEAD OFFICE
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Tel: 021 789 0053
REPRESENTATION
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Published by:
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away and join a competitor or
establish themselves as independents, taking clients with
them and potentially seriously damaging their former
employer’s business.
Employees should not be
sur prised, therefore, that
employers are finding it essential to write non-compete
clauses into employ ment
contracts. That was highlighted by a Labour Court
decision last month.
While some educational
organisations may provide
training in some of the technical skills and a means of
entering the industry, there
is no substitute for experience and track record and the
competition for those experienced achievers is going to
continue to grow.
In its eighth year, the E-Tourism Africa Summit programme is designed to help travel and
tourism companies improve their online presence and leverage online and digital tools to
help grow their business. This year’s programme featured presentations by local digital
marketing specialists and content developers, with others representing global digital
heavyweights such as TripAdvisor, Twitter, Uber, Airbnb, TourRadar, Expedia, Nights/
Activity Bridge and Facebook.
PERSONALISATION and content creation
for smart guest marketing were some of the
major talking points at this year’s E-Tourism
Africa Summit, staged in Cape Town and
Tshwane last month.
Damian Cook, E-Tourism Frontiers Chief
Executive Officer, urged delegates to “reboot and remake” old ideas. “Travel is the
most popular shared experience on social
media… and the future that we talked about
is here,” he said. According to Mr. Cook, a recent overseas
market study found 58 percent of millennials would rather lose their sense of smell
than their technology. “Cater to a younger
generation… We no loner have a choice.”
He maintained: “In 2011, we discussed ‘the
why’; why is it [social media and technology]
vital? Everybody is using it these days; now
[our discussions] are about the how. How do
you best use it?”
While Mr. Cook said tourism business
were increasingly linking their social media
channels with traditional online booking
and marketing sites, he shared some new
insight into the demographics associated
with the world’s largest social media platforms.
Grandparents are Twitter’s fastest growing demographic, according to Mr. Cook,
while Facebook is most popular with individuals between the ages of 30 and 40.
The more senior demographic is “sharing
information”, he said, while 30 – 40 yearolds were using Facebook to “share stories”. Instagram is about “sharing moments”,
Mr. Cook said. The photo-sharing site is
most popular for those in the 20 – 30 age
group, while the majority of under 20s are
“creating moments” on WhatsApp.
Engagement through social media is
now critical, delegates were told. “Clients
THE
GOOD
and customers are now your single biggest
marketing agency. Don’t tell them about
your product, show them,” said Mr. Cook. “…
Broadcasting content will not influence
people. Developing intention, getting people to convert [and book] is about engagement.”
Live video broadcasts, peer-to-peer services, such as Uber and Airbnb, were some
of the other major trends he identified.
“Uber is the world’s biggest taxi company,
without owning a car… Peer-to-peer is revolutionising travel and how it is being sold… It
is what the market wants,” he added.
“If billboards [advertising] worked, they
would be illegal,” said Instagram specialist,
Craig Rodney from Cerebra, who currently
manages the SA Tourism @southafrica
account. Mr. Rodney examined the role of
“content curators” and encouraged business owners to simplify their social media
marketing strategy.
“Everyone can afford to curate content,
as customers are already making it for you,”
agreed Christian Wolters, North American
Managing Director for TourRadar, a site for
researching and booking multi-day tours. Delegates were encouraged to use customer reviews in order to identify “brand
advocates” – those individuals who rate
and rank products and services in the top
80 – 90 percentile – and to conceptualise
more well-timed, personalised promotions.
This will maximise a brand advocate’s return
value, the experts maintained.
The TourRadar representative identified
‘workations’ as another emerging trend and
opportunity for travel and tourism businesses. Mr. Wolters was adamant more
and more corporate customers were extending their work trips and travelling with
High-street retailers, in particular, probably breathed a collective sigh of relief last
month, when the Labour Court handed
down a decision confirming a company’s
right to impose a restraint of trade to prevent employees leaving and taking clients
with them, at least for a specified period.
twitter.com/TIR_SA
TIR Southern Africa
life, compromise is essential.
Travel employers are able
to counter other industries
by being f lexible on working conditions, basic salary,
commissions, travel perks
and other incentives – a total
package.
The main competition for
valued staff tends to come
from other travel employers.
Once in the travel industry,
most people find it hard to
leave.
I ndividual cou nsellors
build personal loyalty and
tr ust among clients when
they provide a consistently
good service and advice – an
invaluable asset to employers.
So, employers’ biggest
fear is that experienced, long
term employees can walk
Experts urge use of more
customer-generated online content follow us on twitter
6
with an affiliation to one of
the ITC organisations, where
they feel their efforts will
reap greater rewards. That
route is not suited for everyone, no matter what their
success in a traditional work
environment, but has paid
off for many. Experienced
agents, with a successful
track record of satisfying clients and going above and beyond their expectations often
have the confidence to take
that step and tend to make the
most successful ITCs.
There is also competition
from other industries, many
of which are in a position
to pay higher salaries. However, most counsellors work
in travel because they like the
business and are dedicated
to it. Like everything else in
Industry View
ADVERTISING
Dominic Wardall
Tel: 021 789 0053
Mob: 082 620 6425
dominic@tir.co.za
Andrew Watson
Tel: 021 447 1724
Mob: 071 677 3858
andrew@tir.co.za
quirement for an extensive
list of technical and product
knowledge. People who can
handle the frequently long
hours, the intensity of a busy
work day and the stresses of
client pressure and dealing
with difficult situations and
master the other knowledge
and skill requirements are attractive to employers in any
field.
So, it is unsurprising that
the competition for experienced, qualified individuals
amongst employers in the industry has never been greater. They are in short supply.
High street agencies are
having a particularly hard
time as many successf ul
counsellors have the confidence to go out on their own
and work independently or
•
October 2015
CONGRATULATIONS to Lynette Stander, from
Sure Travel Umhlanga Rocks, who was spotted
reading TIR in Split, about to board Katarina Line’s,
Dalmatinac. Lynette wins an American Tourister
Bon Air 55cm Spinner suitcase, valued at R1,399.
American Tourister Bon Air, a zipped polyprop collection, prevents brittle breakage. This ultra-tough
material is injection moulded to produce a modern
look with contrasting horizontal lines on a combination of matt and shiny surfaces. It also features
soft-touch handles and TSA locks. Available in
Pacific blue, lime green, orange, pink,
red, navy, black and
white, the American
Tourister Bon Air
Spinner 55cm
is available
from luggage
outlets.
Call for
stockists:
031 266 0620
@AmTouristerSA
continued on page 7
THE
BAD
Downward pressure on air fares, in large
part due to increased competition and the
lower oil price, seem set to rise, not just for
the peak holiday season, but also into the
New Year. The price of oil will be more than
offset by the rand and also create higher
international fares.
THE
UGLY
South African regions have historically had
only very modest success in attracting foreign visitors during the off season. There
was much anticipation that new initiatives
and the rand exchange rate would provide
a boost this winter but, alas, that was scuttled by the new visa regulations.
News Digest
Industry View
continued from page 6
their families. “Think, how would you target
them?” he urged.
Big data was central to a number of discussions at this year’s eTAS. Experts examined tools, processes and new software
developments that are helping businesses
develop more customer-centric experiences. Businesses would remain productive
by mining data most relevant to their operation, said Mr. Rodney.
“Customers have less tolerance for slow
and impersonal experiences with brands…
We only want to see what we are interested
in – when we are interested in it,” added Mr.
Wolters.
With customers increasingly playing a
key role in marketing, maintaining client
relationships and turning them into brand
ambassadors is essential, added Alana
Witte from Revinate, a Silicon Valley-based
hospitality technology provider. Ms. Witte
claimed: “70 percent of customers expect
more personalised experiences. Today, your
brand lies in the hands of your customer. “Accommodation providers should use
OTAs for what they are good at – bringing
in new business, while business needed to
capture customer data… and then own the
relationship.”
Andre Van Kets, Head of the Discover
Africa Group, examined local solutions
for travel. Having developed a variety of
tourism-based applications, tools and campaigns across Africa, he emphasised a locally driven approach and content was essential to building solutions for Africa.
Justin Reid, head of destination management organisations for TripAdvisor Europe,
showed there are now three times as many
restaurants on the site as for accommodation listings.
More travellers from overseas markets
were looking at South African listings and
reviews on mobile devices, he said.
Apart from some of the country’s leading
inbound markets, including the UK, US and
Germany, it was the Chinese doing the most
research on the destination and they were
the leading market of “lookers”, Mr. Reid
revealed.
