TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY

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SOUTHERN AFRICA’S TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLYNovember 23 2016 I No. 2425

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FEATURESHOPPING DESTINATIONSRand-friendly places for shopaholics

NEWSRWANDAIR

Expansion plans in the pipeline

NEWSONLINE BOOKINGS

Bucking market trends

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LUX* Resorts and Hotels says holiday fees must fall! The group is offering a super special on accommodation at its Mauritius and Réunion properties. Bookings made by December 8 will receive a 35% discount. Valid for stays December 4-26. Pictured here from LUX* Resorts & Hotels are (from left): Evi Moller, senior sales manager; Alexis Bekker, head of sales & marketing; Glen Taylor, sales manager, and Tanith Oram, sales manager for Western Cape & Namibia. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl

Save, save save!

Flood of schedule changes hits agentsDebbie baDham

AIRLINES have recently been changing their flight schedules without notice and neglecting

to rebook passengers on sensible connecting flights. Agents say this is burdening them with ticket reissues and refunds.

“This has been the worst year I have ever seen,” says Mel Tucker, owner of Melanie Tucker Travel. “We have to reissue between 20 and 25 tickets every two months.”

Gerrie de Beer, travel consultant of Ultimate Travel, says US carriers have been changing flight times and numbers, necessitating ticket reissues. “We have to do the work of a reissue without being able to bill the expense.”

When there are schedule changes, the airlines don’t even let agents know, says Liz Potgieter, travel consultant of Sure Epcot Travel.

Yumna Kharodia, md of Sweet Life Travel, says Kenya Airways and fastjet have made many schedule changes lately. She says airlines have also been rebooking clients on illogical and inconvenient connections. For example, there might be another option that same day but the airline books the client on a flight the next day.

Tracy Teichmann, manager of Sure Adcocks Travel, says Turkish Airlines compounds the issue as it often has

very short connection times in Istanbul. “Customers complain that the flights, which often run a bit late, then leave them with even less time to make the connection.”

Airlines have also been unable to supply a clear recourse in the event of a schedule change. Yumna says she recently had a client stuck in Nairobi due to a schedule change. When she phoned Kenya Airways in SA about compensation, she was told the client should ask the Kenya Airways counter at the airport in Nairobi. As Yumna points out, the client then finds their agent useless in times of trouble.

In cases where a client is forced to book another connection with a different airline, organising a refund also proves a challenge. Yumna says recently she had to wait two days before the airline responded.

Helena Maxwell, Southern Africa and South America area manager, Kenya Airways, says the recent increase in schedule changes likely has to do with changing over from one season to the next.

Nico Bezuidenhout, ceo of fastjet, says the airline’s schedule changes over the past few weeks are the result of a fleet change and schedule adjustment to accommodate its Stabilisation Plan.

Turkish Airlines was unable to respond by the time of going to print.

Trust your staff?Taryn nighTingaLe

A TRAVEL agency in KZN recently fell victim to theft and also uncovered fraudulent activity, both committed by a member of staff it trusted.

The agency, which preferred to remain anonymous, had hired the

employee as an intern. He was promoted to a junior consultant, then to intermediate consultant, eventually managing the agency’s Pretoria office at the beginning of this year. He’d been with the agency for four years.

To page 16

UPDATEIata responds to issues of miscommunication between agents and Iata raised in last week’s story ‘Agents at the mercy of Iata’. See page 2 for more.

2 n Wednesday November 23 2016 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

NEWS

Rubes® By Leigh Rubin

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Top web stories

Oz visa changes Flight Centre unveils new offering TNW pick: ‘Agents at the mercy of Iata’ Rain to cause delays at ORTIA Delays cost airlines R1,6m – Vos

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Alphabet soup once the legal department gets involved.

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Online bookings buck trend Debbie baDham

ONLINE travel booking is growing in what otherwise seems to be a flat

outbound travel market. But industry experts believe online is just one avenue of growth for agents.

While the travel industry’s international BSP sales for the period January to October are showing 0,8% growth, Travelstart’s BSP figures are at an all-time high. Supply and product manager, Candice May, says the OTA’s international BSP growth for the same period is far above 20%.

Travelstart’s performance has been equally strong on the domestic side, also demonstrating double-digit growth. Candice says although Travelstart works off a lower base than other agencies,

these numbers still reflect healthy growth under current market conditions.

More leisure travellers are going online to book simple transactions, says ceo of XL Travel group, Marco Ciocchetti. However, he says, “there is still huge opportunity for growth in other areas provided that agencies specialise in what they’re doing”. Marco says agencies are seeing sales growth in land and cruise arrangements because they require consultation. “Agents need to be able to add value if they want to grow,” he says.

Jonathan Gerber, director of TAG, says whether an agency should target growth via the online space will depend on its strategy and the market it wishes to target. While older clients may prefer to book through a traditional agent,

younger consumers may prefer to book on their smart phones.

