ncl launches new ship and sa sales focus - tir.co.za · discusses the subject of card payments,...

NCL launchesnew ship andSA sales focus

THIRD PARTY ALLIANCESBOOST AGENCY GROUPS

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018ISSUE 278

THE MAGAZINE FOR SOUTH AFRICAN TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS.

Card payments areagents’ biggest challenge

P e r f e c t i n g M a u r i t i u s h o l i d a y s f o r m o r e t h a n 6 5 ye a r s

F r e e C a l l 0 8 0 0 5 0 0 8 0 0g e n @ b e a c h c o m b e r. c o . z a w w w. b e a c h c o m b e r. c o . z a

Happiness!

The Art of Beautiful

Certain specials are valid during the mid-year period. 20% discount subject to 60-day advance purchase. Kids share free special is subject torooming rules & excludes unit categories. No visas required for South Africans. Air Mauritius Travel Smart Program has block out dates. Royal Palmand Villa specials differ, T&C’s apply.

� Save 20-25% on accommodation, meals & all-inclusive

� Kids U18 stay & eat free when sharing parents’ accommodation

� Kids U12 are free on all-inclusive year round

� Two kids U12 fly free with Air Mauritius’ Travel Smart Program

� Business class lounge access in Joburg

� Save 30% when staying for 12 nights or more

� Save an extra 5% if you qualify as our repeat guest

� Free lunch daily at Trou aux Biches, Paradis and Dinarobin during the mid-year period

� Big savings & treats too with our wedding party, wedding anniversary, family-moon &honeymoon specials

THE ULTIMATE HOLIDAY

Your clients’ most memorable Mauritius holiday made possible with these mega savings

Remember: no visas, just a 4-hour flight from Joburg and Durban, no jet lag and everything available each day on your doorstep

TIR Sept-Oct 2018 9/18/18 8:45 AM Page 1

discusses the subject of card payments, particularly virtual cards in this issue’s association column and addresses airline concerns over costs.

But the value of cards far outweighs that cost for travel agents and the airlines themselves. Fraud is, of course, a consideration which needs more effective attention from all parties and, for agents, there is always the contentious application of ADMs.

The World Travel Agents Association Alliance is urging mean-ingful discussion with the airlines to get a better understanding of how virtual cards can strengthen and grow mutual business and reduce risk. In the new generation of payment methods, the association maintains cards need to be a key part of the picture, rather than more onerous compliance, which it says is heavy-handed and costly.

Publisher’s Notebook

comment

Who drives SA tourism to Mauritius?

SA Airlink has the formula for a successful feeder operation.

How to grow incremental sales in 2019

Why Lanseria?

IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF TIR

The other key concern for agents is the airlines’ New Distri-bution Capability, GDS adoption and clear communication on developments. IATA’s Perry Flint sums up, also in this issue.

ASATA

P e r f e c t i n g M a u r i t i u s h o l i d a y s f o r m o r e t h a n 6 5 ye a r s

F r e e C a l l 0 8 0 0 5 0 0 8 0 0g e n @ b e a c h c o m b e r. c o . z a w w w. b e a c h c o m b e r. c o . z a

Happiness!

The Art of Beautiful

Certain specials are valid during the mid-year period. 20% discount subject to 60-day advance purchase. Kids share free special is subject torooming rules & excludes unit categories. No visas required for South Africans. Air Mauritius Travel Smart Program has block out dates. Royal Palmand Villa specials differ, T&C’s apply.

� Save 20-25% on accommodation, meals & all-inclusive

� Kids U18 stay & eat free when sharing parents’ accommodation

� Kids U12 are free on all-inclusive year round

� Two kids U12 fly free with Air Mauritius’ Travel Smart Program

� Business class lounge access in Joburg

� Save 30% when staying for 12 nights or more

� Save an extra 5% if you qualify as our repeat guest

� Free lunch daily at Trou aux Biches, Paradis and Dinarobin during the mid-year period

� Big savings & treats too with our wedding party, wedding anniversary, family-moon &honeymoon specials

THE ULTIMATE HOLIDAY

Your clients’ most memorable Mauritius holiday made possible with these mega savings

Remember: no visas, just a 4-hour flight from Joburg and Durban, no jet lag and everything available each day on your doorstep

TIR Sept-Oct 2018 9/18/18 8:45 AM Page 1

Connecting Africa to more than120 destinations in Latin America.

PREMIUM BUSINESS

· Full-flat seat.· International gourmet cuisine.· Wine list designed by the only Master Sommelier in Latin America.

· State-of-the art on board entertainment.· Full access to VIP lounges.

�ATAM Airlines Sales SupportToll free number: + (27) 105003076*Please insert you 7 digit IATA codeEmail: salessupportza@servicinguk.zendesk.comwww.latam.comwww.latamtrade.com

IN our last issue, Executive of Sales for Avis Rent a Car, Lance Smith was incorrectly quoted regarding Avis’ Group B vehicles. The article stated that a Group B is “typi-cally a 1600 sedan” however Avis for many years has not guaranteed engine size, only the features of a vehicle. The Avis Group B vehicle is currently the new VW Polo Vivo or similar.

Correction

INSIDE

Third partyalliances

expand chains’ reach

NCL launches new ship and SA

sales focus12 18

Cover image: ©NCLNorwegian Bliss

Editorial DirectorJohn [email protected]

General Manager/Ad DirectorDominic [email protected]

ContributorsSarah CornwellRichard HolmesKate ElsShannon Latimer

AdministrationNerina Nicholson

AccountsBrenda [email protected]

Head Office9 Ruby Terrace, Noordhoek 7979PO Box 745 Noordhoek 7979Cape TownTel: +27 21 789 0053

PrintingFormeset Printers© TTG Southern Africa 2018

PublisherTTG Southern Africa CCReg no: 1995/030913/23

www.tir.co.za@TIR_SA

BARSA seeks more visarelaxation 14NDC accelerates

with agency focus07

Congratulations to Joanne Marcovich fromInspirations Travel and Tours in Durban, spotted at the pyramids in Giza. Joanne wins an American Tourister Sunside 55cm spinner valued at R1,799!

Discover the sunny side of life and travel around the globe with American Tourister’s stylish Sun-side luggage collection. The polypropylene range comes with smooth, rolling double wheels, interior organisation and a recessed TSA lock. The 68cm and 77cm suitcases are expandable allowing you to pack even more souvenirs from your trips.

Shop online at www.americantourister.co.za or follow us on facebook: American Tourister SA.