The largest number of “bookers” – those
who use TripAdvisor to book accommodation – are from the UK. China fell outside of
the top ten in that conversion category. According to Mr. Reid, South Africa’s most loyal
audience looking and booking is Germany. • See more on Uber and Airbnb’s plans to
grow their services and sign-ups in African markets on page 14.
Colleagues remember Roy Schneider
ROY Schneider, co-founder
of Travel Vision, was remembered at a memorial service
last month. A prominent and
long-serving figure in the industry, he died on September
21 from cancer.
Mr. Schneider was best
known for his involvement
with Travel Vision, started
with Norma Joy Smirin in
1979.
Mr. Schneider negotiated
the GSA for Delta Air Lines
for Travel Vision in Southern
Africa in 1992. He held executive positions in the Association of Southern African
Travel Agents and was one
of the founding members of
Gentlemen in Travel.
Annemarie Lexow, Travel
Vision Sales and Marketing
Manager, said he would be
remembered as “a pioneer
and stalwart of the travel industry”.
Toni Tomasicchio, owner
and Managing Director of
XL International Travels,
said: “I purchased International Travels from Roy in
1983 and the deal was done
by handshake. I feel this
speaks volumes about the
man. Roy was one of the pillars of the travel industry, a
true gentleman... We have
lost one of the true pioneers.”
Mr. Schneider is survived
by his wife, Glenda, and son,
Adrian.
Pictured at last month’s AVIAREPS Airline Mini Fair in Johannesburg (above left, l to r):
kulula holidays Account Manager, Lerato Motsatse and Nangamso Letlape, National
Account Manager, Government, British Airways and kulula.com. Pictured above right
(l to r): Dikeledi Jiyana, Ticket and Reservations Agent and Michell Fourie, Air Namibia
Commercial Manager Sales and Marketing.
Trafalgar ASM scoops global award
AREA Sales Manager for
Tr afa lga r Sout h A f r ica ,
Liezel de Goede, was named
the company’s top sales performer worldwide during its
annual global conference in
Prague last month. Theresa Szejwallo, Managing Director South Africa,
said: “For us to walk away
with this marvellous global
accolade speaks volumes as
to the quality of work that
Liezel delivers.”
Pictured above: Trafalgar global Chief Executive Officer,
Gavin Tollman, with Liezel de Goede, Area Sales Manager South Africa.
Pictured at the Cape
Town Convention Centre
on the opening day of the
E-Tourism Africa Summit
(l to r): Andre Van Kets,
Head of the Discover Africa Group; William Price,
South African Tourism
and eTAS founder, Damian Cook, Chief Executive Officer of E-Tourism
Frontiers.
Indian Ocean Islands
Operators get adventurous
with product differentiators
BY SARAH CORNWELL &
SARAH WHITESIDE
SOUTH African holidaymakers are turning increasingly to Indian Ocean island
packages which are packed
with the most inclusions.
And operators are expanding
competitive product differentiators, with a variety of excursions and unique experiences, providing more scope
for agents to up-sell.
“Mauritius is known for
its island-style beauty… service, sports facilities, kids
clubs and hospitality but for
those that do want even more
action than the myriad of water and land sports… there
is lots to do,” said Joanne
Visagie, Beachcomber Tours
National Sales & Marketing
Manager.
The Mauritius Tourism
Promotion Authority is also
expanding its events calendar, with sports tourism, a
sector earmarked for growth.
Kevin Ramkaloan, newly
appointed MTPA Director
and Arnaud Martin, the organisation’s Chairman, revealed a broader plan to rejuvenate the island’s growth
strategy at a presentation in
Johannesburg last month.
They said feedback from local operators had been taken
into account.
More product
development
Upcoming events for the remainder of 2015 include a
Creole festival in November
and a new festival of lights,
Porlwi, in Port Louis from
December 3 – 6, set to become an annual event.
“The cycling market is
really picking up… and approximately 6,000 – 7,000
people travel to Mauritius for
kitesurfing every year,” Mr.
Martin said. Horse racing
was very popular, he added,
while the MTPB is sponsoring a new Tri-Continent Golf
tournament.
Beachcomber is adding a
fresh twist to one of its most
popular sports resorts, with a
new adult-only accommodation area and other additional
facilities set to open at the
Dinarobin Hotel Golf & Spa
resort on November 1.
Terry Munro, Beachcomber Tours’ Managing Director, said the new facilities
“completed the niche holiday
offering for South African
WORLD Leisure Holidays
has introduced two new Indian Ocean Island destinations, with its first packaged
itineraries for Réunion and
Seychelles.
A third destination outside
of the Indian Ocean is due to
launch in October, although
details were still under wraps
at the end of last month. Assistant Marketing Manager, Lesley Smith, said
agents were being updated
Crowd favourites
on the new Réunion and Seychelles itineraries, with sales
guides and various booking
promotions to assist sales. Seven-night Réunion itineraries feature a range of accommodation, Air Austral
flights ex-Johannesburg and
return transfers. A seven-night stay in a
standard room at Le Relais
De L’Hermitage on Réunion, with breakfast, is from
R16,050 for travel in November and from R12,540 for
Excu r sions a nd opt ional
add-on activities are a useful
personalisation tool but also
have good earning potential.
“… The water-based activities are definitely the top
sellers in Mauritius [and] we
sell a lot of catamaran cruises. In Seychelles, we sell
Praslin and La Digue from
Mahé and, in Zanzibar, the
sandbank picnic cruise is the
top seller,” said Flora Fubbs,
from The Holiday Factory.
“If agents book in advance, they will earn a commission on the excursions, so
definitely worth suggesting,”
said Ms. Fubbs, “although we
do find a much higher percentage of clients book while
on the islands”.
Catamaran cr uises and
more “specialised adventures”, such as swimming
with dolphins, are popular
with kulula holidays’ customers, said Product Manager, Chantelle Browne. There
are a range of pre-bookable
options, some of which can
be confirmed online at the
time of booking, she advised.
Ku lu la holid ays ha s a
booking special for its topselling family resort in Mauritius, the Ravenela Attitude,
for travel in early January
2016, which has “excellent
facilities and dining op tions… and a great entertainment offering”, according to
Ms. Browne. Young travellers, she said, “tend to seek
continued on page 10
continued on page 9
World Leisure Holidays
adds Réunion, Seychelles
BY SARAH CORNWELL
travellers” and, by offering
adults-only facilities, “we are
able to cater for those seeking an even more exclusive
experience at one of our most
popular resorts”.
“There is cer tainly increased demand for adventure activities, which, for
many, is the highlight of their
holiday,” said John Ridler,
Thompsons Holidays.
Air Austral is promoting air fares from R5,455.72 ex-JNB, R9,059.16 ex-CPT and
R7,971.61 ex-DUR, with rates from R1,600 for travel agents and R1,800 for partners.
Add taxes of R2,585.72 pp; blackout periods may apply. Air Austral has cancelled
flights scheduled for November 8, 19 and 26 and December 3 or 10.
Air Austral, Air Madagascar, Air Seychelles, Inter Ile Air and Air Mauritius have signed a
new cooperation agreement named Alliance Vanille, creating improved connectivity
between the islands and more competitive fares, new code-shares and the sharing of
fleet and airport facilities.
8
TIR Southern Africa • September 2015
Indian Ocean Islands
Operators get adventurous with product differentiators
continued from page 8
more adventure on their holidays,
keen on activities such as ziplining and kitesurfing”.
Ms. Fubbs named Heritage
Resorts as one of the wholesaler’s
most popular family resorts in
Mauritius for its free baby, kids
and teens clubs “ideal for any age
group [with] a full range of watersports, a golf course and even
a nearby nature reserve, with optional quad bike tours…” In the
more budget range, its Blumarine
Attitude has newly-refurbished
family rooms.
“Adventure travellers usually
want to make up their own itineraries or take a standard sevennight package and add in a number of adventure excursions…,”
said Mr. Ridler.
Fly/drive packages are among
Thompsons’ top sellers for Réunion. And, he commented: “Itineraries cover the entire island to
give the traveller the opportunity
to view the island at their own
pace but their accommodation is
pre-booked.
“Mauritius offers a long list of
superb excursions suitable for all
ages, from adventure parks to historic places and Creole cooking.
The latest adventure offerings
from Thompsons are awesome.”
These include the Fu n-Flyer
Flight Experience, where pressurised water blasts swimmers
one to two metres above the surface of the sea, as well as Seakart
speedboat cruises.
