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TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY

INSI

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SOUTHERN AFRICA’S TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLYOctober 2 2019 I No. 2563

Page 2 Page 3 Page 6

FEATUREREPORTASATA TRAVEL SUMMIT

Airline risk questioned

NEWSSAUDI ARABIA

More Umrah travel options

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It takes 2, baby!

Clients have more flight options with FlySafair thanks to two new aircraft joining its fleet. Both B737 800s offer more seats and are more fuel efficient. The new aircraft will increase frequencies on existing routes, such as Johannesburg to George. One of the aircraft has already taken to the skies, with the other soon to follow. The airline now has 16 aircraft in its fleet. Pictured welcoming one of the new babies, is Marise Banks, sales and distribution manager. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl

Virgin eyes CPT Deena Robinson

VIRGIN Atlantic intends to fly direct to Cape Town.

The airline announced its plans for a vastly expanded route network out of London Heathrow – including Cape Town – challenging what it calls the International Airlines Group’s (IAG) ‘stranglehold’ over the airport.

Expansion plans are dependent on the third runway at Heathrow being constructed, and whether the UK government reforms the way new Heathrow slots are allocated to enable the creation of a second flag carrier at the airport. If Virgin Atlantic gets the slots it is pursuing, and it can get the aircraft it needs to service the routes, it can move on its

expansion plans, says Mandy Lerena, Virgin Atlantic’s commercial manager for South Africa.

This would see Virgin operate flights to 84 new destinations, and would mean lower fares and more choice for passengers, the airline said in a statement.

Robyn Daneel-Spicer, director of Sure Stellenbosch Travel, says she would be elated if a second carrier were to service the London – Cape Town route directly. “My clients complain all the time about British Airways’ product on this route, saying the planes are old, the screens are small and of poor quality, and the chairs are uncomfortable,” she says.

Cape Town Air Access met with Virgin Atlantic at the

World Routes conference in Adelaide, Australia in September, but no firm commitment had been made, says project manager David King. In July at the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (Satsa) conference in Durban, Wesgro announced it was in advanced talks with Virgin Atlantic to introduce flights to Cape Town. However, the association later corrected the statement, saying there were no formal talks between Cape Town Air Access and the airline.

IAG, which owns British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and other airlines, currently holds around 55% of Heathrow slots. Joint venture partners Virgin, Delta and Air France KLM hold less than 10% between them.

Thomas Cook – what went wrong?saRah RobeRtson

THE demise of 178-year old British tour operator, Thomas Cook, has sent shockwaves through the global travel industry.

Pioneers of the “package holiday”, The Thomas Cook Group, entered into compulsory liquidation last week (September 23) after the company failed to secure funding at the eleventh hour,

leaving 600 000 holiday makers stranded around the world and the UK government to carry out what is said to be the biggest peacetime repatriation since World War II.

So where did it all go wrong?TNW spoke to an anonymous

UK-based industry expert, who said that the collapse was caused by a host of issues. He said that while macro factors such as Brexit (and the combination of the falling

pound against the euro) and fierce competition against low-cost airlines like easyJet and Norwegian (which impacted the group’s airline business) had been felt, other factors had played a part. The bad purchases from years ago of companies such as My Travel and Going Places, the resulting ownership of brick-and-mortar shops when everyone else was looking to reduce retail space,

To page 12

2 n Wednesday October 2 2019 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

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NEWS

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At the short-lived I Should Have Listened to My Mother Marathon.

Saudi Arabia eases visasAmogelA modise

SAUDI Arabia has eased its visa policy for South Africans,

opening up more Umrah travel options to travellers.

Travel in Umrah period, in the remaining ten months of the Islamic calendar year outside of the Hajj pilgrimage season, was previously tied to strict and expensive visa requirements.

Government relaxed the rules this month. A fee of SR300 (R1 192) now applies for all visa applications, including Visit, Hajj and Transit.

The previous strict visa requirements were an attempt to regulate the number of pilgrims during

the construction taking place at the Holy Mosque in Makkah.

Previously Umrah travellers who wished to return within a period of three Islamic Calendar years would have to pay SR2000 (R7 948). “Umrah travel is extremely popular during fasting months such as Ramadan. Before the new amendment travellers would have to skip a year or two before returning to the holy lands,” says Mohsin Jassat, online travel consultant.

“The amendment is gentler on travellers’ pockets but there are other charges levied in the form of increased tourism levies and hotel levies to augment the reduced repeat visa fee,” he says.

UK rejects SA paxdeenA Robinson

AGENTS have taken to Travelinfo’s Open Jaw Facebook group to

report a rise in the decline of UK visa applications made by SA passport holders.

They say visa applications to the UK are being rejected more frequently. In a survey conducted by TNW, 39% of respondents said they had noticed an increase in visa applications for the UK being denied.

Susan Thesen, gm of British T.I.P.S., believes the UK government has become concerned about South African passengers entering the country due to the sheer volume of travellers visiting family in the UK as well as those South Africans emigrating to the country.

Those who over-justify in their visa applications may also get rejected, she says, as it may arouse suspicion

from the UK government that the applicant has no intention of returning to South Africa.