Email photo entries to: [email protected]

4 Travel Industry Review | October/November 2018


ASSOCIATIONS

The biggest challengefacing travel agents todayBy Otto de Vries, Association of Southern African Travel Agents CEO

“... we should engage in open discussions with key airlines, so they gain a betterunderstanding of virtual cards and what these cards can do to strengthen commercial partnerships.” – Otto de Vries

New Distribution Capabil-ity, the Protection of Personal Informa-tion, PCI-DSS compliance. Travel agents have been faced with a vast array of challenges so far in 2018. But the greatest challenge today is undoubtedly the issue of card payments. Several airline companies have been resisting this for the simple reason that they feel these payment solutions are too costly. However, blanket airline payment policies, formulated with a one-dimensional view, can have unintended consequences for the entire travel chain. We have already seen this happen with airlines reissuing payment policies after real-ising that an unbalanced ap-proach has undesired results, ranging from lost distribution volumes and unrecovered funds from exposure, to risky markets and agents. The reality is that IATA’s NewGen ISS and Transparency in Payment initiatives were intended to address the changing face of payments and to reduce risk. These two factors are key if NewGen ISS is truly going to deliver for the industry and the customer. So, what should we be talking about when it comes to virtual cards? What benefits can virtual cards offer all stake-

holders in the value chain, including airlines? Fraud is one of the biggest risks and costs to the travel industry. Findings from IATA’s ADM Working Group found that direct fraud losses for travel agents is as high as 1.5 percent. Customer cards are risky as most existing legacy tick-eting systems have not kept pace with fraud detection. With virtual cards, agents act as the

merchant for the customer card trans-action. This enables agents to invest in fraud prevention technologies, protecting the agent and airlines from customer card fraud. As a bonus, the airline also saves the time and cost of ADMs to re-cover that fraud. Default risk is also a reality. When an agent uses a virtual card, especially one that offers the card scheme guarantee, airlines are guaranteed to receive 100 percent of their funds within a matter of days. And the same goes for travel

agents. They no longer have to take the risk of forward-dated travel, thanks to chargeback protection they can draw-on should an airline fail.

We need to build mutual trust and develop solutions that benefit all parties. We should work towards encouraging

airlines to move away from aggressive blanket payment policies that have little or no regard for key commercial relationships. More importantly, we should engage in open discussions with key airlines, so they gain a better understanding of virtual

cards and what these cards can do to strengthen commercial partnerships. Armed with improved understanding, airlines can make informed decisions on virtual cards and the benefits to the entire value chain. And they will reduce their risk profile considerably. If the airline industry is truly behind a new generation of payments, cards need to be directly in the conversation and simplicity needs to prevail rather than further heavy-handed costly compliance that serves no positive purpose.

IATA’s

So, how do we get the conversation on virtual cards happening betweenairlines and their agents?

DELTA Air Lines, in conjunction with TIR, is providing two confirmed return tickets to a city of your choice in the Continental US served by Delta to a lucky travel agent and their partner. Enter by answering three easy questions appearing in the October/November, December/January & February/March issues of TIR. The answers will be found in a Delta-related item in each issue. Entries can only be submitted at www.tir.co.za betwen February 1 – March 15, 2019 once the February/March edition has been published. All three answers will be required on the entry form, so make sure to keep a note of your answers from each issue – or look through the issues online in the archive on our homepage when entering. The winner will be announced in the April/May 2019 issue of TIR. Below is the first question…

*Competition only open to retail travel agency consultants and staff.

Which company has Delta teamed up withto offer inflight learning courses?Q1Q1

WIN with Delta & TIR!

NDC developmentand travel agencyfocus accelerates

ASSOCIATIONS

past 12 months have seen significant acceleration in the New Distribution Capability (NDC) initiative as the industry embraces the XML-based data transmission standard for com-munications between airlines and travel agents. As of early September, 64 airlines were certified as having carried out live deployments of NDC, meaning that airlines and travel sellers were able to communicate regarding flights and/or ancillaries using the NDC standard. Furthermore, some 45 IT providers had demonstrated the capability to send and receive NDC messages, as have 15 ag-gregators - entities such as GDSs that aggregate airlines’ fare, schedule and availability information for display/sale in third party channels, most significantly travel agents. Furthermore, all three GDSs have committed to be at Level 3 certification, the highest level, by the end of this year. Travel-port and Amadeus already have achieved this milestone and Sabre is expected to have joined them by the time this article appears. Equally significant has been the flurry of NDC-related news from GDSs and airlines. A few examples:

• Sabre announced that American Airlines, American Express Global Business Travel, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Flight Centre Travel Group, will join its Beyond NDC programme.

• Amadeus revealed that Qantas, American Airlines, and BCD Travel have joined its NDC-X program. “From Amadeus’ point of view, we are confident that NDC will be a great opportunity for airlines and Amadeus to work together bringing more content and to provide better sales through the indirect channel,” the GDS said.

• Travelport signed a multi-year agreement with Qantas Airways that includes distribution of the carrier’s content and integration into the airline’s NDC platform, the Qantas Distribution Platform (QDP).

• Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic Airways are on track to be-come the first global airline partnership to achieve Level 3 Certifica-tion on schema release 18.1.

These announcements show that NDC is well on its way to-ward achieving a critical mass of transactions, which is seen as the next target for the programme. In keeping with this objec-tive, IATA created the NDC Leaderboard, composed of airlines, so far 21, that seek to grow their NDC volumes rapidly.

The In tandem with the Leaderboard, IATA is continuing to expand its outreach to all parts of the travel value chain. For example, the association has facilitated the creation of a Global Travel Management Executive Council comprised of 14 “C-level” representatives from global TMCs. IATA is using this twice-yearly forum to better understand TMC challenges and priorities while exploring areas of possible cooperation. Additionally, IATA has introduced NDC “Propathons” (proposition marathons) for travel buyers to brainstorm ideas for new airline products and services for the business travel community and visualise what the key components of a future airline/ travel manager relationship might look like. Outcomes from the first two Propathons are available in Tak-ing the Reins and Time to Fly. Other collaborative stakeholder activities include the annual AIR (airline industry retailing) Business Travel Summit, now in its third year, and the Europe-an and North American Travel Management Advisory groups which are comprised of 20 corporate buyers. IATA will continue to increase its engagement with the entire value chain, particularly the travel agency community, be-cause there is no doubt that there is still a significant need for a simple, clear and consistent communication on NDC to this community: what NDC is, what it isn’t and how it can benefit travel agents in particular.

By Perry Flint, IATA Head of Corporate Communications

ASTA Rebrands:The American Society of Travel Advisors

ASSOCIATIONS


By Mark Meader, ASTA Senior Vice President, Industry Affairs & Education

In August of this year, the American Society of Travel Agents – the lead-ing association of travel professionals globally – announced a major rebranding effort as well as its name change to the American Society of Travel Advisors. The move represented the first name change for ASTA in almost 75 years. From its founding in 1931 until 1944, ASTA was known as the American Steamship and Tourist Agents’ Associ-ation. The name change, coupled with a new marketing campaign, is indicative of how agents have evolved to become true and trusted advisors to the end traveler, whether leisure or corporate. Think of today’s travel advisor as you would a trusted financial advisor, realtor or estate agent, a trusted advisor of any sort. ASTA chose the word “Advisor” after conducting extensive con-sumer research in 2017. Travel Ad-visor was the clear choice among consumers and the traveling public as the right term to describe what these skilled individuals do and offer the traveler. Consumer sentiment from this wide-ranging research can be sum-marised by saying an agent works on be-half of someone else or a travel supplier while a travel advisor works for the trav-eler making the overall travel experience better. A travel advisor provides leisure and business travelers maximum value for their travel dollar.