In Zanzibar, consider adding a
sunset dhow cruise or visit Prison
Island. Thompsons also recommends the island’s full moon party, Jozani Forest tour and a visit to
the Kizimkazi fishing village and
dolphin tour.
In Seychelles, Mr. Ridler suggested a visit to Vallee de Mai on
Praslin, the island of La Digue
or Cerf Island, bordered by the
Sainte Anne National Marine
Park, a popular diving spot.
Be a chcombe r’s on ly Seychelles resort, the Sainte Anne
Resort & Spa, is located here, a
short boat transfer from the main
island of Mahé. Beachcomber
guests have the island of Sainte
Anne to themselves, with hiking,
snorkelling, swimming, spa treatments, a sports centre and worldclass dining options.
The villa resort also provides
complementary speedboat transfers to and from Mahé, which
itself is easy to get around with
a well-developed and affordable
public bus network. The island
has beautiful public beaches and
well-marked hiking trails.
Adventure on the island of
Réunion, is “unparalleled”, said
Hélène Bezuidenhoudt, Réunion
Tourism Regional Manager.
42 percent of the island has
been declared a UNESCO World
Heritage Site and there are more
than 200 micro-climates on the
island, with rivers, a still-active
volcano, hiking trails and remote
cirques to navigate and explore.
World Leisure Holidays added
Réunion last month, a destination
Managing Director, Johann Strydom, said had been missing from
the line-up. “People associate us
with beach holidays but I am trying to broaden that. [Réunion] is a
broader type of destination… and
not a beach destination; it is about
what you can do there,” he added.
Zanzibar is positioned as a cultural experience, although watersports cement the island’s appeal
as a great beach destination.
Mr. Strydom described stumbling upon a street food market
on a visit to Stone Town as a personal highlight. “In Zanzibar,
visitors get a little bit of culture…
it doesn’t really have enough to
classify as an adventure destination but it’s fantastic, on the equator, with diving and snorkelling
and watersports – inherent to a
beach holiday.
“The nice thing about Mauritius, Seychelles, Zanzibar, is
that, if you want to, you can expand your trip into an adventure
[break]. There are many different
things you can do… it is an added
advantage [although] the main
driver for a beach holiday is the
beach,” he said.
Beachcomber recommended
excursions such as the Casela
Park in Mauritius, zip-lining,
horse racing at Champ De Mars,
speedboat trips, canyoning and
catamaran cruises.
Beachcomber Tours hosted Cape consultants at the newly-revamped Paradis Hotel & Golf Club. Pictured right (l to r): Tana Sauls, Just Mauritius; Nooline van der Merwe, Global Travel Alliance; Taryn
Lubbe, Flightsite and Shelley Daniels, Beachcomber Tours.
TIR Southern Africa
•
October 2015
9
Indian Ocean Islands
Operators seek to attract
singles to the Indian Ocean
BY RICHARD HOLMES
ALTHOUGH families and
honeymooners are the leading market for most Indian
Ocean destinations, operators are increasingly developing packages for singles.
B e a c h c o m b e r, h a s 10
percent savings for singles
staying at the Royal Palm
before the end of October.
This applies to the room rate
only and is for one adult, or
one adult and one child, said
National Sales & Marketing
Manager, Joanne Visagie.
Beachcomber’s Paradis
Golf Challenge is also popular with solo travellers as the
single supplement is waived. “We hosted two very successfully this year and have
a repeat guest ratio of 60
percent...” said Ms. Visagie.
“With the Paradis Challenge,
there is no single supplement… a big selling point.
If you are a single person,
you pay the sharing price and
you still benefit from a single
room.”
While single supplements
are the general rule, there are
ways to work around the additional expense.
Although most resort operators still charge a single
supplement of up to 50 percent, the cost is sometimes
waived depending on occupancy levels.
“ Most prop e r t ie s w i l l
charge a single supplement,
but on occasion and depending on occupancy levels,
some properties may release
ad hoc low season offers
where single supplements
are waived,” said Chantelle
Browne, Product Manager:
Indian Ocean, kulula holidays.
“There are many resorts
that do offer packages with no
single supplements on packages,” added Flora Fubbs,
Senior Manager - Contracting, Marketing and Operations, The Holiday Factory.
“The best time to travel from
a cost point of view is definitely the low season… our
advice would be to find out
exactly what the client is
looking for – privacy, entertainment, spa experience etc
– and then match them to the
correct resort.”
“Solo t ravel has i ncreased, however, not in vast
amounts,” added Sue How-
ells from African Synergy,
GSA for Constance Hotels
& Resorts, who said “Constance Le Prince Maurice
in Mauritius or Constance
Lemuria in Seychelles offer a more refined and quiet
experience, which may suit
a certain kind of solo traveller.”
However, it often pays for
agents to find a resort where
solo travellers have plenty of
entertainment. “Although we do find regular requests for solo travellers, it is still not as high in
demand as couples and fam-
Briefly.
C
onstance Moofushi in the Maldives, part
of Constance Hotels & Resorts’ Unique
Resorts Collection, has a discount of 30 percent, valid for travel from September 27 to
December 19 (last date of travel) for minimum
five-night stays.
ily travel,” said Ms. Browne. “Because of the hefty single supplements, most singles team up with friends and
then look for a suitable resort
where they are likely to have
some fun,” said John Ridler,
Thompsons Holidays. “Mauritius and the Seychelles are
popular, as is Réunion for the
adventure seekers.
“Tamassa on the south
coast appeals to singles as
they have an active nightly disco with a youngish
crowd,” added Mr. Ridler.
“Merville Beach on the north
coast is also very popular
with singles as it is within
walking distance of Grand
Bay, where there are plenty of pubs, restaurants and
dance venues at night.”
Single travellers should focus on the north of the island,
agreed Ms. Visagie: “Being
in the north of the island
would mean you are close to
the heartbeat of Grand Bay
so, in particular, Le Mauricia
caters well for this as it is a
short walk into Grand Bay
for shopping and local experiences.”
WLH adds Réunion, Seychelles
continued from page 8
December 1 – 17. According to the Réunion
tourism board, business from
South Africa was up 53 percent to July. The Seychelles tourism
office reported 10 percent
g row t h for t he f i r st si x
months, during its recent
product roadshows in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesbu rg. A r r ivals out of
South Africa were up from
5,600 in 2009 to 14,000 in
2014.
Cathie Bester, World Leisure’s National Sales Manager, commented: “For us
Seychelles has been something our clients have been
requesting… We have had a
promising start and already,
in the short space of time
since launching, we have realised some positive sales.
We believe it can only continue to grow and will be
working very closely with
the tourism board and Air
Seychelles.
World Leisure Holidays Senior Consultants, Anika Eddie
and Natasha Nkosi and Reservations Manager, Cheryl
Wiltshire, watched as flames and smoke erupted from
the Piton de la Fournaise volcano on Réunion island during a recent familiarisation.
The company hopes to
capitalise on the growing volume of stopover traffic, travelling via Mahé to and from
Johannesburg and/or Abu
Dhabi on Air Seychelles’
non-stop services.
“World Leisure does sell
the world but our forte is holidays in the Indian Ocean…
and Mauritius is filling up
for December,” Ms. Bester
added.
Seven nights at the Avani
Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa, for travel December 10 – December 26, is
from R20,780 pps, including
breakfast and Avani Beach
access. 45-day advance purchase applies.
Seven nights at the Kempinski Seychelles Resort is
from R20,745 pps and breakfast daily; a 30-day advance
purchase applies.
MSC Cruises has started phase two of its Portuguese Island improvement programme, which will be complete by the start of the 2015/16 season (artist’s concept,
pictured below). 43,800 passengers visited the destination with MSC last year. New
bar and dining areas are
being developed, with
an excursion centre, VIP
area, dining area and entertainment area. There
will be three additional
ship-to-shore Zodiacs
onboard MSC Sinfonia,
providing quicker access
to the island.
10
TIR Southern Africa
•
October 2015
News Digest
... high potential commissions
continued from page 1
full experience, i.e. accommodation, transfers, train
tickets, theatre shows, excursions, insurance and forex.” Annemarie Lexow, Sales
and Marketing Manager for
Travel Vision, said drinks
and excursion packages for
cruise bookings, dining options and theme park access
for Disney bookings and
travel passes for city stays
were lucrative value-added
services. Mr. Ridler made a similar
recommendation and suggested city and temple tours
could be added to Thailand
packages, day trips to the
Cotswolds or Bath could be
offered to passengers travelling to London. A cruise
along the Seine could be an
easy sell to a client already
intent on visiting Paris, he
said.