Visas International has also seen an increase over the past few months in visa applications for the UK being rejected, says Craig Hill, senior visa consultant.

Craig believes the concern the UK government has is that applicants have neither the means nor the motivation to return home. However, he adds that he does not believe that the UK is singling out any nationality as he has also had foreign passport holders rejected.

An agent seasoned in dealing with visas who wished to remain anonymous, denounced the claim that the UK government is concerned about South Africans overstaying their visas and says this is simply an excuse made by consultants who do not have the correct knowledge about visa application requirements.

The agent says, from his experience, 95% of rejected applications are due to incorrect documentation. “Agents should improve their knowledge about visas, and those agents that process visas should check the applications thoroughly and flag any concerns with clients before sending it to the consulate, he says.

The British High Commission in Pretoria was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

News flash!

Phantom airline, Royal Republic Airlines, has disappeared as quickly as the start-up emerged. The airline recently began advertising its plans on social media and through its website to launch operations from Cape Town. It was actively pushing job opportunities through its Facebook page and its website. Following a report in TNW (Flight of fancy? dated September 11), it seems that Royal Republic has removed its Facebook page and deactivated its website. A Google search brings up “Openings at Royal Republic Airlines” tab, which leads to a page saying “Come work with us”. However, further down the page, it says “Sorry, we don’t currently have any open positions”.

“Visas International has also seen an

increase over the past few months in visa

applications for the UK being rejected.”

QUICK READ FOR BUSIEST PEOPLE Wednesday October 2 2019 n 3

REPORT ASATA TRAVEL SUMMIT

Asata hosted a day-long Travel Summit in Sandton on September 12, tackling topical issues such as Iata’s removal of monthly remittance. Deena Robinson reports.

Agents question airline risk

AS THE deadline for the removal of monthly remittance looms,

agents are still questioning whether the risk airlines face justifies the change in payment structure – particularly as it has major impact on agencies’ corporate and government accounts.

This was revealed in a panel discussion on the controversial topic at the Asata Travel Summit.

“Iata believes that markets with a 30-day remittance cycle pose a higher risk to non-collection,” said Alexandru Stancu, Iata’s head of regional office for Africa and Middle East. “Iata endeavours to keep its collection rate at its current of 99,98%.”

He added that South Africa is one of only six remaining markets in the world still working on a 30-day remittance cycle. “The world is working towards weekly, and in some markets daily remittance cycles.” He stressed that the BSP is not a mechanism to provide credit to the market.

Airlines claim that this is being implemented to mitigate and manage risk, however Asata believes it is to receive payment quicker, Otto De Vries, ceo of Asata, said. He added that risk is already managed in the programme through strict criteria set by Iata, including bank guarantees and default insurance programmes.

Many agents are SMMEs who do not have the cash flow to support the reduced

remittance cycles and carry the credit that their clients will still expect to receive. The industry can expect job losses, Otto added.

“I can’t understand the risk facing airlines under a 30-day remittance cycle,” said Phale Naake, dept. of labour deputy director: fleet and travel management service. “Surely, any risk is already being managed by Iata’s stringent risk management criteria?”

Phale questioned Iata’s “drastic decision” and added that he didn’t believe that Iata had acquainted itself with South Africa’s ‘unique’ market. “This disruption to the government travel sector would mean that government would be unable to pay on time,” he said.

The change is daunting to those working in the government sector, said Sailesh Parbhu, md of XL Nexus Travel. He expressed concern that relationships with car rental and hotel partners would suffer as a result of having to pay airlines first.

“We’ve identified that government travel is one of the more high-risk sectors; we know

government departments are bad payers,” said Otto. “Government spends an estimated R1,5bn a year on tickets. SAA is the largest carrier of government employees and is most exposed to risk of non-payments.”

New chief commercial officer of SAA, Phillip Saunders, said that while he has every intention of engaging with the trade to prepare it for the change, agents must be cognisant of the fact that South Africa doesn’t exist in a vacuum and the removal of monthly remittance is a positive thing for the management of agency cashflow.

The other sideeTravel has been on weekly remittance for a year now, Tammy Hunt, md of eTravel, told TNW after the debate. “In our opinion, the industry should try to move away from extending credit as we are not in the finance industry. However, we do understand it would be difficult to change overnight.”

“Serendipity Group is also on a weekly remittance schedule; this was a conscious decision we made because we knew this change was coming,” says Dinesh Naidoo, group operations director of Serendipity Worldwide Group and Asata president.

He encourages agencies to move to a weekly remittance schedule, advising agents to renegotiate with clients, making them pay by credit card.

“Travel isn’t special”Special dispensation for the travel industry from government is out of the question and commercial agreements are therefore not subject to amendment, said Phale Naake, the dept. of labour deputy director: fleet and travel management service.

“The Public Finance Management Act regulates the income and expenditure of government, and Treasury regulates the activities of government employees. There cannot be amendments to commercial agreements within the travel industry, as government cannot be seen as treating the travel industry differently from

other industries,” he said. There are industry

agreements with government that mandate payment within 30 days. But, he admits that some government departments are not adhering to this schedule.