What’s equally exciting is that con-sumer media and, more importantly, the traveling public are embracing this shift from agent to an advisor. While the name has changed, ASTA’s mission has not. ASTA will continue to promote and represent travel advisors and agencies – within the industry, to the traveling public and at all levels of government – providing members with a world-class suite of benefits. ASTA’s new name more accurately de-scribes the value our members provide to consumers and is a distinct declaration of who an ASTA Travel Advisor works for: the traveling public. It also reflects

the renewed prominence of the travel advisor industry and of ASTA’s role as its leading voice. Coupled with the rebrand, ASTA is launching later this year a new and improved consumer focused website and tool: TravelSense.org, ASTA’s consum-er-oriented lead-generating website which contains individual ASTA travel advisor profiles showing specialisations and other unique and important qual-ifications, allows travelers to choose

“The name change... is indicative of how agents have evolved to become true and trusted advisors to the end traveler, whether leisure or corporate.”– Mark Meader

from an array of advisors specialising in a variety of features important to each traveler. A little more about ASTA: the American

Society of Travel Advisors is the leading global advocate for travel advisors, the travel industry and the traveling public. Its members represent 80 percent of all travel sold in the United States through the travel agency distribution channel.

Together with hundreds of interna-tionally-based members, ASTA’s history of industry advocacy traces back to its founding in 1931 when it launched with the mission to facilitate the business of selling travel through effective repre-sentation, shared knowledge and the enhancement of professionalism. For more information about the Society, visit ASTA.org. Consumers can connect with an ASTA travel advisor at TravelSense.org.

New DistributionConversation

Are you maximising valuefrom IATA’s NDC?

For more information visittravelport.com/ndc


associations

Be the baker!By David Frost, Southern Africa Tourism Services Association CEO

tourism, there are two ‘animals’ vying for attention – the baker and the mouse. The mouse lives their life by beggaring crumbs from their neighbour and makes a lot of noise. The baker, on the other hand, is just a jolly big guy whose sole interest is to bake bigger pies. The question you need to ask yourself is, are you the baker or the mouse? And in tourism, we certainly need more of the former. That’s because, when done correctly, a collaboration of bakers delivers a much bigger pie, which is the key driver in so many of SATSA’s initiatives. At SATSA, nobody is worried about the slice of the

In

“Being the bakers we are, instead of sitting back and putting our heads in the sand, we’re going to tackle the very real issues that affect tourism growth and volumes, collaborating with our public sector partners, SA Tourism and Wesgro, to go into markets and engage proactively the various stakeholders...” – David Frost

pie. We’re interested in growing it, and we collaborate as an industry, even com-petitors, to turn 2 + 2 into 5, 6 or 7. We’ve seen the success of this approach in many of our initiatives, but perhaps most notably in recent times, as we grap-pled with the negative impact of the wa-ter crisis in Cape Town on our inbound tourist arrivals. As the voice of the inbound tourism industry and its honest broker, SATSA acted as a barometer pooling information and providing insights into where the forward book was growing while allow-ing companies themselves to remain anonymous. The result? Real-time information on the effects of the water crisis on the inbound tourism sector and the intelligence needed to kick-start a collaboration that will act as the blueprint to future joint campaigns. Once it was clear we needed a coordi-nated response after the December Hol-idays, we convened with Western Cape

Premier Helen Zille and within a week were working with Wesgro to dissemi-nate proper joint messaging to our trade partners. South African Tourism got involved in the story, and we collaborated as private and public sector to deliver a swift, coor-dinated message around the water crisis – lessons we now take forward in other initiatives, such as our Collaborative Fund, which ringfences 15 percent of the TOMSA levy for incremental market-ing initiatives with an inclusive growth component. The Collaborative Fund may be used soon to support a proactive and positive international roadshow focusing on the

issues of water, land appropriation and safety and security. Being the bakers we are, instead of sitting back and putting our heads in the sand, we’re going to tackle the very real issues that affect tourism growth and volumes, collaborating with our public sector partners, SA Tourism and Wesgro, to go into markets and engage proactive-ly the various stakeholders to counter some of the knee-jerk negative percep-tions around these issues. It’s essential that the spirit of collabo-ration go beyond the members of one or-ganisation and include key public sector stakeholders who are involved. With South African Tourism, we have managed to do just this with one of the smaller markets – Scandinavia. SATSA convened 12 of the leading players in the Scandinavian market and collaborated with the country manager at SA Tourism in charge of that region to deliberate how we could tackle that market. The proactive, honest and unprecedent-

ed collaborative approach saw compet-itors work together to host a mega fam trip, paving the way for a more effective in-market approach going forward. Both private and public sector are spending marketing money on the mar-ket. If we put that together at inception, and decide how best to spend it going forward, that’s when we start seeing real growth of the pie. If we work in isolation,

2+2 generally equals 3. The same spirit of collaboration has seen the Garden Route benefit from the attention it deserves. For many years, the conversation along the Garden Route had been that Wesgro hasn’t done much for people in the outlying areas. In the interests of growing the entire tourism pie, SATSA tackled that head-on and created a Garden Route Chapter, bringing together a spread of tourism players, from Mossel Bay to Plettenburg Bay, and all the way inland to Oudtshoo-rn and De Rust. This committee, representing the different players along the Garden Route, collaborated on a three-point growth strategy and has partnered with Wesgro to drive joint initiatives. Once again, these bakers aren’t interested in slices. They’re interested in growing the pie for everyone. And that’s the key benefit of working in a collaborative way. Not only do you grow the pie, you also change the conversation.

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THE Western Cape is moving ahead with its Industry Recov-ery Plan to address the slump in tourism, which followed the much-publicised water crisis, fuelled by a scare campaign by Cape Town and provincial authorities. The water shortage and measures to combat it were widely reported in media overseas. It also resulted in a drop in visitors to all of South Africa. The plan is a cooperative effort involving the Federated Hos-pitality Association of South Africa, the Southern Africa Tour-ism Services Association, the South African Association for the

Western Cape moves to recover lost visitorsConference Industry, the Provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the provincial tourism, trade and investment promotion agency Wesgro. Wesgro is to implement the campaign under the slogan Nowhere Does It Better, a digital campaign to project a positive image of the city and province. In addition, Fedhasa will participate in DEDAT’s Tourism Safety Forum to reduce crime and improve safety at ATMs, key tourist sites and address credit card fraud.


RETAIL

Third party alliancesgrow sales opportunityIntermediary sales up 13 percent, expanding market share for agency groups.