Wally Gaynor, Club Travel
Managing Director pointed
out that, with the growth of
the ITC model, a number of
commission-split options
with consortiums were available. “If you are giving away
30/40 percent of every cent
you earn to a host agency you
have rocks in your head,” he
said.
M r. Gay nor also mentioned that it was ironic air
sales had been the mainstay
for travel agents a decade
ago, where they were now
mostly considered as a means
to sell ancillary services such
as hotels, tours and car rentals, where margins were
higher. Ms. Boshoff noted the
trade had been forced to embrace their status as professionals at that time and had
started to charge service fees
in addition to forging new
revenue streams through the
sale of a wider variety of
products.
Retailers identified packages, cruise bookings, ac-
suppliers have been offering
them special rates to stimulate sales,” she said. “Our website works on
lead generat ion i nto t he
Harvey stores and most of
our advertised specials include flights. Our preferred
tour operators assist us in
providing these with valueadds wherever possible,” explained Ms. Horn. Mr. Gaynor advised that
tour operator packages, and
Indian Ocean island offer-
“If you are giving away 30 – 40 percent
of every cent you earn to a host agency,
you have rocks in your head.”
– Wally Gaynor, Club Travel MD
commodation, transfers and
sightseeing as products that
offered the highest margins,
while the air portion of a
flight-inclusive package and
domestic ticket sales were
seen as offering the lowest margins. “These can be
the most time consuming of
bookings and also the least
financially rewarding,” said
Mr. Gaynor.
Ms. Lexow said the destination tended to determine
the feasibility of an inclusive
package. However, Ms. Boshoff confirmed wholesalers
had seen an increase in package sales this year.
“Operators tend to pay
good commission and, due to
the slow economic climate,
airlines, hotels and other
ings in particular, offered
agents good revenue opportunities but added agents
could earn even greater margins by packaging dynamic
products themselves. Joanne Visage, National
Sales & Marketing Manager for Beachcomber Tours,
ag reed that agents could
package their own tours but
noted this took time to cost,
book and pay. “The key to
profitability is productivity. Travel agents have such
huge daily responsibilities
and have to be experts on the
whole world. An interaction
with a tour operator can offer an agent access to a great
wealth of product knowledge,
great service and an efficient
interaction which leads to
Lloyd Orr Communications
marked Tourism Month
with a day of sightseeing in
Johannesburg, motivated
by this year’s campaign,
A Million New Experiences
Are A Sho’t Left Away. Pictured left, ready to board
one of City Sightseeing’s
Hop On Hop Off buses (l
to r): Account Executives,
Lizzy Moletsane and Este
McGalty; General Manager, Chantal Nieuwenhuizen
and Managing Director, Wendie White with Ravi Shaw, Sales Manager and Shelley
Martin, Account Manager. The Department of Tourism has allocated R100-million to
boost domestic tourism this year. Speaking at the 2015 Fedhasa AGM in Johannesburg,
Tourism Minister, Derek Hanekom, appealed to local businesses to come up with creative ideas on how to get more South Africans to travel and experience their own country
and to find innovative ways to make it more affordable.
quick commission earnings
and repeat clients.”
M r. Gay nor said Club
Travel was capitalising on
wholesale margins in order
to increase earnings through
IT fares and STO rates, while
Ms. Hor n claimed availability of wholesale rates was
very supplier-dependent and
that for the most part Harvey
agents worked on retail margins.
All agreed preferred partner relationships were key to
higher earnings.
“We have a few speciallyselected wholesale partners,
which deliver great product
to our clients, together with
efficient service,” said Ms.
Boshoff. Ms. Visagie added that
win-win situations could be
achieved through preferred
partnerships.
Delta Air Lines took a full cabin of employees on the first
of its Boeing 767-400ER aircraft, painted with a special
pink livery, for its 11th annual Breast Cancer Survivor
Flight. All of the employees had survived or were being
treated for breast cancer. The livery wraps the aircraft
in a pink ribbon. The airline will paint 80 of its aircraft
in the livery, which will remain through spring next year.
“The key is choosing the
right tour operators to partner with. Look for partners
that offer top service levels,
quality products and do not
face the risk of insolvency,”
she said. Mr. Gaynor, a strong proponent of supplier relationships maintained: “Without
a doubt preferred agreements
offering extra commission
upfront and override targets
based on growth work well.”
Visa damages already
mounting says Tourvest
CEO Tommy Edmond says South Africa is losing market share BY SARAH WHITESIDE
TOURVEST Chief Executive
Officer, Tommy Edmond,
last month joined other industry leaders and slammed
changes to immigration and
emigration requirements in
South Africa for seriously
damaging inbound and outbound business and the country’s competitiveness with
other countries.
Outlining the company’s
g row th and development
strategy at its head office in
Sandton, he said the vision
was to develop the business
into the leading integrated
tourism group in southern
Africa and its international
presence in markets where
it would have a sustainable
competitive advantage.
But the introduction of the
biometric visa requirement
had become an enormous obstacle. “The rand is at its lowest level ever,” he said. “Traditionally, the weakening of
our currency has always been
accompanied by a large spike
in inbound sales, as South
Africa becomes a more affordable destination for internationals to visit. Where
we should have seen a 10 to
20 percent increase in tourist
arrivals, we are instead seeing negative growth and the
industry is unable to capitalise on the greater value…”
The unabridged birth certificate requirement for children travelling in and out of
South Africa was another
challenge, he said. “The law
was only introduced in May
2015 and we can already see
a four percent dip in total
inbound and outbound BSP
sales for South Africa for the
August 2014 to July 2015 period.
“The laws create such hassles for families… the large
international tour operators
are now considering removing South Africa as a destination from their brochures.”
He said, if a solution had
continued on page 15
Tourism Grading Council names new Quality Assurance Officer
SOUTH African Tourism has
appointed Darryl Erasmus,
Chief Quality Assurance Officer at the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa.
He takes over from Thembi
Kunene, who resigned at the
end of March.
Mr. Erasmus has worked
with a number of hospitality and technology brands in
South Africa, including Protea Hotels, Holiday Inn, Corwne Plaza, Travelport and,
most recently, at Questek, a
technology provider for the
passenger transportation sector.
TIR Southern Africa
•
October 2015
13
Sharing economy services is developing
new markets, say Airbnb and Uber BY SARAH CORNWELL
GI A NTS in the global
peer-to-peer services sector, Airbnb and Uber, have
identified Africa as a major
growth area but say there is
equal opportunity for tourism marketing agencies, independent business owners
and entrepreneurs in outlying
areas to benefit from their
services. Nicola D’Elia , A i rbnb
General Manager for Af-
rica and the Middle East,
and Jonathan Ayache, Uber
General Manager in Cape
Town, shared more on the
brands’ development strategy
for South Africa and the African market at last month’s
E-Tourism Africa Summit
in Cape Town and Johannesburg (see page 6). eTAS chief, Damian Cook,
Chief Executive Officer of
E-Tourism Frontiers, said the
rise of travel sharing services
had prompted radical chang-
Photo: Herman Agenbag Photography
Nicola D’Elia addresses the E-Tourism Africa Summit in
Cape Town.
es in the travel industry and
was resisted in some corners
but embraced in others.
“Uber is the world’s biggest t a x i compa ny [ but]
doesn’t own a car,” said Mr.
Cook, who encouraged the
mix of business owners, hoteliers, tourism agencies,
marketing and social media
specialists at last month’s
conference to “at least appreciate… the vital role of
online”. Opportunities to compete,
partner, benefit
“Most of our customers are
riders… but our partner drivers are also our customers,”
said Mr. Ayache.
The company’s aim was to
build a “responsible, reliable
and transparent” business,
despite still strong debate
amongst cor porate t ravel
managers over duty of care
concerns, with regulatory issues still being overcome in
some markets. Uber X budget and Uber
Black luxury services are established in Durban, Cape
Town and Johannesburg. According to Mr. Ayache,
growth in Johannesburg and
Cape Town was happening
faster than in London and
San Francisco. It amassed
two-million trips in South
Africa in the first six months
of this year, double the onemillion in 2014.
Mr. Ayache revealed plans
for the introduction of new
Uber sub-divisions, including the Eat food deliver y
service and Uber Pool, a car
sharing service.
He said Uber complemented public transport systems
and maintained “supply creates demand”. He said it was
designed to work with existing operators and could be
used to supplement other
operators’ businesses.