Travel lodge cards could be used as payment, but there is limited understanding on how these work, Phale said. “More provinces are exploring the use of lodge cards, and government plans to embark on an education and awareness campaign among employees. Treasury plans to help government departments driving the use of lodge cards, he said.

D-day

Asata has written to the Passenger Agency Conference (PAConf) to request an extension on Iata’s discontinuation of BSP monthly remittance to April 2020. The current deadline for the discontinuation of monthly frequencies is December 31.

Spotted before heading into conference are (from left): Vanya Lessing, ceo of Sure Travel; Kananelo Makhetha, ceo of Club Travel Corporate; and Sharon Wright, sales and account manager of Sabre.

“Risk is already managed in the

programme through strict criteria set by Iata, including bank

guarantees and default insurance

programmes.”

New chief commercial officer of SAA, Phillip Saunders (right), was one of the panellists discussing the controversial issue of Iata’s removal of monthly remittance. He’s pictured here with gm of Travel Counsellors, Mladen Lukic.

Pictured with Iata’s head of regional office for Africa and Middle East, Alexandru Stancu, is Candy Kasonkomona, Hahn Air’s director of global account management.

From left: Sandile Ntseoane, gm of Savrala and Phale Naake, deputy director: fleet and management service at the department of labour.


Local is lekker! City Lodge Hotels has 54 hotels across all SA provinces. Here is the latest news in domestic tourism.

Sha’p-sha’p: (Sharp-sharp) (a) A South African term used to express

our good health and well being.

Nature reserve stops cub petting

THE Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve in the Cradle of Humankind,

will no longer be offering cub petting to the public.

Under the new ownership of the Bothongo Group, the reserve has initiated a three-year plan to upgrade all its public facilities, habitats and wildlife enclosures, which will be remodelled around the welfare and wellbeing of its animals, the group said in a statement.

“The reserve team will dedicate themselves to a new internal mantra of being a ‘nurture reserve’, which will include striving to maintain a healthy, genetically diverse

and contented animal collection, working with local and international institutions and bodies; not selling or exchanging any of its animals, especially its lions,

unless it is to a reputable accredited facility and/or licensed wildlife institution; breeding animals only if this serves a conservation purpose.”

MonkeylandKZN opens in BallitoA NEW attraction, MonkeylandKZN, has opened near Ballito on KwaZulu Natal’s Dolphin Coast.

Tours give visitors the opportunity to see various primate species, including Capuchin monkeys, Ringtail and Black-and-White Ruffed

lemurs, Buff-cheeked gibbons, Squirrel monkeys and Black Howler monkeys.

MonkeylandKZN is part of the South Africa Animal Sanctuary Alliance. It is open daily from 08h00 and the last tour departs at 16h00. Visitors are advised to wear

comfortable closed shoes for guided walks through the forest, and to apply mosquito repellent.

There is a gift shop at the reception area, a pizza restaurant, outdoor children's play area and an environmental cinema.

Sterkfontein Caves road to be upgradedTHE Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport will rehabilitate sections of Road D1701 (Sterkfontein Caves Road), which has developed sinkholes.

“Following inspections by departmental engineers, a decision was taken to resume rehabilitation works as the road has been identified as being unsafe,” the provincial

department said.The road is in the precinct

of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in Krugersdorp.

“The rehabilitation process

is expected to be completed around mid-October. Complete road closure can be expected from the intersection with R540 (Kromdraai Road) as well as at the intersection

with P74/1 (R563 – Hekpoort Road),” the department said.

Motorists have been advised that only residents will be allowed access during the period of rehabilitation.

Shamwari to offer guided bush walks IN 2020, guests at Shamwari Private Game Reserve near Port Elizabeth, South Africa, will be able to undertake guided bush walks with San hunter-gatherers as their guides.

Dates for the specialised Explorer trails are: January 28 to 29, January 31 to February 1, April 14 to 15, and April 17 to 18.

Pairs of Ju/’hoansi trackers from Nyae Nyae in north-east Namibia will join Shamwari guides for the bush walks. According to a statement from Shamwari, the Ju/’hoansi are the last of the San people in Southern Africa who still command the full suite of hunter-gatherer skills.

“They track and hunt with bow and poisoned arrow, and the fittest among them engage in persistence hunting – pursuing an animal until it drops from exhaustion.

They have extraordinary ability, passed from generation to generation for tens of thousands of years, to track wildlife across almost any terrain, interpreting the animal behaviour as they go,” the statement says.

In January 2020, two Master Trackers: /ui-Kxunta and /ui-G/aqo will join Shamwari’s own rangers on the first trail, limited to a maximum of six guests on each excursion.

Other trackers, such as Dam Debe, who played a cameo part in the film The Gods Must be Crazy, will be on later trails. Along with tracking, demonstrations of fire-lighting skills and bow-and-arrow performances will also be shown. The guests themselves will also be allowed to attempt tracking, archery, and rock art interpretations.

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Budget TravelCheap doesn’t haven’t to mean nasty. Frugal travellers still want value. But what is this “value”? TNW’s Jason Clarke reports.