by Sarah CornwellTHE bricks and mortar and online travel agency model is con-tinually evolving, not just through technology but as a result of new partnerships with national retailers of clothing, food and other consumables and services, which are increasing travel agency revenues and providing access to new markets. Targeted agreements are also seen as an opportunity for independent agents. Bookings through third-party retailers have grown, according to Travelport, which reported approximately 13 percent year-on-year growth for this type of travel. Travelport Country Manager South Africa, Claudette Thorne, maintained, absolutely, this type of agreement could help travel agencies and suppliers reach a new audience and “specifically with the rise of low-cost carrier and bed and breakfast content

available via the GDS”. Ms. Thorne added: “Agreements have become exceptionally common in southern Africa, with agencies such as Computick-et Travel, which distributes travel content via pay points and Money Market counters in Shoprite, Checkers and Hyperama stores. Travel is also becoming widely available via till points in Pick ’n Pay stores. The majority of these transactions are on a cash basis, thus limiting the risk of non-payment.” Online travel agency Travelstart’s latest agreement will make in-store payment for flights possible in 600 PEP stores across South Africa. Dubbed Pay@PEP, customers can follow the usual steps when booking a flight on Travelstart.co.za and select ‘Pay@PEP’ at check-out ('Travelstart to expand in-store pay partnerships' – TIR August/September 2018). Customers receive a reference number which can be taken to the nearest PEP store to complete the payment securely. Cash, credit card, debit card and EFT are accepted. Once payment is complete, booking confirmation and flight e-tickets are emailed immediately. Odette Faling, Head of Partnerships, said pay-in-store services would be rolled out at various other retailers in the coming months. For now, Pay@PEP is “only available for flights, which is more to do with the system”. While traditional retailers have accepted the need for an in-creased digital presence, in a similar way, large online retailers have looked at a store-in-store concept and third-party booking agreements as a means of growing offline sales and to reach a bigger audience. FlightSite, part of the Club Travel Group, has partnered with the retail sector since 2010, said Managing Director Rian Bornman. “We sell flights and bus tickets via an extensive retail foot-print, thus enabling access to travel to a much broader audience than traditional travel channels allow for. As a business, we are passionate about making travel easy and enabling travel in this way speaks to that value. Our retail channel via Pick ’n Pay has grown from strength to strength, with double-digit com-pound year-on-year growth since inception.” “Lots of other e-commerce websites are doing this as well. It is another [form of] payments. PEP doesn’t have credit (ser-vices). It... targets a different LSM market,” said Ms. Faling. “It is a market that feels more comfortable making offline pay-ments… clients who would not have purchased with us other-wise.” She said pop-up travel booking desks inside MTN stores had been opened for limited periods, although this was not a prima-ry focus. “It is something we have dabbled with… Our brands aren’t aligned yet.” Retail partnerships could mean competition for high-street agencies, Ms. Faling agreed. However, partnerships can have challenges of their own. In 2014, Imagine Cruising worked with now-defunct Stutta-

“The impact is yet to be tested, but I would believe that if a high street retail travel agency or an ITC who knew their customer and managed the relationship with them effectively, should not see their market share diluted.” – Robyn Christie

RETAIL

fords, saying it was a “pioneering concession deal that will give travel shoppers in-stores access to a range of sensational cruise destinations and holiday hotspots…” The company then said the concept had been tested in the UK. Chief Executive Officer Robin Deller maintained: “By launching this successful concept in South Africa, Imagine will be introducing its successful formula of unbeatable travel deals, exclusive product and quick turnaround in a chic, elegant envi-ronment in which shoppers are already comfortable. Further-more, the elegant, aspirational shopping experience offered by Stuttafords to discerning customers seeking exclusive, quality ranges, perfectly matches that offered by Imagine.” Founder of Just Saying, Robyn Christie, former head of the Association of Southern African Travel Agents who also headed Travelport in South Africa, said retail concession partner-ships focused on the leisure market. She agreed payment partnerships could be beneficial in markets where credit card payments were less common but felt targeted marketing and pop-up concessions at facilities such as golf clubs and retirement complexes could be a more effective means of developing niche markets. “If that retail partner only focuses on the high end of the low

end, you are low down on the choice that shopper is going to make. Will the customer get to the till and say, let’s book my five-star package holiday? If you are using [an offline retailer] as a brochure point... it is quite an extensive distribution… If you are targeting millennials… an affiliation with a Spree or another online fashion retail shop makes a bit more sense.” Regarding the effect on independent high street agencies and even ITCs, Ms. Christie offered: “I am a little cautious when it comes to the potential of these new partnerships with national retailers for no other reason than the retail sector is in some degree of distress. “The impact is yet to be tested, but I would believe that if a high street retail travel agency or an ITC who knew their customer and managed the relationship with them effectively, should not see their market share diluted.” Jonathan Gerber, Travel Assignment Group Director regards South Africa as a frontrunner for proven retail partnerships involving major lifestyle, investment and retail brands, from Discovery to Momentum, Shoprite, Pick ’n Pay, Investec, FNB and Standard Bank. “Every opportunity must be assessed on its own merits. Yes,

continued on page 24

“It is a market that feels more comfortable making offline payments… clients who would not have purchased with us otherwise.” – Odette Faling, Travelstart


BARSA wants moreaction on visa relaxation

MARKET INTELLIGeNCE

THE Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa has charged that the new visa regulations announced last month will not result in any significant change to boost tourism arriv-als in the country. It said the measures were not adequate to place the country on a decisive path towards achieving its full tourism potential. The key areas of concern for BARSA included the lack of clear action to reverse the negative effects of the unabridged birth certificate requirements, on which the airline and tourism industry had made numerous representations. Foreign travelling minors were still required to prove parental consent for travel and the countries with which visa waivers

are to be concluded would have little impact on South Africa’s overall tourism arrivals. The associatation questioned why key countries like New Zea-land were not included in those being considered for the visa waiver. The fact that e-Visa will be piloted there only in April 2019 did not help either, losing the possibility for additional tourists over the coming holiday season. “South Africa has enormous potential as a tourism and an investment destination. The visa reforms being mooted need to be decisive, if they are to help our economy avert a full-blown recession. “As African and international airlines we have a vital role to play in growing tourism and business travel and would like government to go far and beyond the current announced mea-sures,” said June Crawford, BARSA CEO and deputy chairper-son of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa. She added an influx of tourists into South Africa would have a major impact on the local economy and may even increase aviation’s contribution to gross domestic product. Aviation accounts for 3.5 percent of South Africa’s GDP and the sector supports 490,000 jobs. “The International Air Transport Association has estimated that air transport contributed R154.8-billion to South Africa’s GDP and the sector directly supported businesses such as air-lines, airport operators, airport on-site enterprises, for example restaurants and retail shops, aircraft manufacturers and air navigation service providers,” said Ms. Crawford. Michael Tollman, CEO of Cullinan Holdings, however com-mended the government on the new regulations, saying there was no doubt the previous rules affected business levels and the changes could only be a positive move for tourism. And Risbah Thapar, Director of global hospitality consultancy HVS Africa, said the steps were in line with international stan-dards and would “certainly encourage international visitors”.

Michael Yeates, Director in the Employment Practice and Adjekai Adjei, Candidate Attorney at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, outline the amendments to immigration legislation announced last month and the potential impact on tourism...

These reforms are aimed at promoting foreign investment, encouraging the migration of critical-ly skilled labour into South Africa increasing tourism and counteracting many of the unintended consequences of the 2014 amendments which particularly impacted negatively on tourism. Here are some of the most salient aspects:

Travel with minorsMinors who are foreign nationals will not be required to prove the consent of both parents to travel in and out of South Africa. Foreign national minors will not be denied entry if documen-tation proving consent of both parents is not present but will still be required to prove parental consent if requested. It is important to note that the requirement of consent from both parents will not be waived for South African minors travelling abroad.

June Crawford, BARSA

continued on next page

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Visa waiversThe new amendments seek to waive pre-authorised visa requirements for certain countries. Along with the majority of SADC countries, nationals from countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Cuba will not be required to have applied for a visa prior to travel to South Africa. A visitor’s visa may be granted on arrival.