Airbnb wants a presence
in every country in Africa
and, in the 12 months to July,
had more than doubled its
business on the continent. Kenya and South Africa
are its biggest markets in Africa while Europe represents
50 percent of all Airbnb busi-
ness, Mr. D’Elia said.
The business’ biggest market in the world is Paris, with
more than 55,000 accommodation listings, and counting. Although it has also faced
some regulatory issues in
certain overseas markets,
Airbnb is working with tourist boards and governments
to see this overturned and
encourage home-sharing. It forecast 17-million users
will use the service over the
summer and has facilitated
one-million bookings for the
same day of travel.
It has just launched Cuba,
although, according to Mr.
D’Elia, home-sharing has
been long established there.
He felt peer-to-peer services were not only encour-
aging tourism but it encouraged longer stays.
“If we look at the numbers, [hotel] occupancy is
not declining. We are brining new people in… It is not
competition… just a different
model.”
A nd whe r e hot els a re
usually located in specific
districts, Mr. D’Elia said,
home-sharing could disperse
tourism by providing the incentive for visitors to explore
new areas.
“It is a new way of travel…
[and] having an impact on
new parts of these cities,” he
said. “Travel is still in some
cases a niche thing. There is
a lot of opportunity for companies to work together… to
work collaboratively.”
Flight Centre marks milestone
THE FLIGHT Centre Travel
Group marked 21 years of
business in South Africa last
month, with a major consumer booking promotion.
The company’s aim is to
“transform its image from a
traditional travel agent to a
world-class travel retailer”,
said Managing Director, Andrew Stark.
14
He felt there had never
been a better time to travel
for South Africans, despite
rising concern over the impact of the weak exchange
rate, and said air fares were
“considerably cheaper” that
last year. Airline ticket sales
were up 14 percent on last
year, he revealed.
Package holidays are also
TIR Southern Africa
•
October 2015
enjoying strong growth, with
notable demand for Mauritius, Thailand and domestic
travel.
The group introduced its
Red Label Holidays division
15 months ago, with packages for top-selling products
and Mr. Stark noted: “We
saw a trend change coming
15 months ago, with a fore-
cast of a weakening rand. We
saw a gap… [It] is all about
being unique to Flight Centre and offering value add to
travellers.
Strategy across the next
five years would be to develop unique products to ensure
travel remained affordable
for South Africans, according to Mr. Stark.
First Car Rental has signed a multi-year, full-content
agreement with Travelport. The company is present at all
major airports in South Africa. Pictured (l to r): Sanchia
Webster, Travelport Southern Africa Regional Manager
– Hospitality & Car Rentals; George Harb, Travelport
Southern Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe Regional Director and Melissa Storey, First Car Rental’s Executive Head
of Strategy, Development and Marketing.
Serendipity predicts major growth
THE SERENDIPITY Worldwide Group will mark its
fourth year of operation this
year. It has 360 members
ticketing through the Durban-based agency. “Our members range from
a single senior consultant,
who wanted to start her own
business from home, to full
traditional offices with 15
staff…” said Dinesh Naidoo,
SWG Group Operations Director, following last month’s
annual conference, held at
the Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensberg.
The theme was ‘together
we grow’ and the programme
included presentations by
suppliers and other industry
specialists, games and live
enter tainment, an awards
presentation for the ten top
agents and a presentation by
ASATA Chief Executive Officer, Otto de Vries.
Mr. Naidoo briefed delegates on the company’s
vision and addressed new
fraud prevention measures
and new product and technological developments. More than 270 delegates attended the Durban-based Serendipity Worldwide Group’s
annual conference last month at the Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensberg. Pictured (l to r): senior management, Lal Jayamaha; Carol Du Preez and Donovan Moodley,
with Pippa Hacklan, Beachcomber Tours, Dinesh Naidoo, Group Operations Director
and Kim van den Berg, SWG.
New Product
Trafalgar has introduced Myanmar as its newest destination in Asia, with tours com-
mencing in 2016. There are 14 Asia itineraries in Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong and Singapore. These include an 11-day Secrets of Myanmar tour,
from R45,800 twin share, and a 10-day Classic China option, from R37,900 pps. New
Insider Experiences for next year include a cycle ride around the Xi’an ancient city wall;
meeting a local artisan to make washi paper in Gokayama; and a Be My Guest in Hue at
the former home of Princess Ngoc Son. Early Payment savings of 10 percent will apply
to all bookings made by November 27. Single travellers save an additional 10 percent on
the single supplement rate, valid for selected dates but on all Asia itineraries.
Marriott’s first two Marriott-branded properties in South Africa, the Johannesburg
Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch and the Marriott Executive Apartments Johannesburg Melrose Arch, will open in February 2018. There are plans
for shared amenities, including an outdoor pool, fitness
and business centres, as well as conference and event
facilities accommodating up to 500 delegates.
BRITISH Airways still has
The Lake Victoria Serena Resort & Spa has opened
industry fares for this year’s
the first nine holes of its 18-hole championship golf
World Travel Market London
course (pictured below). There are two restaurants and
event, with 30 percent off
a pro shop in the estate’s clubhouse.
World Traveller, World Traveller Plus and Club World
fares, available to book until
November 1 for travel October 20 – November 1. Ret u r n t ravel must be
completed by November 30.
Next year’s event is being
revamped to run over three
days, rather than the usual
four, as a result of exhibitor
and visitor feedback.
WTM London 2016 will
run from November 7 – 9.
Opening hours have been ex-
“The highlight was the
f irst-ever App between a
consortium and its members,
which enables suppliers to
market themselves and [their]
product,” said Mr. Naidoo. He emphasised SWG was
not an ITC model, it was an
ITA (Independent Ticketing
Agency) Model. “SWG has been growing
year on year between 30 and
40 percent,” he said. “Last
year, we grew 37 percent and
this year, we are predicting
growth of 42 percent.”
SWG will spend the next
12 months rolling out its Enterprise Relationship Programme. “ We a re developi ng a
programme that has nine
modules that would link all
the members with our partners and suppliers. T his
programme has been specialty written and developed
for Serendipity Worldwide
Group using supply chain
tech nolog y,” M r. Naidoo
said.
Over the next six months,
he predicted, “we are going
to see the entrance of a few
more airlines and routes. We
are excited in Durban to have
both Turkish Airlines and
Qatar Airways flying out of
King Shaka Inter national
Airport this year. Now that
Durban has won the 2022
Commonwealth Games, we
are also expecting more international carriers to fly out
of Durban”.
WTM industry fares to close soon
tended from 10h00 – 19h00.
Event organisers, Thebe
Reed, said visitor numbers
were up 20 percent to 32,528
last year.
News Digest
... damages mounting
continued from page 13
not been found by November, when brochure decisions
were made around the world,
the effects could be devastating.
“Our allocated brochure
pages will be replaced by another country and it will be
difficult to regain the space
back in future, even if the
laws are revised,” he warned.
Tourvest is currently focusing on growing its European markets to East Africa, which was unhindered
by the kind of immigration
hurdles in South Africa. It is
also to invest more in cutting
edge technology and seek
licensing opportunities for
its locally developed travel
booking technology in international markets.
Pictured at last month’s briefing (l to r): Kgosi Rahube,
Citigroup, with Tommy Edmond, Tourvest Chief Executive Officer and Judi Nwokedi, the group’s Chief Operating
Officer.
Delta introduces new Brazil service
DELTA Air Lines will introduce four-times a week service to São Paulo on December 19, increasing to daily on
February 20 next year.
The carrier’s alliance with
Brazilian airline GOL will
provide connections to 32
destinations in Brazil and an
option for two-centre holidays to Disney World and
South America.
Briefly.
S
AA is enhancing its in-flight service for business class passengers on regional routes of
three hours or more, starting with Mauritius,
through a new deal with Samsung. 500 Samsung tablets will be made available to passengers in the premium cabin on select flights. The
devices are being pre-loaded with magazine
content, movies, music and games.
TIR Southern Africa
•
October 2015
15
Destination Update
Infrastructure boom to add new
sales opportunities for Swaziland
With strong backing, Swaziland is looking for more cross-border business BY SARAH CORNWELL
Swaziland Tourism's top 10 activities
for first time visitors at a glance...