Value is in the eye of the beholder

BUDGET-conscious customers – which are most travellers today –

are looking for a good deal. And what that “good deal” is depends not on price but the value the customer perceives they are getting.

Travellers around the world are increasingly prioritising value over cost, says Travelport’s Global Digital Traveller Research 2019 report, which surveyed 23 000 people from 20 countries, including 500 South African travellers.

“When booking a flight, value-for-money is a top priority for over four out of five (86%) travellers today, with just one in five (18%) now booking solely on cost,” says the report.

To find offers of value, travellers nearly always use a combination of travel review sites, such as TripAdvisor (42%); price comparison sites like Kayak.com (38%); and recommendation sites like Kiwi.com (36%). 31% of respondents said they have conversations with travel consultants.

So where do agents have the edge?

When shopping online, 50% of travellers have mounting frustrations when it comes to knowing which companies they can trust. They are also frustrated by not knowing whether online reviews are genuine (50%) and the time required to find the right option (43%).

In the low-cost carrier space, suppliers are seeing demand for value in different ways.

Mango has launched

its GoRewards loyalty programme, which offers customers instant gratification. It allows passengers to access rewards, up to the value of R2 000, within 24 hours of ticket payment. “We are trying to add value in a different way,” says Mango acting ceo, Marelize Labuschagne.

The airline has also seen demand for its “fly now, pay later” payment option, whereby cash-strapped customers can pay for flights on credit using their Edgars card, Marelize says.

FlySafair has just launched a similar solution. The airline has partnered with Mobicred, an online credit facility, to

provide passengers with the option to fly with the airline now and pay off their purchase in instalments (for more on this story, see page 8).

“LCCs rely on people having enough disposable income to fly and go away on trips. There is some guaranteed corporate travel and essential travel, but what we really need is the leisure travel to fill planes. In bad economies, people have to tighten their belts and often the holiday trip is one of the first things to suffer,” says Kirby Gordon, head of sales and distribution at FlySafair.

However, there are some mitigating factors that help LCCs in tough economic times. “Some people switch from full-service carriers to an LCC,” says Kirby.

The comparison between LCCs and full-service shouldn’t be severe in terms of expectations, says Kirby. “A good LCC should still offer a great experience. You should still leave on time, the staff should be friendly, the aircraft clean and pleasant. The idea is that a good solid service is delivered but at a reasonable cost. It’s a consistent, great-value offering.”

HospitalityIn the hospitality industry, budget travel means making travel more accessible to more people, says Andrew Widegger, ceo of City Lodge Hotel Group (CLHG).

Budget is the defined amount of money the traveller is willing to spend on an experience, he adds. “It’s

up to the traveller how they portion their spend, and up to us as facilitators of travel to help travellers make those decisions.

“A tough economy demands that travellers tighten their belts. Being able to ‘shop’ within the CLHG portfolio of hotel brands provides opportunities to adjust travel costs without compromising on service excellence,” says Andrew.

It’s important to under-promise and over-deliver, says Andrew. “There is the reassurance that consistent brand standards across all our brands prevail, including free WiFi, parking, 24-hour reception, clean rooms,

comfortable beds, breakfast, TV, in-room tea/coffee station, air conditioning, plus the option of adding on extras as and when necessary.”

According to Global Accommodation stats, the emerging trend is that government departments are starting to request quotes with a limited budget. “There is definitely more pressure on government travellers to spend less on international hotel accommodation,” says Caromien Louw, resource manager at Global Accommodation. “Corporate travellers would rather stay fewer nights at the same four-star or five-star than downgrading the quality of hotel. This is especially true for Africa.

“Domestically, our corporate travellers are increasingly booking guest houses over hotel rooms,” she says.

For budget conscious travellers, price certainty is critical. “At our entry-level four-star resorts, such as Miranda, we contract to the Rand, which means between paying the deposit and final payment, there is no repricing of packages,” says Ramesh Jeenarain, md of World Leisure Holidays.

“With Sun Resorts, we offer best rate guarantee,” he adds. This means that if a customer finds a cheaper rate online, for example with Bookings.com, and the travel agent brings this to our attention, we will match the price and offer a value add, such as a room upgrade or resort credit or spa voucher.”

“It’s up to the traveller how they portion their

spend, and up to us as facilitators of travel to help travellers make

those decisions.”Andrew Widegger

“We contract to the Rand, which means between paying the deposit and final

payment, there is no repricing of packages.”

Ramesh Jeenarain

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THE WAVES ARE CALLING, MAKE MEMORIES…

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More than just sunshine and golden beaches, the Zulu Kingdom is the ultimate traveller’s destination – a melting pot of people in a rich cultural heritage.

Discover the path to extraordinary historical experiences like a visit to the Nelson Mandela Heritage Site, a tour along the Inanda Route, including the Mahatma Gandhi Settlement and more…

Whether it’s a cultural awakening you’re after, an epic road trip, a romantic getaway, extreme adventure, a safari escape, a family beach vacay or even a sumptuous luxury… you gotta do KZN!