Simplification of visa requirements and border managementAs of October 2018, the visa requirements for countries including China and India will be simplified by allowing for the issuance of five-year multiple entry visas and the processing of fingerprints and other biometric information on arrival in South Africa. Entering and exiting will also be simpli-fied through biometric control and the establishment of an enhanced Border Management Author-ity to manage South Africa’s borders.

E-Gates The introduction of E-Gates will allow returning South African citizens and certain categories of travellers to be processed electronically as opposed to processing by an immigration official at border control. This will be in line with international standards which have already been im-plemented in certain European countries. This “self-service” system will drastically reduce the delay currently experienced at South African entry points.

The DHA will have to work closely with various sectors such as the tourism industry, law en-forcement and the technology sectors to ensure the successful implementation of the amend-ments. Many of the amendments are projected to be implemented within the next year.

Impact on tourism...

DL AD0128 420x297x3 DSP TIR Final.indd 1 29.06.18 14:54


COSMOS LITE LAUNCHESNEW STYLE PACKAGES

PRODUCT UPDATE

BA INTRODUCES DIRECT DUR FLIGHTS

DELTA TEAMS UP WITH LINKEDIN

EMERALD HARMONY SALES OPEN

DELTA passengers can now access LinkedIn Learning courses during flights, free of charge through Delta Studio. Courses cover topics such as managing stress, communica-tion and career development. Delta Studio also features an interview series with some of

the world's top leaders. “This is yet another way we’re helping customers make the most of their time in flight,” said Chris Buckner, Director – Onboard Product and Customer Experience. Delta Studio is free in all cabins.

BRITISH Airways will start direct flights between Durban and London on October 30. Three times weekly flights

will depart Durban on Tues-days, Fridays and Sundays using a Boeing 787-8 Dream-liner.

BOOKINGS have opened for Emerald Waterways' new boutique ship, the 84-guest Emerald Harmony which will sail the Mekong, visiting Vietnam and Cambodia from August 2019. Cruise Vacations has pro-motional introductory prices which start from US$1,495pp

sharing. Cruise Vacations is also offering travel agents 15 percent commission on last-minute 2018 bookings on Silversea Cruises, Silversea Expeditions, Star Clippers, Scenic Cruises or Emerald Waterways for travel before December 31, 2018.

THE Globus group has launched Cosmos Lite, a new independent touring category. The 2019 concept features 10 unique itineraries combining major cities with less-known destinations in Europe. The packages include de luxe motor coach transporta-tion, good value hotels, break-fast daily, a tour director, optional excursions and the CosmosGO mobile app with suggestions for individual

options each day. Customers purchase only tours and activities they wish, as sightseeing is not included. The new app provides infor-mation and suggestions for individual guidance. The 10 new packages cover Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Danube, England, Ireland and Scotland, with prices start-ing from R10,699 pps for the eight-day Spanish Heritage Explorer.

AIR SEYCHELLES INCREASES FLIGHTSAIR Seychelles will operate additional flights on Mondays and Fridays between Decem-ber and April to accommodate increased seasonal demand. Charles Johnson, Air Sey-chelles Chief Commercial

Officer, said: “With this new Monday flight, Air Seychelles will now offer daily service to Johannesburg in December and an exciting new Friday evening departure from Mahe...”

NCL JUMPSTARTS SALES FOR 2020 AND BEYONDNORWEGIAN Cruise Line, with an increased focus and marketing drive in the grow-ing South African market, last month opened sales for its summer 2020 itineraries, featuring 11 of its 17 ships. The programme includes voyages on its latest ship, the Norwe-gian Encore, which is due to launch in November. Sales also opened for the Northern hemisphere summer 2021 through spring 2022 sailings on its Pride of America vessel. The 2020 schedule features three ships sailing to Alaska,

four in Europe and two to Bermuda from New York and Boston, including the Norwe-gian Encore from April. Alaska cruises depart Seat-tle for Alaska in May. Norwe-gian Escape makes its Europe-an debut from Copenhagen to the Baltic for nine-day cruises from the end of May and, for the first time, Norwegian Dawn will sail from Venice for seven to 11-day itineraries to the Greek islands. Other short cruises include five and seven-day cruises from Miami to the West-ern Caribbean and three

and four-day cruises to the Bahamas, calling in Nassau and NMCL’s private island of Great Stirrup Cay. Seven, 10 and 11-day cruises leave New York for New England and Canada and Pride of America continues its seven-day itineraries, with ex-tended port stays, in Hawaii, calling at Hilo, Kona and over-nights in Kahului, Maui and Maui. That programme will run from May 1 2021 through April 2022.

TRAFALGAR FEATURES ANTARCTICATRAFALGAR is featuring Antarctica for the first time in 2019 in its South America programme, in a joint venture with Poseidon Adventures. And is planning to connect Patagonia with other South American destinations in 2020. Brazil has been enhanced with the inclusion of the Windsor Miramar in Rio de Janeiro, featuring rooms with

floor to ceiling windows over-looking Copacabana Beach, the Christ the Redeemer stat-ue and Sugarloaf Mountain. The operator is highlighting the advantage of visa-free travel to Brazil for South Afri-can passport holders. Departures are from Jo-hannesburg to São Paulo on LATAM, with connections to all of Trafalgar’s destinations and reduced fares on flights.

industry view

Beachcomber shunsdirect for agency salesBeachcomber Tours is a strong believer in South African travel agents and the role they play in advising the travelling public on destinations and which resorts to book. Beachcomber Tours supports travel agents so unequivocally that we still do not take direct bookings. The public needs to consult with specialists before booking overseas holidays. International travel is a massive investment for average South Africans, especially with our weak rand, and they need as much advice as possible so their money is well spent. Airfares and taxes are also costly. For this reason travel agents should always avoid recommending the lowest-priced resort, irrespective of quality. Advice based on value for money always wins the respect of the traveller. The airlines often feel they can do without the travel agent,

By Terry Munro, MD of Beachcomber Tours

but time and again this policy has come back to bite them as by far the most international air tickets are booked through travel agents. As a supplier, it has benefitted Beachcomber Tours signifi-cantly not to compete with the travel trade. Being trusted by travel agencies is reflected in our local market share, which compares favourably with Beachcomber sales round the world.

F Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa recently held its 31st annual Paradis Challenge. 91 golfers took part in the four-day event, half were repeat attendees and more than half were women. Pictured right: Steenberg Golf Course members who competed in the tournament.

When your customers cruise with Norwegian, they’re free. Free to dine, dance, laugh, explore and relax – free to follow the sun instead of a schedule. Our award-winning ships are designed for your customers to enjoy as they choose while cruising to beautiful destinations around the world. Along their journey, they’ll discover incredible culinary experiences with the freedom to dine when and where they want. Light up their nights with the best entertainment at sea. Savour handcrafted cocktails in their favourite bar or lounge. Take to the sea and find out what it means to Feel Free.