· Mantenga Nature Reserve
· Canopy tours
· White-water rafting
· Swazi Candle Factory
· Foresters Arms
· Hiking, caving & 4x4 trails
· Horse riding safaris & mountain biking
· Ngwenya Glass factory
· Shewula Mountain Camp
· Nsangwini Rock Art & Maguga Dam
LATEST available figures
put South Africa at the top of
the list of international arrivals to Swaziland, with more
than 875,630 locals crossing
its border in 2014. Other international business is also strong, up two
percent last year, with the
US and Germany, followed
by the Netherlands and the
UK, producing the majority
of long-haul visitors. Asia
and Australia are also growing while, outside of South
Africa, Mozambique is Africa’s biggest source market.
Swaziland Tourism has
intensified its marketing efforts in South Africa, with
a campaign driving specific
tourism interests: Adventure,
Wildlife, Natural Beauty and
Culture & Heritage. Late last
year, it reappointed Johannesburg-based communications agency, Lloyd Orr, to
develop and implement that
strategy across South Africa.
tential due to its easy proximity for South Africans,”
said Ms. Barnett: “Swaziland might be small but it has
heart.”
The destination has traditionally been bought and sold
in South Africa as a shortbreak, self-drive option; a
gambling hotspot for South
Africans in the 1970s and 80s
and, increasingly, billed as a
niche wildlife and adventure
destination, with a growing
events calendar, fantastic
golf and game-viewing opportunities. It is a popular MICE option and the STA is working
to develop that sector, with a
mega new conference facility
slated to open in 2017. Other
new developments include
the first Hilton Hotel, also
due to open in 2017. Despite the opening of
a new international airport
last year, Johannesburg’s OR
Tambo is still the country’s
main feeder for international
inbound traffic. However,
Above: the Swazi Candle Factory and market.
The STA is driving adventure, wildlife, natural beauty,
cultural and heritage tourism product.
Above: a canopy tour. Below: white-water rafting.
Construction has started on the Swaziland Convention Centre and five-star hotel development, located
in Ezulwini. Scheduled to open in 2017, with capacity for
4,500 delegates, a 1,500-seat theatre, restaurant facilities and a trade centre. The hotel will be connected to
the venue, with 500 rooms to be built in stages.
16
TIR Southern Africa
•
October 2015
While the destination is
well position for growth, operators maintain that demand
for packaged itineraries is
still lacking.
Stacey Barnett, Dreams
Sales & Marketing Manager,
said there was also growing competition from well
priced domestic destinations,
although, she said, corporate
travel had remained strong.
Most of the operator’s business is booked through the
travel trade. South African passport
holders do not require a visa
for travel to Swaziland and
the currency, Emalangeni,
is linked to the rand. Rand
notes are also widely accepted.
“There is very strong po-
the tourism board is actively
campaigning for new and
non-stop regional air links,
according to Bongani Dlamini, STA Director Marketing
and Corporate Affairs. He said talks with provincial tou r ism agencies
in South Africa, especially
from KwaZulu-Natal, to encourage more combination
business had been prioritised. “It certainly is a wonderful
leisure destination and has
some really interesting game
reserves and general tourist
attractions,” remarked Africa
travel expert Derek Houston
of Houston Marketing. The
tourism services marketing
agency regularly showcases Swaziland product in its
Spotlight on Africa product
roadshows.
“From a conference point
of view, Swaziland is a very,
very good option for South
Africa. It always has been,”
Mr. Houston added. “Sun International’s hotels (now Sun
International and Minor) are
really, really good, with a
beautiful golf course… and
excellent conference facilities. “There are nice lodges,
market as well. I think the
idea is to go out and get more
and more business from Africa…”
“We try to position ourselves as a relaxed destination with friendly people…
and we share more of less
similar stories [with South
Af ricans] because of our
close proximity,” said Mr.
Dlamini. South Af rica cur rently
contributes 71 percent of
Photo: Hilton
An artists’ rendering of the 130-room Garden Inn which
Hilton is developing in Mbabane, opening in 2017.
like Foresters Arms [and]
game reserves are smaller…
but are nice and have good
accommodation. I think it
is a really peaceful country.
Scenically, it is magnificent,”
he said. Zahedah Bhorat, kulula
holidays Product Manager,
said the inclusion of Swaziland in the operator’s regional line-up could not be ruled
out but, with only limited enquiries to date, that decision
would depend on demand.
“Swaziland does have a
good profile in South Africa… It has always been a
popular touring route for the
inbound market because it
is an easy trip from Johannesburg through Swaziland
down to the North Coast of
KwaZulu-Natal. So the selfdrive market and the [companies] that do regular tours,
Thompsons Africa… have
always included Swaziland. “It also has a pretty good
marketing profile and a very
enthusiastic tourism board,”
Mr. Houston added.
“Every tourist board in
Africa has limited funds…
but Swaziland has moved
up a level to get more business out of South Africa [by]
upping the image of Swaziland… Obviously there is
a lot of wealth in Maputo,
so they are developing that
Swaziland’s total international business, he revealed. “We appreciate the many
networks that have a role
in tourism promotion and
would like to connect with
them in the delivery of more
tourists to Swaziland. Travel
agents are some of the most
important people and who
we think can help spread the
word…
“We appreciate that a lot
of South Africans [opt for]
self-drives but travel agents
definitely still have a role. “Our new MICE facility
is also still in its very early
stages. Our projections are
that, by 2017, it will be complete… We do k now that
once it has opened, it will
contribute a lot to tourism
growth,” he said. Lloyd Orr/STA can assist
with sample itineraries and
the STA website has a number of trip planning tools for
travel agents and their customers.
Dreams will tailor packages from around R1,734 per
person sharing, which includes two nights, mid-week
accommodation in a standard
twin room at The Royal Swazi Spa hotel with breakfast
daily and a round of golf. Visitors can experience
spa, golf, hiking, game drives
and white-water rafting.
Forward planning reduces risk of hidden costs and rate increases
BY SARAH WHITESIDE
THE advantage of sourcing
travel insurance and forex
ahead of departure is becoming increasingly evident. In
the past, insuring a trip or
collecting forex was usually
done at the last minute. However, as the rand continues to plummet and travel
costs increase, any accidents,
medical issues or changes in
travel plans can have huge
financial consequences. As
a result, more companies are
offering more tailored insurance policies, designed to
ensure that unwelcome, lastminute surprises are avoided.
Bidvest Insurance Group
recently launched its new
business travel insurance
product range. The insurer said it was essential to protect employees who travel on
behalf of their companies, as
well as leisure travellers. The
new policies cater for large
corporations and small businesses, that can be tailored
for specific business travel
needs. “... Travelling for business
has become a norm for companies of all sizes, so to be
without travel insurance puts
the employee, as well as the
company, at risk,” said Hanri
Pretorius, the new division’s
General Manager.
Simmy Micheli, Sales and
Marketing Manager at Travel
Insurance Consultants, emphasised medical insurance
coverage was essential for
anyone travelling abroad. “The cost of the same injury will vary depending on
where in the world you are,
if you can obtain treatment,
as well as which currency the
claim is paid in. For example,
if you are working in a rural area in Sierra Leone, you
might need to be f lown to
Ghana for an operation,” she
said.
There are other examples
to illustrate to your clients
the kind of costs they can
incur:
“A broken ankle in the
United States would cost
you about R650,000. While
Malaria in Uganda will cost
in the region of R420,000,”
explained Ms. Micheli, who
said to keep costs down,
“when comparing products,
observe the limits and terms
of medical cover, cancellation cover and luggage cover”. 95 percent of all claims
fall under one of those three
benefits, she said.
Louise Cockcroft, Head of
Travel at Regent Insurance,
also advised travellers read
the terms very closely. “If
www.cairnsholidayspecialists.com.au
Skydiving in Cairns and Mission Beach is a year round
half-day activity for all ages, one of the leading recommendations on Carins Attractions’ online round-up of
experiences. Find operators’ contact details and live
booking links at www.cairnsattractions.com.au.
18
TIR Southern Africa
•
October 2015
you have any pre-existing
medical conditions, check
that the cover provides it and
that there is at least R500,000
cover. Most pre-ex cover requires that you are hospitalised for at least 48 hours
before cover kicks in, and
if you are going somewhere
like the US, anything less
than R500,000 might not be
enough cover.”
She explained that most
of the free coverage, offered
through credit cards, or a local medical aid, was often not
enough and the small price
upgrade to a real insurance
policy was advisable.
“If a traveller has used
their credit card to buy a
travel ticket and they have a
pre-existing medical condition, they will need to buy
top up cover to ensure they
have cover for their condition,” she said.