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IN KZNTHINGS TO DO

THE WAVES ARE CALLING, MAKE MEMORIES…

Visit the Nelson Mandela Capture site: This is a place in the history of South Africa, which has enormous signifi cance because it’s where Nelson Mandela’s long walk to freedom was interrupted for 27 years on the R103, the old main road, 5km from Howick, where he was ‘captured‘ on his return journey to Johannesburg.Tel: 033 330 8195www.thecapturesite.co.za

HERITAGE

Go hot air ballooning in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and enjoy the scenery while fl oating through the clouds. There are two launch sites available, one at Hartford House in Mooi River and one at a lodge in Nottingham Road.www.giftexperiencesouthafrica.co.za

ROMANCE

Visit Awesome Oribi Gorge in the South Coast and experience the highest gorge swing in the world. Other activities nearby include ziplining, abseiling, horse riding and more. Tel: 082 566 7424www.wild5adventures.co.za

ADVENTUREVisit uShaka Marine World and experience the biggest attraction on the Durban’s Golden Mile offering world-class entertainment, fun and uniqueness boasting the largest aquarium in the Southern hemisphere with underground viewing galleries. Get up-close and personal with the Dolphins. Tel: 031 328 8000www.ushakamarineworld.co.za

BEACH

Visit Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park for a big 5 safari experience at Africa’s oldest proclaimed game reserve, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Tel: 033 845 1999www.kznwildlife.com/hluhluwe-game-reserve.html

SAFARI

Experience ultimate relaxation, master the art of balance or refl ect and get inspired – with the many spa packages available at Karkloof Safari Spa, you are sure to walk away feeling luxurious.Tel: 033 569 1324karkloofsafarispa.com/luxury-day-spa-experiences

LUXURY

ADVENTUREVisit Awesome Oribi Gorge in the South Coast and experience the highest gorge swing in the world. Other activities nearby include ziplining, abseiling, horse riding and more. Tel: 082 566 7424 / www.wild5adventures.co.za

HERITAGEVisit the Nelson Mandela Capture site: This is a place in the history of South Africa, which has enormous significance because it’s where Nelson Mandela’s long walk to freedom was interrupted for 27 years on the R103, the old main road, 5km from Howick, where he was ‘captured‘ on his return journey to Johannesburg. Tel: 033 330 8195 / www.thecapturesite.co.za

ROMANCEGo hot air ballooning in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and enjoy the scenery while floating through the clouds. There are two launch sites available, one at Hartford House in Mooi River and one at a lodge in Nottingham Road. www.giftexperiencesouthafrica.co.za

BEACHVisit uShaka Marine World and experience the biggest attraction on the Durban’s Golden Mile offering world-class entertainment, fun and uniqueness boasting the largest aquarium in the Southern hemisphere with underground viewing galleries. Get up-close and personal with the Dolphins. Tel: 031 328 8000 / www.ushakamarineworld.co.za

SAFARIVisit Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park for a big 5 safari experience at Africa’s oldest proclaimed game reserve, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Tel: 033 845 1999 / www.kznwildlife.com/hluhluwe-game-reserve.html

LUXURYExperience ultimate relaxation, master the art of balance or reflect and get inspired – with the many spa packages available at Karkloof Safari Spa, you are sure to walk away feeling luxurious. Tel: 033 569 1324 / karkloofsafarispa.com/luxury-day-spa-experiences

Budget Travel

Fly now, pay laterFYSAFAIR has partnered with Mobicred, an online credit facility, to provide passengers with the option to fly with the airline now and pay off their purchase in instalments.

“Mobicred will open us up to a market that otherwise might not have been able to afford to fly with us, while also allowing consumers to make a choice that they would not have been able to make before,” says FlySafair’s Kirby Gordon.

Passengers looking to make use of the new facility can either register for a new Mobicred account or log in to their existing one to gain access to credit.

“Mobicred is innovative and aspires towards creating a great customer experience.

It also offers a great technical solution and we believe that it is a responsible lender,” Kirby says.

FlySafair currently offers a range of payment solutions, including Zapper, Visa Checkout and flight vouchers.

City Lodge continues refurbishments CITY Lodge Hotel Group has undertaken a series of refurbishments and facelifts to its properties, ranging from one-star to four-star.

The group continues to update its properties with cyclical refurbishments across all brands. “We keep our hotels fresh and modern and, by listening to our guests, in line with their evolving needs,

we have refurbished a number of hotels in 2019 including Road Lodge Umhlanga Ridge, Southgate, Mbombela, Randburg, and East London,” says City Lodge’s Andrew Widegger.

Up next is the 92-room Road Lodge Rivonia.

The Road Lodge brand offers guests generous break fasts, good rates and central locations close to

key points such as airports, sports stadiums and popular destinations.

The group’s budget-friendly brands are Town Lodge and Road Lodge. Road Lodge hotels offer convenient, practical and comfortable hospitality, while Town Lodge hotels offer practical conveniences, but with some creature comforts to make travellers feel at home.