*Free At Sea Offer: Valid on select 3+ day sailings. Haven & Suites bookings receive all 5 offers; Oceanview, Balcony & Mini-Suites choose 2; Studio & Insides choose 1. Pride of America, Joy, & Sky sailings not eligible. Choice cannot be changed on board. Significant details & limitations apply to Free At Sea offers Free Beverage Package, Specialty Dining Package, Shore Excursions Credit, 250 Minutes WiFi, Friends and Family Sail at a Reduced Rate. Offer is not applicable to categories IX, OX, BX, MX (Sail Away Categories). Offers are for new individual FIT reservations; qualifying new individual FIT reservations can be moved into an existing speculative group & count towards tour conductor credits. Singles paying 200% of voyage fare qualify. This is a cruise only offer. Promotion not applicable on the land portion of cruisetours or bundles. Offers can be withdrawn at any time, are non-refundable, non-transferable & have no monetary value. Prices shown are per person in US dollars, cruise-only based on double occupancy, & lowest available. Restrictions, gratuities & service charges apply. Taxes, Port Expenses/Fees & discretionary on board service charges are additional. Prices/dates subject to change. Ports of call may vary by ship. See full terms & conditions at ncl.com. IMPORTANT NOTICE: Norwegian Cruise Line reserves the right to charge a fuel supplement. NCL Corporation Ltd. Southampton, UK Office 2nd Floor | Mountbatten House | Southampton | SO15 2JU. ©2018 NCL Corporation Ltd. Ship’s Registry: Bahamas and United States of America. 6997.10.18.

BOOK TODAY!

FEEL FREE TO BE FREE AT SEA.

SUPERB WITH A SIDE OF DELICIOUS.All our ships offer delicious three-course meals in up to three Main Dining Rooms. They’ll also find Asian-fusion restaurants, impressive buffets featuring carving and pasta stations, a variety of casual cafés, grills and grab-an-go choices, including 24/7 options. Dining can be as fine or fun as they want.

WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN, THEIR EVENING HEATS UP.Take a trip back to the rockin’ ‘80s with Rock of Ages and enjoy every head-bobbing musical number. Clear your throat, put on your blue suede shoes and sing your favourite golden oldies with the Tony® Award-winning musical Million Dollar Quartet. Get swept away in the celebration, dancing and music of Swing! Don’t miss a moment of the best of Broadway at sea.

GO OFF THE GRID, WAY OFF.Our Shore excursions let your customers experience the world around up close and personal and on their time. Glide along with a sea turtle and other marine life in the crystal-blue waters of The Caribbean. Get glacier-size goosebumps in Alaska as they witness a 30-tonne whale leap out of The Pacific Ocean. In Europe, walk in the footsteps of history and relive the epic battles once held at the Colosseum.

ESCAPE TO A NEW WORLD OF CRUISING.

VISIT US AT WWW.NCL.COM OR CALL +27 21 200 6586 FOR MORE INFORMATION BARCELONA, SPAIN

Up to US $2,900 In Overall Value

6997_Fi_TIR_DPS_AD_420x297_SA.indd All Pages 01/10/2018 16:45


TripAdvisor recently awarded six of Beachcomb-er’s resorts with its 2018 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for consistenly great reviews. This follows Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury being named as one of TripAdvisor’s 10 best luxury ho-tels in Mauritius and Victoria Beachcomber named as one of its top 25 family hotels in Africa.

China powers aheadCHINA, the US and India have come out on top of the World Travel & Tourism Council’s power ranking, revealed last month, which merges growth over the past seven years in tourism’s contribution to GDP, international and domestic visitor spend and capital investment. The countries with the most percentage growth in travel and tourism, seen to be maximising tourism to boost economic development, some under difficult circumstances, were Myanmar, Iraq, Georgia, Rwanda, Iceland, Nicaragua, Qatar, Congo, Armenia and Ivory Coast. WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara said growth was driven by strong facilitation policies, sustainable and proactive planning and robust infrastructures. She noted that visa reform produced rapid growth in international tourist arrivals. South Africa registered 34th in the contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in 2017.

Outbound growthundermines stagnation viewTHE top three countries visited by South Africans in the past year Are Mauritius, Thailand and Zimbabwe, according to research carried out by Travelport. From September 2017 through August this year, bookings made through all GDSs increased 17 percent or 17,764 to Mauritius, 27 percent or 12,602 to Thailand and 20 percent or 9,506 to Zimbabwe.

They were followed in pop-ularity by the UAE, Turkey, Indonesia, the UK, Namibia, China and the Netherlands, with Turkey recording the highest percentage increase of 63, followed by Indonesia with 51 percent. The numbers point to the outbound travel market ac-tually increasing at a healthy rate, despite a common per-ception of stagnation.

news

011 514 0564

Ocean, Expedition and River Cruises with itineraries that cover the globe.

www.cruise-vacations.co.zaPhoto Credit: Bruno Cazarini, Silversea Cruises.

IT’S MORE THAN CRUISING… IT’S EXPERIENCING!The best way to offer your clients the world.

Northern Lights TIR AD 102x149.indd 1 2018/09/25 4:22 PM

New head for Comair’s airline divisionWRENELLE Stander has been appointed Executive in charge of Comair’s airlines division, effective November 1. The division incorporates kulula.com and the British

Airways regional brand, which Comair operates under a license agreement with the UK carrier. Comair CEO Erik Venter said, “… moving its diver-

sified businesses out from within the airline to allow each business unit to com-pete more effectively in its respective industry, and the leadership structure needs to reflect and enable this.” The company last month posted record profits and 72 years of uninterrupted profitable oper-ations, thought to be globally unique in major commercial aviation. Ms. Stander’s previous

experience includes Managing Director of the Air Traffic and Navigation Services Com-pany, one of three women worldwide to head an air navigation services company, Deputy CEO of the South Af-rican Civil Aviation Authority and Director General at the Department of Transport.And she previously served as an independent, non-execu-tive director of Comair from 2008 to 2016.

Wrenelle Stander

news

Lux adds SALTTHE Lux Collective, operator of LUX* Resorts & Hotels, is opening a new Mauritian property on November 1, the first un-der its new brand, SALT, with plans to extend the brand to Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The five-star SALT of Palmar resort is aimed at travellers interested in ethical, environmentally-friendly tourism. Guests will have the chance to connect with members of the local com-munity through its ‘Teach A Skill’ programme and the restau-rants will feature farm-to-table local produce. Paul Jones, CEO of The Lux Collective, said SALT caters for travellers who want to “satisfy their curiosity and challenge their perception of the world. They want to connect with peo-ple, not just places, and they genuinely want to give something back”. Introductory seven-night packages are available through Thompsons from R47,835pp for travel November 1 – 30 and R37,235pp between December 1 – 15. Includes breakfast and dinner, flights and transfers. Bookings have also begun for the new LUX* North Malé Atoll resort in the Maldives which opens February 1, 2019. The resort will have 67 double-storey villas, each with private pools and rooftop terraces, the largest being 970 square metres in size with three bedrooms. Diving, watersports and private yacht experiences are all available.

E Pictured above and left: the new five-star SALT of Palmar resort in Mauritius.


retail

we have considered many of these opportunities [but] to date, we have not done one, as there is a lot to consider... I have no doubt that the right opportunity will emerge in time. We are certainly willing,” he said. TAG has also considered at a credit payment service.