With the rand’s weakness
against major international
currencies, travellers are advised to be careful just how
they buy their foreign currency. Brett Evans, Director of
Forex Brief, said there were
a number of simple ways to
save. “As much as you can,
avoid buying through retail
banks, as their prices are nev-
er favourable. If you work for
a corporate, ask your Finance
Director if he can organise a
rate with his corporate dealer and just go pick it up at a
branch. Businesses get dollars cheaper.” He also advised buying
cur rency as soon as possible. “Fundamentally, the
rand will be weak as long
as our balance of payments
is skewed to imports. While
we do occasionally appear
to strengthen, the trend of
the weakening rand is longterm and, until trade volumes
change, will continue in that
direction. Buying earlier will
therefore usually work out to
your benefit,” he said.
Head of Treasury at Bidvest Bank, Ion de Vleeschauwer, said travellers could buy
their forex as early as 60 days
before departure. “In general, buying early is always
a good idea. Volatility is an
ever-present risk with our
currency and an element of
early buying can create a
type of forward cover.” He also recom mended
travel cards. “Unlike a credit
card, no transaction fees apply when using the multicurrency World Currency
Card from Bidvest Bank.”
Special cover required for clients
embarking on risky holidays
BY RICHARD HOLMES
CONVINCING a customer
to spend more on travel insurance can be a bigger ask
than selling them on the destination. And yet, ensuring
clients have adequate travel
insurance is hardly a choice;
it is a responsibility, say industry experts.
“Ever y t raveller needs
travel insurance,” said Simmy Micheli, Sales and Marketing Manager for Travel
Insurance Consultants. “It is
important for travel agents
to offer it to every client. It is
negligent not to do so...”
Medical costs in many
northern hemisphere countries can be crippling, while
in remote destinations and
developing regions the need
for first world medical care is
essential. “We always offer insurance on every package we
sell,” said Shau n McCarthy, Sun ‘n Ski Holidays.
“Medical attention in Europe
and the US is extremely expensive and even a small injury can run into thousands
of rands.”
Aside f rom safet y and
medical concerns, insurance
is increasingly required for
visa applications with the
Schengen countries, in particular, requiring proof of adequate medical insurance. However, with few exceptions, travel insurance is
rarely bundled together with
the tour product being sold.
While credit card insurance
may be offered. TIC, for
example, underwrites the
policy for FNB cards; while
AIG Char tis under writes
A mer ica n Express, Di ners Club, SAA Voyager and
Standard Bank cards. But
top-up insurance is highly
recommended.
“We do not include it in the
package as our guests have a
choice,” explained Mr. McCarthy. “We have a decent
contract with TIC and they
have the best all-round policies to suit our guests. They
“In most cases, an agent
would be unaware of the activities their clients intend
par taking of, so it is advisable that clients should
div ulge this infor mation
upfront and in full so that
the correct policy can be selected,” agreed John Ridler,
Thompsons Holidays.
Insurance companies offer
a range of products to cater
for so-called ‘hazardous activities’, so there is no reason
for clients to travel without a
comprehensive policy.
“It is important to check whether any adventurous
pursuits a traveller wishes to participate in are covered
by the policy they take out, or whether they may need
to take out a sports extension.”
– Simmy Micheli, Travel Insurance Consultants
offer good fully-comprehensive packages that cover everything.”
Insurance is offered as an
add-on product, said Kelly
Jackson, General Manager
for youth travel specialist
Contiki. “We sell Travel Insurance Consultants policies
and offer the standard, the
comprehensive or the youth
option. But it is important to
note that these policies do not
cover black (ski) slopes, so an
additional policy that specifies this must be purchased to
ensure complete coverage.”
“It is important to check
whether any advent urous
pursuits a traveller wishes
to participate in are covered
by the policy they take out,
or whether they may need to
take out a sports extension,”
advised Ms. Micheli.
The Leisure Comprehensive
policy from TIC covers most
popular adventure activities
such as fishing, kayaking,
scuba diving (for qualified
divers) and skiing. “There are exclusions to
various policies and that is
why it is so important that
the client reads his/her policy
wording,” said Ms. Micheli.
“If there is a unique requirement that does not meet the
travel insurer’s standard profile, the client is welcome to
contact the insurer to discuss
his/her specific needs.”
For instance, some policies do not cover skiing and
s nowb oa rd i ng of f- pist e,
while others require additional cover for extreme scuba diving. “Standard policies do not
include adventure sport or
hazardous activity,” said Anriëth Symon, Head of Travel
for Zurich Insurance South
Africa, which offers a range
of extension packages including the Premier, Jet Set,
Group or Island Hopper travel plans. “This type of cover
has to be bought specifically,
and claims are only paid out
if the insured is 69 years or
younger and has followed
the safety guidelines for the
activity concerned. Sprains,
strains and physiotherapy are
also excluded.”
Even with comprehensive
insurance, it is important for
agents to clarify why a client is travelling. If the client
is participating professionally, or in an organised race,
a sports extension may be
required.
Briefly.
A
vis has alerted travel agents to a recent
change in the Transport Department’s National Road Traffic Act, making it mandatory to
strap children under the age of three into a specialised car seat when they are passengers in a
moving vehicle. Baby seats are available from
most Avis branches for R329 per rental.
Personally Speaking
by John Wardall
Buy a wheelbarrow for dinner in London
A
n element of panic
set in as stock markets wobbled and the
rand exchange rate
took a nosedive over the past few
weeks. Businesses dependent on
outbound travel were in as much
of a flap as any and many still are.
But they should not overreact.
People are still going to travel,
even if they have to adapt to
inevitably increasing rand costs.
As consumers tighten their
belts, it is essential for the medium and long term health of any
business to adapt also to meet
the changing customer needs and
do everything to maintain, even
grow, market share.
That means taking a longer
term approach rather than having
a knee-jerk reaction to the short
term crisis. It does mean, however, that the advantage goes to
larger, well-established and wellfinanced organisations.
Nothing breeds failure faster
than the appearance of failure because customers obviously don’t
want to be associated with it.
That is a lesson learned by
every successful entrepreneur,
who will have inevitably experienced tough times on the way up
but will have survived by exuding
success and confidence.
PS
With a wheelbarrow needed to
carry enough rands to buy dinner
in New York or London, we should
be experiencing an inbound flood
of foreign tourists.
But the ill-considered immigration fiasco has put paid to that, so
domestic suppliers are feeling the
pinch.
Outbound is unlikely to be
affected to the same degree as
most of those potential customers might have to tighten their
belts but are still employed and
have the savings, cashflow or
credit and desire to travel.
The tens of thousands of employees, who will lose their jobs
in the mining and steel industries
and fallout in other businesses,
due to the astonishing mismanagement of the economy, global
factors, the huge trade deficit with
China, dumping of Chinese goods
and the uncompetitiveness of too
many South African industries,
are mainly not potential outbound customers.
To preserve their sanity, South
Africans with the wherewithal
have to take the occasional break
from the asylum. And that won’t
change.
PS
Malusi Gigaba, architect of the
decline in inbound travel, pronounced last month that the ANC
was not threatening to ban dual
citizenship, at least in the near
term.
Maybe he was trying to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of the
travel industry after the visa and
child travel shambles.
This contradicts previous statements by Obed Bapela, head
of the ANC’s national executive committee on international
relations, in which he called for a
review of the citizenship policy.
He is not backing off and he was
supported by Jeff Radebe, whose
mind works on a different plane
from the rest of us, when he
maintained dual citizenship challenged loyalty to the country.
So, you know it is still an issue
for the ANC rottweilers. Changes
may be on hold for now, due to
the outraged response, but may
well resurface at a later date.
Nevertheless, the subject is
still on the agenda for the ANC’s
pow wow later this month (catering provided), also it is clear the
subject warms the cockles of ANC
hearts, even though it may be too
hot to handle at the moment.
The economic and social
impact of such a move would be
catastrophic. Dual passport holders use their foreign passports to
avoid significant visa costs and
inconvenience and any change to
that would affect outbound travel.
And I know a number of dual
citizens who provide jobs and
investment, who have said they
would leave the country rather
than give up their other citizenship. I guarantee the ANC’s response would be “good riddance”.
The next step would be a
requirement that foreign permanent residents would have to take
up sole South African citizenship; then we would see a major
exodus and the ANC would have
achieved its aim of total Africanisation – Chinese excluded!
The explanation from Mr.
Bapela that the intent was to
prevent those with Israeli joint
citizenship from joining the Israeli
armed forces was disingenuous.
There are already laws in place to
prevent that.