Kirby Gordon

Road Lodge East London. Photo: City Lodge Hotel Group


TNW8197

WITH

Sabrina Allcock

December is such a special time for families to reconnect and what better

way than on a luxury cruise somewhere in the world? Cruising together is a holiday unparalleled,

and especially in the spirit of Christmas. So where

to? – and how much? you ask. Although we all normally brace ourselves

for excessive costs at Christmas time I’m

unequivocally suggesting South East Asia on

PRINCESS and this is why:

1. It’s a fun destination and all ports are of interest to kids too... Singapore/Cambodia/Vietnam/Penang/Phuket

2. It’s visa free for South Africans (visas are obtained on board)

3. Princess offers drastically reduced prices for kids sharing with adults

4.Thekidsmaystrayonboard, but they won’t go far away...

5. It’s nonstop fun, especially for the children.

6.Theweatherisbeautifuland the ROE is a little more lenient in Asia

7. Unpack once... and Discover the World

Priced from R24, 899pp including airfare from JNB.

Call DISCOVER THE WORLD

And let the adventure begin!

DECEMBER Family Fun!

Tel: 011 [email protected]

www.princess.com

Budget Travel

Agent tip

Newsflash

Ask an expert

The landscape of flight sales distribution is changing. TNW spoke to FlySafair’s Kirby Gordon about how low-cost carriers are keeping up with developments. THE core dynamics that define the low-cost carrier are: fly one type of aircraft and crew, maximise utilisation of aircraft, fly a full economy configuration, make as much money as you can out of ancillaries, yield against market fares, and use the cheapest distribution models.

While some of these dynamics are and will always remain fixed, others – such as distribution channels – are definitely changing.

Historically, LCCs would not have used the GDS due to the high costs involved. The strategy was to sell directly to customers through the airline’s own distribution channel. What made the model of selling LCC fares on the GDS work was the addition of a surcharge fee, as marking up content on the GDS counters the cost of using the GDS channel.

It’s fair to say that most LCCs still do the bulk of their sales through their own channels, such as call centres and websites,

but even Ryanair (the famous example) has joined the GDS.

While it is still uncertain how Iata’s New Distribution Channel (NDC) will affect airline distribution, it is likely that the way travel agents access and sell content will change.

What we may see is a simplification of travel agency business models, with more transparency. Travel agents may need to have a difficult conversation with clients about increasing their service fees as they won’t be earning as much from their other revenue streams.

The NDC will see a rise in personalised product and offers tailored to the client. Making money off ancillaries is an important part of the LCC model. In South Africa we are far more conservative on this front as consumers baulk at paying for “add-ons”, but with a change in how airlines distribute content and fares, this, too, could change.

Kulula.com to reinvent airport experienceKULULA.com plans to reinvent the airport experience for its customers, with the implementation of Sabre’s new Digital Workspace solution.

Digital Workspace, Sabre’s first completely cloud-based solution, will enable airport agents to deliver a more seamless and personalised airport experience to customers by improving agent productivity by up to

30%, the airline said in a statement.

The technology will be rolled out across all airports that kulula.com serves. Travellers on kulula.com can therefore expect shorter queuing times and enjoy a hassle-free check-in experience.

Digital Workspace is part of Sabre’s Commercial Platform, which enables airlines to retail, distribute and fulfil across all customer touchpoints.

If you have a client who enjoys a cocktail or three, rather book the all-inclusive package option for stays at World Leisure Holidays’ resorts. “We’ve done the math and two or three cocktails adds up to the drink supplement value,” says WLH’s Ramesh Jeenarain.

Sugar Beach and Long Beach have pushed out the start of high season rates. Peak period rates only apply after Christmas (December 26).

Book it!

For clients travelling with Airlink, Premier and Faircity hotels are offering 10% off accommodation if travellers present their Airlink boarding pass. The offer is valid for up to a month from the date of travel and includes complimentary WiFi. Photo: Premier Hotels

Long Beach, Mauritius.


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CITRONELLA’S NEW LOOK

Contact World Leisure Holidays on 011 285 2500 for more info.

Sugar Beach is delighted to announce the re-opening of the new Citronella’s.

Citronella’s was redesigned by the world renowned Interior Designer Paul Bishop, bringing new life into the project. He enhanced the space into a destination venue with a substantial culinary offering for the resort.

The wooden deck extends into the landscape and shoreline area and has truly transformed the venue into a day and night-time beach destination on the magnificent sunset coast. The deck has a bar, a pizza station, lounges and a fire pit.

Citronella’s is a must for guests and locals. The chefs were trained by Michelin-star chefs in Traditional Sicilian Cuisine, Traditional Tapas Catalan Cuisine and Italian Traditional Pizza. The new menu is inspired by those methods, ingredients and recipes.

KZN on a budget It won’t cost travellers much to explore these parts of KZN.“OUR domestic marketing campaigns aim to debunk the myth that travel is expensive,” says Thulisile Galelekile, KZN Tourism gm of marketing. “Travel doesn’t have to break the bank. Many activities in KZN are free. Our beaches are clean and the ocean is warm, and visitors don’t have to pay a cent for it. There are many hiking trails in the Drakensberg and you don’t have to pay to enjoy the experience.”

Thulisile adds that KZN

Tourism is actively working with suppliers on offering local travellers good deals. Package details can be found on the KZN Tourism website.