“Travelstart does,” Ms. Faling insisted. “PEP is simply acting as a bank or teller… The point is to offer a safe, alternative physical pay point.” However, Mr. Gerber explained: “It depends on the deal and the relationship and the name. But, yes, often the travel suppli-er is left out of the naming rights and [as a result] the company could ultimately move (to another supplier) with very little discomfort or inconvenience. [It is] certainly a consideration.” He disagreed the model was a threat and downplayed the potential for disruption: “The travel industry could be used as an example of how an industry can change; the channels are changing all the time. It is the responsibility of every industry and business to keep abreast of these changes, and to make the necessary shifts in order to maintain and often gain market share.” Ms. Christie said: “Customers will go where they want to go. He who speaks to that passenger or client properly owns the

Third party alliances...continued from page 13

In-store payment agreements might serve awider audience, but who owns the customer?

Travelport has appointed Mark Meehan as ManagingDirector of its newly-formed Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APACMEA) region. He was most recently Managing Director of Travelport’s Asia Pacific opera-tions, which grew by 10 percent during 2017.

APPOINTMENT

customer... you should be teasing them with special offers, so they don’t think of going to [a competitor] or [clothing] store. “In Africa, what always impresses me, is that there is [a] huge opportunity for TMCs because the passengers are so much more dependent on the TMC… When you look at a sophisticat-ed market such as Namibia, the TMC has influence over where that customer goes… They know their customer wouldn’t think of booking elsewhere.”


Leopards and now donkeysbecome victims of tourism

PERSONALLY SPEAKINGby John Wardall

continued on page 26

“I can’t


pretend to take many local holidays. Frequent excursions along the Garden Route used to be a pleasure but now the ridicu-lous, predatory speed cameras and outrageous, extortionate fines make a drive along the N2, all the way from Cape Town to Plettenberg Bay, a misery. However, one benefit of living in South Africa is that there is never a shortage of places to take a driving holi-day for a weekend break or the annual family bunfight. Nat-urally enough, people are less likely to consult a travel agent for a domestic holiday but, for even the most inbound-fo-cused supplier and outbound retailer, those travellers are at least potential incremental or seasonal business and worth making the effort to capture. More promotion, more packages, more specials and an overall more aggressive approach would surely pay dividends. A recent jaunt up to Namaqualand to view the spring flowers was a pleas-ant alternative to the often overpriced Garden Route. The drive up from Cape Town passes through magnificent scenery and the opportunity of picking up delicious, suc-culent fruit in the Citrusdal area, beyond anything we ever find in the local supermarket and at a fraction of the price. It doesn’t take long to realise how we – and the farmers – are getting ripped off by markups at Pick ’n Pay and Woolworths. From the Clanwilliam Dam and into the Cederberg, the ingenuity of our farmers is displayed while driving alongside the hand-shovelled canal, which runs north for

more than 80 kilometres and irrigates the highly productive farms along its length. Accommodation is largely of the b&b variety, not my usual choice, but it provides a more local experience – in this case, one I could have been more selective about. My Afrikaans, which stretches as far as “dankie” was a challenge and I came away with chronic diabetes after all the sugar in the farm-house cooking, but otherwise unscathed. Arrival at the b&b, a not-very-affluent farm deep in the hinterland, was intro-duced through rusting trac-tors and equipment beyond my town-bred comprehension and a weed-strewn track lead-ing to a farmhouse from the Beverly Hillbillies. Stepping over three, fortu-nately friendly, knotted dogs into the house was a welcome to a shambolic interior, a challenge for Madam, who is an interior decorator, a bed endowed with the world’s largest and heaviest blanket, making breathing difficult, and a bathroom shared with the farmer and his wife, a warm and hospitable couple with, unfortunately, no ex-posure to Swiss hotel school training. After sheepishly holding hands with the farmer and his wife while grace was lengthily recited in Serbo-Croat – or it may as well have been – it was a quick dart down the passage to make it into the bathroom first and an insulin injection to recover from the sugar-in-fused butternut. Yikes! Where’s the nearest Ritz Carlton? Never mind, all part of the local experience, I suppose. Rested, sort-of, and watched

by a wonderful hamerkop, nesting in a tree outside the front door and pooping on the family chariot below, next morning it was off to Nieuwoudtville, windscreen washer and wipers frantically striving to sweep away the bird’s generously deposited departing gift. The spring display of flowers in Namaqualand is depen-dent on the sun shining and a gloriously sunny day on the escarpment, the Bokkeveld Plateau, revealed carpets of spectacular, yellow, orange, white, purple and red blooms, unmatched anywhere else. No wonder Nieuwoudtville is known as the bulb capital of the world, with more than 1350 plant species. For lunch or an overnight stay, the best choice is Pap-kuilsfontein farm, a decidedly more lugubrious establish-ment than my overnight abode, with cottage accom-modation and a very good restaurant, as well as its own four kilometre flower route track to drive around the property. In the little town itself, there is little to see, other than the church which, com-mon to similar communities in South Africa, seems large enough to minister to three times the local population. Heading back down Van Rhyn’s Pass is a breathtaking view from another of South Africa’s magnificent moun-tain passes before returning for another overnight, giving the hamerkop more target practice and depleting the insulin. For a bit more local flavour, next day dawned with a drive to the most peculiar seaside community of Doringbaai, home to the surprisingly

excellent Fryer’s Cove wines and their basic little restau-rant adjacent to an abalone farm, looking on to a decaying pier, which looks ready to fall into the sea. The whole com-plex can’t have seen a splash of paint or plaster in the last 30 years but is a popular tourist curiosity, which seems to captivate foreign visitors, and good for a fish-and-chips lunch, while absorbing the local atmosphere. From there, it was on to Langebaan, which has de-veloped beyond recognition since my last visit a couple of years ago, before timing arrival in Cape Town perfect-ly to enjoy the grinding rush hour traffic, now even topping Johannesburg’s claim to fame. As the traffic gets worse and parking is impossible, busi-nesses and government de-partments continue to expand in the CBD; I don’t get it. Never mind, the flowers were worth it.

My local excursion came on the heels of a report of a de-cline in South Africa’s tourism figures this year. The confir-mation came as no surprise. I had been hearing it for some time from friends in the hotel business, who contradicted rosy forecasts from official-dom. News and comment on our country in foreign media doesn’t help and it won’t get any better until the govern-ment gets its post-Zoomer act together and stops cowering in fear of the EFF and pander-ing to populist sentiment. Around 80 percent of people

continued from page 25

Leopards and now donkeys...

PERSONALLY SPEAKING


in South Africa, who take holidays, take them within the country. That means a big market for local suppliers and a theoretically large, and largely untapped, market for travel retailers and wholesal-ers. It also means a so-far-untapped market for interna-tional travel sales, although, like every other industry, it faces dealing with an unnec-essarily weak currency. There is ample evidence that the government is complete-ly clueless and incapable of managing the economy, so it is puzzling why all the forecasters failed to predict the country would slump into a recession. As Einstein observed: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Outbound travel, therefore, is going to be more com-petitive than ever, although the odds are that the desire to go will, as usual, largely overcome the pressure on the wallet. For some equally clueless reason, the government seems to think minor tinkering with its new visa and child-travel rules will do the trick. Dream-on!

After zero quotas for leopard hunting in 2016 and 2017, the Department of Environmental Affairs disgracefully approved hunting for this year. As a dedicated animal lover, I cannot abide the practice of trophy hunting and would rather go out and shoot the hunters. The most obscene example of hunting I have ever come across was years ago in Peru, when I was invited to meet an elderly German man at his huge, fortified mansion on the outskirts of Lima.