If you have one of those golden
foreign passports, don’t even
think of giving it up; if violent
crime gets much worse, we are all
going to need them.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gigaba had a
few pearls of wisdom for European governments’ response to the
migration crisis there, which he
claimed was not a crisis and said
European immigration policies
were “disastrous”.
This is rich from a government which goes out of its way to
delay and make the immigration
process as difficult as possible for
highly qualified applicants with
essential skills from Europe, who
could contribute significantly to
jobs and our economy.
PS
The international relations group
were outdoing themselves last
month, as we learned Mandarin
is to be taught in our schools. Pull
the other one; most of the kids
coming out of school are illiterate
and innumerate in the languages
they are being taught already.
They produced a paper for the
same ANC national general council meeting for which the dual
citizenship discussion paper was
dreamed up, which blamed China’s current economic slowdown
on the US trying to “destabilise”
not only China but also South
America, the Middle East, Africa
and the other BRICS countries.
And it claimed the beastly US
had declared a cold war on China
and Russia. Among the classic gag
lines was one which referred to
the fall of the Berlin Wall as “…a
regrettable triumph of Western
imperialism.”
The muses in international
relations, who came up with this
hogwash (after applying their
minds), are really wasting their talent. They should be on Saturday
Night Live.
Just after this puerile “paper”,
which wasn’t worth what it was
written on, was revealed, I attended a farewell party for the
departing Chinese Consul general,
a charming, educated man, who
speaks impeccable English.
You couldn’t move without falling over the horde of ANC grandees, a sycophants’ tea party for
the new colonisers, who the ANC
seems to think are their altruistic
friends.
Maybe more like the Mad
Hatter’s Tea Party. Being from
Cheshire myself, I likened myself
to the Cheshire Cat, a guest at that
party, when he said: “…I myself
don’t need a weather vane to tell
which way the wind blows.”
The Zoomer pointed the way
when he then jetted off to China
to join his friend Omar “Basher”
al Bashir at a bunfight in Beijing.
As the old adage goes, you are
known by your friends.
PS
The revelations last month that
corrupt police have been fraudulently intimidating foreign tourists
in rental cars on the drive to and
from Kruger, with phoney traffic
fines and “toll charges” weren’t
actually revelations at all.
I wrote about it a couple of
years ago and have had local
friends robbed in the same way.
It is a sad fact that we have
come to expect this sort of
behaviour as the country sinks
increasingly into an endemic
quagmire of corruption, incompetence and lack of governance in
all of our public services.
We all feel the impact in our
daily lives and it cannot end well.
PS
I am firmly of the belief that a
business relationship, or agreement, or deal, no matter how
formal or informal, can only be
good if it is good for all parties
concerned.
I always try to impress this on
suppliers when talking about their
distribution strategies.
If the people selling your
product are treated fairly and with
respect and the product is good
and competitive, they will sell it
with enthusiasm. If not, they may
sell it but reluctantly and with a
corresponding sales result.
By the same token, if a product
is fairly priced, no matter what
the price category, it will sell. If
consumers feel they are being
gouged, they will turn away.
That is the downfall of many
businesses in South Africa but,
fortunately, rare in the travel field,
which is generally much better at
establishing its prices and much
better at tactically discounting
and adding value, where necessary, than most other industries.
Hence the constant downfall
of so many other types of retail
business, aggravated even more
by the greed of distributors and
landlords.
PS
The anniversary of 9/11 last
month reminded me that I was in
New York on that date last year
and visited the 9/11 Museum, one
of the most poignant of my travel
experiences.
Time tends to dull the senses
of traumatic incidents but the
museum keeps it alive in a most
vivid and brilliant way and reminds us of the unspeakable evil
represented by that event.
It doesn’t seem appropriate to
describe the museum as a tourist
attraction but it is certainly an
experience not to be missed by
visitors to New York, in order to
get a real understanding of what
took place, the human tragedies
involved, the extraordinary
bravery and sacrifice of individuals, the triumph of good over evil
and the implications of what took
place.
Together with all of the other
things to see and do in New York,
it’s a thought for the winner of the
TIR Southern Africa
continued on page 20
•
October 2015
19
News Digest
Buy a wheelbarrow for dinner...
In the next issue of
Travel Industry Review...
continued from page 19
PS
SAA boss, Duduzile Myeni told parliament’s
finance committee last month that pilots’
salaries and financing and aircraft leasing
costs were a drain on the airline’s finances.
How the airline is supposed to operate
without them, however, remains a mystery.
Dear, oh dear, cadre “deployment”, a
famously pompous expression to rationalise jobs for the boys, is stuffing up every
essential enterprise the country used to be
able to rely on.
PS
And we think we’ve got problems. Britain’s
Labour Party has elected the rabid, looneyleft fruitcake Jeremy Corbyn – JC to his
friends – as its leader and he has become
Leader of the Opposition.
A man with a track record of consorting
with enemies of Britain, being an apologist
for terrorists and a naive and dangerous
social and economic philosophy guaranteed to destroy the country, if he ever got
into power, I disagree with everything he
stands for. How can you excuse a man who
refused to sing the national anthem at this
year’s commemoration of the Battle of
Britain?
But, at least, he is a rare politician with
conviction and I suspect people like that
more than what he actually stands for. His
first speech, naturally, attacked the media,
favourite target of totalitarian, Marxist
despots everywhere.
Give me Donald Trump any day!
Diary
The Namibia Tourism Board roadshow
takes place at the Da Vinci Hotel in
Sandton, October 19 and the Commodore
Hotel in Cape Town, October 20. Register:
naminfo@saol.com / 021 422 3298.
Beachcomber Tours hosted
an eTravel-exclusive educational to Mauritius last
month. Garth Wolf, eTravel CEO, joined seven ITCs
from cities across the country and head office staff on
the tour. The group visited
each of the Beachcomber
resorts, with a programme
to showcase the island’s
adventurous add-ons and
excursions, from swimming
with dolphins to snorkelling, rum tasting and sunset cruises. Pictured at the flagship
Royal Palm (l to r): Misa du Toit, eTravel – the Travel Team; Julia Page, eTravel Operations
Manager; Shelley Daniels and Nicola Hards, Beachcomber; with Margo Mantle, eTravel
– MLM Travel and Delia Gilbert, British Airways/Comair. Catch up on the latest product
development’s at some of Beachcomber’s leading resorts in this month’s Indian Ocean
Islands Destination Report, from page 8. ... get caught up on the latest developments in the MICE sector
as well as on new product, selling tips and more in our annual Americas
& the Caribbean destination report.
the
two Delta tickets in the current Delta/TIR
competition.
Sales Resource
The latest product sales, marketing and training resources for travel professionals.
White Star Cruise & Travel secures savings for 2016 cruise from South Africa.
White Star Cruise & Travel, Cunard’s official GSA in South Africa, has negotiated special fares for a 2016 sailing from Cape Town to Fremantle on the Queen
Elizabeth, departing January 27, arriving February 12, with inside staterooms from
R15,099 pp and balcony staterooms from R21,599 pp., including international port
and handling fees.
Dreams adds free-night, regional booking promotions.
Dreams has a ‘pay two, stay three’ nights offer from R3,925 pps plus taxes, at the
Avani Windhoek Hotel & Casino. Includes return flights ex-JNB, accommodation,
breakfast, free Wi-Fi, a city and township tour and full body massage. Three nights
at the David Livingstone Safari Lodge in Zambia is from R7,650 pps plus airline
levies, and includes flights ex-JNB, accommodation, breakfast, two dinners, airport
transfers and a sunset cruise on the Lady Livingstone.
Celebrity Cruises combats rand weakness with value-adds.
Celebrity Cruises has a new value-added booking promotion, enabling passengers
to bundle various amenities into the fare. Oceanview and above stateroom bookings automatically qualify for either a classic beverage package, unlimited Internet,
pre-paid tips or US$150 onboard credit per person. For an additional charge, passengers can pre-purchase two or all four of those amenities. All value-adds are
commissionable. The offer is subject to capacity and restrictions may apply.
Cunard 2017 line-up launches with more calls to SA.
White Star Cruise & Travel has launched
Cunard’s 2017 programme. The new season features South Africa sailings operated
by the Queen Mary 2 (pictured right) and
Queen Elizabeth. Queen Mary 2 will have
undergone a major refurbishment before
it arrives in Cape Town. That renovation is
due to get underway in May. Queen Mary
2 is due to arrive in South Africa on January
27, 2017, with the Queen Elizabeth to follow in April. To request a brochure for the
new season, email: info@whitestar.co.za.