Here are a few budget-friendly activities to suggest to travellers: A visit to the Nelson

Mandela Capture Site, Howick. Many travellers visit the site to see and photograph artist Marco Cianfanelli’s sculpture, made up of 50 steel columns between 6 and

9,5m high, which form an image of Nelson Mandela from a particular vantage point.

Explore the Midlands Meander. There is a variety of places to visit, including Karkloof Falls, Beacon Hill, and a selection of nature reserves. There are also many different studios and workshops, which offer good deals on locally made goods.

The Durban Botanical Gardens are the oldest surviving botanical gardens in South Africa. Some of the trees are over 100 years old and it’s the perfect place to take a stroll or enjoy a picnic.

Lake St Lucia is one

of the 10 jewels of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also Africa’s largest estuarine system (a partially enclosed coastal body) and is 80km long and 23km wide. The lake is home to over 800 hippos, 1 200 crocodiles, pelicans, and flamingos. While there are paid activities such as boat cruises and scuba diving, travellers can explore the nature trails or simply relax on the beach free.

If you are near City Hall in Pietermaritzburg around midday, hang around for the boom of the One o’clock Gun. The gun is a 5,5kg naval cannon that arrived

in Pietermaritzburg in 1901 and used to signal the arrival of post from Durban every day at 13h00. The cannon stands outside the City Hall, which is a Victorian building said to be the biggest brick building in the southern hemisphere. The building also has a huge pipe organ and stained glass.

Travellers can “walk among the clouds” at the Dlinza Forest Aerial Boardwalk in Eshowe and see nature from a bird’s eye view. The walkway is 10m high through the forest canopy, where 65 bird species reside. There is also a 20-metre high viewing platform.

Budget Travel

Princess Cruises is offering a seven-night cruise on the brand-new Sky Princess ship, which sails around the Mediterranean from October 1. Rates are from R24 999, including airfare. The cruise will depart Athens and visit Kotor, Corfu, Sicily, Naples and Barcelona. All meals are included onboard. The trip also includes transfers from airport-to-pier-to-airport.

Book it!

Book it!

Premier Hotels is offering a “pensioners” getaway for stays at any Premier or Faircity hotels for travellers over 60 years old. Benefits include 50% off the best available rate, a complimentary upgrade, turn down, WiFi, parking, and a complimentary late check-in.

The Durban Botanical Gardens.

Nelson Mandela capture site.

JOBSCOMMUNITYNEWSBirths, deaths, marriages, promotions – we want to know! Please fax or e-mail TNW’s Deena Robinson, at [email protected]


Appointments

Pick of the week

These adverts were selected from the vacancy section of www.travelinfo.co.za To advertise contact [email protected]

brought to you by

TNW

8199

Intermediate Travel Consultant – JNBAir Tour OperatorsBook international & domestic air tickets, hotel & resort reservations concentrating on the Maldives Islands. 4 years’ in-house travel agency experience. Email: [email protected]

Senior Leisure Travel Consultant – JNBProfessional Career ServicesMinimum 10 years’ experience in dealing with leisure clients. International travel experience. Galileo. Afrikaans speaking an advantage. Email: [email protected]

Intermediate Sales Consultant – JNB, NorthProfessional Career ServicesMinimum 5+ years’ experience in luxury travel market. Southern Africa destination. FIT’s and tour series groups. Tourplan and Wetu. Email: [email protected]

Day-Tour Specialist – CPTQuantex Recruitment Group3+ years’ inbound consulting experience, excellent South Africa knowledge & the ability to work flexi hours are all vital for this role. Email: [email protected]

B2B Sales Executive – JNBQuantex Recruitment GroupPrior sales/account management experience as well as experience securing new business is what we want! Excellent presentation, negotiation & communication skills vital. Email: [email protected]

Spanish Speaking Luxury Travel Expert – JNB, NorthLee Botti & AssociatesYour proficiency in Spanish and thorough knowledge of luxury accommodation throughout SA is your ticket to success! Salary R30,000.Email: [email protected]

Leisure Guru – JNB, NorthLee Botti & Associates5+ years leisure experience and love of sales and travel will give you the edge in this dynamic role! Salary R15,000 + commission. Email: [email protected]

TNW7979

REWARDIf you can give us the name of any bona fide

travel agency that is not receiving TNW

at its address

R300 is yours

Send the contact details to [email protected]

T&Cs apply

TNW8001

Has your agency reached a milestone?

Celebrate by sending us the details and images. Your news could be featured in TNW.

Photos must be high res (1MB or more).Email [email protected]

Thompson’s Holidays’ Cape Town branch recently hosted a Thailand product training event for agents and specialists. Pictured taking part in the learning activities are (from left) Thompson Holidays’ Faye Wentworth (sales co-ordinator), Annolet Eybers (sales executive) and Deline Van der Merwe (senior sales representative).

City Lodge Hotel Group staff teamed up to donate goods to the Emthonjeni Community Centre in Zandspruit, west of Johannesburg. The initiative was backed by guest donations at participating hotels. Pictured are members of the Emthonjeni Community Centre (from left): Estelle Mengel, partnership development; Jane Mokhethi, centre manager; Dikeledi Gouwe, project coordinator; and Joyce Mahlalela, swap shop manager and caretaker.