I suspect his mysterious provenance was decidedly un-savoury and his wealth came from the Third Reich. That is another story, but he was an avid hunter and the reception room’s walls were crammed with animal heads, the rugs were skins, the furniture was all covered with skins and stuffed animals were standing in all the floor space. It gave me the creeps, as he did, and it is a memory I wish I could forget. On a similar topic, the Chi-nese, who are in the process of recolonising Africa through investment and loans, which countries will never be able to pay back, are also endanger-ing future tourism here. It is through the devastation of wildlife, particularly rhino and elephant via the nominal-ly illegal horn and ivory trade. I say nominally because, although ivory was declared illegal in China earlier this year, enforcement is suspi-ciously bad. Look no further than the 87 elephant carcasses found in Botswana last month with their tusks removed. If this type of carnage car-ries on to satisfy the insatia-ble appetite in China, there won’t be any animals left in a few years to attract foreign visitors.

I said in the last issue of TIR that I would mention a book I was then reading titled Chur-chill and Smuts: the Friend-ship, an enlightening account, which puts in perspective a South African of immense influence on the international scene. The relationship between the two very different, strong characters illustrates just how respected and admired Smuts was by world leaders,

although often vilified by Afrikaans and black commu-nities in South Africa. He was frequently consulted by leading figures in the UK, Europe, the US and Austra-lia, including Churchill and Roosevelt, and was a member of the British War Cabinet in both world wars. It is well worth reading to understand South Africa’s contribution to freedom and democracy in Europe, affect-ing the entire world.

Tourism may bring benefits to destinations but cause serious setbacks for some residents. Take the poor old donkeys on the idyllic Greek island of Santorini. They carry visitors up and down the steep, stepped streets typical on the island. But many are becoming seriously crippled by the pre-ponderance of obese tourists sitting on their backs. Spinal and leg injuries are causing concern for animal welfare organisations. I saw a picture recently of a barrage balloon shaped woman sitting astride a ban-dy-legged donkey, who looked larger than the wretched creature between her massive thighs and more capable of carrying him. HeeHaw! HeeHaw!

What a fantastic record Comair has, recording a profit for every one of its 72-year history. This is in a market with a weak currency, limited routes and a heavily subsi-dised national carrier. It just shows there is no sub-stitute for good management and private enterprise.

I just received a notice from the UK, which was mailed four months before, causing me to miss a registration deadline. If only it was an isolated incident; but, unfortunately, I am still waiting for a number of other items sent weeks ago. Many overseas correspon-dents can’t seem to grasp the state of our Post Office – or our other public institutions – and insist on still sending items by regular mail. I haven’t used the Post Office for overseas mail since a wedding present sent to Canada ultimately arrived – at least the resealed package did – but it was empty!

I have been considering the kind of society all reasonable people surely must want: na-tional borders, law and order, personal responsibility, lower taxes, smaller, less authoritar-ian and less intrusive govern-ment, property rights, free speech, equal opportunity, the pursuit of happiness and liberty, job creation, economic growth and fair trade. I can’t understand why any-one could reasonably object to that but that’s exactly what Trump Derangement Syn-drome in the US seems to be doing, as do the Corbynistas in the UK and the ANC and EFF here at home. TDS reached dizzy heights last month when the Wash-ington Post blamed the Trum-pet for being “complicit” in Hurricane Florence, which hit the US Atlantic coast, because of his attitude to climate change. What next, grandma’s bunions?!

This month, we meet Kirsty Knott,sales executive for Thompsons Holidays.

On the ground

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?I am a sales executive at Thompsons Holidays. I look after half of the Western Cape, sharing it with my incredible colleague.We train agents on destinations and products we sell. We assist with workshops and events we run and attend. We work closely with the rest of our company to ensure our agents are receiving the best service and rates. We also get to take our agents on educationals to experience the destinations and our products.

What’s the best part of your job?Without becoming too soppy, it’s the people I work with – both in Thompsons Holidays and my agents. With two years in this position, they have both become family. I have met the greatest people who have truly added value and such joy into my every day. I have also been able to watch people grow, families devel-op and businesses flourish. That has to be the best part.

Last place you visited on holiday?You’re not meant to call an educational a holiday, however, I recently visited Zanzibar with Thompsons Holidays and I have fallen in love with it. It was not just the beautiful hotels and incredibly friendly staff that makes your stay such a memorable one, but it’s Zanzibar as a whole. We went on incredible tours and really got to discover the island – from learning the history and shopping in the vibey stone town, to trying all different spices and fruits on our spice tour. Let’s just say, this island is a pure example of finding beauty in the simplicity.

What is your current top-seller?A difficult one to answer as we almost sell the world and each destination has their season. Our Indian Ocean Islands will always be a top seller as they are close by and affordable. In saying that, we have also seen a big growth in all other areas. People want new experiences. They are ticking off their bucket list, whether that’s discovering Vietnam, self-driving in Amer-ica, traveling Europe by rail, finally taking that African safari trip or simply taking it easy on a cruise. It is all growing.I’m excited to say that we have also loaded even more new des-tinations this year which are receiving great feedback.

How is the premium market performing? Even with more competition and big ROE issues, we contin-ue to grow year on year and we are so proud. There is still a demand for high end leisure travel and people want to discover new places with more experiences. It is exciting.

What’s the most indulgent experience or add-on you can recommend or have gotten to experience on a work visit?I would love to say hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, but it’s on the list. Something I have personally experienced which will always be a highlight, on our Spice Tour in Zanzibar we got to watch a man climb up a tall tree to get coconuts and sing at the same time. We all had goosebumps, and not just because we were afraid he would fall, but because that kind of talent, and beauty in his song is a memory for a lifetime.

How competitive is your market?There is always competition and that’s healthy. Thompsons Holidays has just celebrated its 40 years, we continue adding new destinations to our portfolio, we are that one-stop shop but even though we are big, the personal touch is not lost. Our team has incredible relationships with one another. We person-ally know our team whether its accounts, marketing, ticketing, product or management. Lastly, we have amazing relationships with the agents from being on the road.

What helps you sell? Experience. There is no better way to sell than being authentic about your personal experience. Clients can search so much online but they go to their agents to ask for their advice, and that’s what I’m here to help with. People want to see photos from your phone, no photoshop, just exactly how it is. I love arranging training sessions when I return from a trip and share that knowledge with others. It’s truly in building one another up that creates the success.

What technology do you use to stay connected with your agents as well as head office?We have a Facebook page with our company and agents, which I love. We get to share the latest news and celebrate our agents and our staff. We have an online booking system, EasiClick, for selected destinations and we have our amazing website which truly helps with everything – from finding packages, download-ing brochures and hotel fact sheets to using our cruise factory to assist with itineraries for cruise packages.

Is there any advice you can offer to a junior consultant booking a Thompsons package for the first time?The more you know your client and their vision for their holi-day, the easier it is for us to make that come true. Your biggest competitor is online, so what can you offer that online can’t? It could be as simple as offering a personal experience where every detail is taken care of. We have a team to advise, train, encourage and truly help you succeed, from the very beginning.

on the ground


ncl launches new ship and sa sales focus - tir.co.za · discusses the subject of card payments,...

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