Thai-tastic!

Carlo De Filippis has been promoted to head of revenue and sales at MSC Cruises South Africa. Carlo has been working for MSC Cruises South Africa for four years and previously held the position of revenue manager. He will be responsible for MSC’s sales strategy.

Oupa Pilane has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association’s (Satsa) Mpumalanga Chapter, and director on the Satsa board. Pilane plans to work on establishing good relationships with government.

To advertise on this page email

[email protected]

Save yourself from the endless site-to-site searching. Get all your travel information on TI Plus.

Log on to www.travelinfo.co.za and click on TI Plus for info

To subscribe contact Loulla on 011 214 7317 or [email protected]

+PLUS+PLUS

Giving back!


TNW NEWS

brought to you by eTNW and TRAVELINFO

eTravel is the ITC market leader in South Africa and assists senior Travel Consultants and Travel business owners to realise their dreams. If you have ever dreamt of owning your own travel business or would like to cut costs by doing away with your IATA license and improve your current business efficiencies then you should call eTravel. We run the back office for over 200 Independent Travel Companies and specialise in making your travel business a success by offering the best commissions, overrides & a comprehensive support structure. If you have a client base, 5 years travel consultant experience or already own your own business but want to make more, then contact us! You’ll be amazed at how easy it is!

Contact Tammy on 0861eTrave1 or [email protected]

TNW7136

Last week, we asked our readers if they’re ready for a fortnightly remittance schedule.

It’s 50/50

TNW9394SD

World Leisure Holidays is offering a special drinks package of R700pp, per day for travellers staying at Long Beach Hotel, Sugar Beach Hotel and La Pirogue resorts in Mauritius. The offer is valid for travel from November 1 to October 31, 2020. Having a taste of the island experience are (from right) Hermina Sennelo, WLH sales executive; and Marlin Magadani, marketing assistant. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl

Thomas Cook – what went wrong?

and the £1,7 bn (R31,7 bn) of debt that the company needed to service, combined to create a perfect storm.

Travel Vision’s David Bradshaw – who worked for Thomas Cook for 24 years in the UK, South Africa and Zimbabwe – says that the while the collapse had been on the cards for a while, due to the company’s well-documented struggle against the weight of billions of pounds of debt, it is a terribly sad occasion.

David speculates that cannibalisation had also been a factor in the brand’s demise, explaining that Thomas Cook’s many buy-outs and mergers over the last few years had resulted in some small UK towns having up to three high street retail branches, operating under different brands but owned by the group. He adds that the multi-million bonuses paid to directors, while the company was so beleaguered with debt, had been irresponsible.

Rennies Travel’s Jose Cruz, who worked for Thomas Cook Rennies Travel before the company pulled out of South Africa in the eighties, says the lesson to learn from this incident is that even a house-hold brand name with 178 years of experience is not immune to financial collapse in the current environment. He warns industry members to stay vigilant.

Impact on SAThe closure of Thomas Cook has not had much of an impact on South African travellers, as the group did not operate in South Africa. However, Thomas Cook UK flights have been removed from the GSA’s (Aviaireps) system.

Subsidiary, Condor Airlines, will continue to operate as usual. The airline issued a statement stating that it had the financial means to continue flight operations and to pay for the services it needed, says Aviareps gm for Southern Africa, Charmaine

Thome. Condor has received a guarantee for a EUR380 million (R7 billion) six-month bridging loan from the German and Hessian State Governments. However, the deal must still be approved by the European Commission before it is confirmed.

Condor Airlines operates a seasonal service between Cape Town and Frankfurt between September and April and is still planning to increase its service from a schedule of three per week to four, effective October 28.

Thomas Cook UK Airlines was scheduled to recommence its seasonal Cape Town to London Gatwick service in December, however with the airline no longer operational, those flights appear to be off the table. “The refund process for these flights is handled by the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK. Should the trade need support they are welcome to contact Aviareps for assistance,” says Charmaine.

From page 1

Wine-ding down

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TAKE IT WITH YOUWe get you where you want to be and with what you want to bring along. Your dog, cat, bike, scuba gear, guitar or whatever is special to you.

Contact us: +27 (0) 10 880 3631/2/3 or [email protected] Customer care roaming mobile: +27 (0) 60 969 7505

50%

YES

50%

NO

Inbound tourismThompsons Africa, the inbound agent for the Thomas Cook Group, has committed to honouring all bookings for international tourists currently travelling in South Africa.

David Standage, financial director of Cullinan Holdings (which owns Thompsons Africa),

says the company has undertaken to do so in line with its responsibility, and to protect the reputation of South African tourism. “We are currently working together with all service providers to ensure that no guest is left stranded in the country,” says David.

“Thompsons Africa has

been the inbound agent for the Thomas Cook Group for more than 20 years. Thomas Cook was a global leader in travel and tourism, and through its various brands, has been a great supporter of tourism into South Africa. Its demise is a great loss to the country.”

o n - now mediastorage.news.nowmedia.co.za/medialibrary/feature/... · news tnw9395sd cruiseabout...

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