Andrew Stark, md of Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG), says it uses diverse strategies to achieve growth and that the group’s retail brands have seen significant airline growth over the past 18 months.

“BSP market share stats year to date show that our international air travel grew by 11%. Our domestic air grew by 11% whilst the industry declined by 3%. Overall, our air BSP is up 11% versus the market which is down by 1%,” says Andrew.

The group’s ITC model, Flight Centre Associates, which comprises 5% of FCTG’s business, has grown 100% over the last two years. “We have 55 FCA consultants with an eye on 100 by 2018,” Andrew says.

In the article published last week (Nov 16), TNW reported that Iata had been contacted for comment and had not given a response. Unfortunately, due to miscommunication issues, Iata had not been given the right to reply. TNW apologises for the error. This is Iata’s response on the issue of miscommunication between travel agents and Iata: “Iata engages regularly with travel agents on common issues and concerns through the APJCs and PAPGJC forums. Iata is focused on improving procedures and we’ve recently upgraded our reconciliation tool launched on October 22 and ensure telephone calls are made to agents before any actions are taken. Iata has mechanisms agents can use to monitor the status of their BSP and to notify us if they believe an error may have occurred. Efforts to bring more value to our relationship with the travel agency community also include our global campaign engaging airlines, travel agents and GDSs to reduce the frequency of ADMs,” a spokesperson for Iata said.

Update

Aggregator targets travel agentsLeigh hermon

BOOKING.COM has announced the piloting of Booking.com for Travel Agents. The platform aims to offer easy-to-use tools that allow travel agents to make and manage accommodation bookings.

Agents will also be able to access customised reports about their earnings and

individual client bookings.Rather than booking through

Booking.com, agents told TNW that they often use the website to compare the prices of aggregators.

“We try not to book on [Booking.com], because on Expedia we earn commission. Booking.com doesn’t give us commission,” says Irene Ferreira, corporate travel director of Reynolds

Travel Centre.Kerri Rogers, business

manager of Rennies Travel Dimension Data, says she would be interested in using the new platform as long as it was safe to perform payments.

Booking.com says that agents who participate in the programme will benefit from a competitive revenue share agreement.

‘Agents at the mercy of Iata’ – Iata responds

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4 n Wednesday November 23 2016 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

NEWS

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Travellers can get WiFi on all Delta Air Lines international flights, including its daily non-stop service between Johannesburg and Atlanta. Laptop WiFi passes start at $6,95 (R99) for one hour of access or passengers can opt for a global day pass purchased in advance for $28 (R400). Pictured here (from left) are Nellita Scholtz, sales executive and Shareen Akoodie, regional sales and marketing manager of Delta Air Lines. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl

Delta gets connectedRwandAir has big plans for Africa and beyondLeigh hermon

RWANDAIR plans to extend its network beyond Africa and into Europe, Asia and the United

States. In the first quarter of next year, the airline hopes to introduce services from Kigali to London Gatwick and Mumbai. It has also set its sights on a Kigali-Washington, DC service in 2018 and wants to add Guangzhou to its route network, although a launch date has not yet been set.

According to Thembela Dladla, country manager of RwandAir South Africa, both the London Gatwick and Mumbai services are in the final stages of planning with the airline concluding the bilateral agreements.

The airline plans to fly to Gatwick and Mumbai four times a week. Both routes will be serviced by an A330-300 aircraft configured with 20 seats in business class, 21 in premium economy and 223 in economy.

At this stage, details of the Washington, DC route are still being finalised.

Thembela also told TNW that the airline was investigating the possibility of flying to Cape Town.

Earlier this year, TNW reported that RwandAir would launch its Kigali-Durban and Kigali-Mumbai services before the end of the year (TNW June 16, 2016). Thembela says the delay in the commencement of these services is due to the late delivery of aircraft. The airline will now add Durban to its early 2017 schedule.

Dinesh Naidoo, group operations director of Serendipity Worldwide Group, says there is definitely a market for a carrier to take passengers from Durban to Mumbai via Kigali. Airlines currently servicing

the market travelling to India from Durban include Emirates, Ethiopian and Qatar “but Qatar doesn’t connect that well. You’ve got a long layover in Doha,” he says.

Dinesh says the Durban market is price-sensitive, but Thembela says RwandAir will offer competitive fares across its entire network.

Thembela says one of the airline’s competitive advantages lies in its entirely new and fuel-efficient fleet. “We will continue to add to the fleet in the coming years,” he says. Another major benefit is the location of RwandAir’s hub. “We’re right in the heart of Africa.” He says Rwanda’s relaxed visa regulations allows for easy travel for most African countries, South Africa included, as travellers receive visas on arrival.

Thembela Dladla, country manager of RwandAir South Africa, told TNW about the airline’s network expansion plans. Photo: Leigh Hermon

FlySafair increases flights for the festive seasonFLYSAFAIR has added a flight to its JNB-CPT and its JNB-DUR services for the festive season. The increased frequency brings the JNB-DUR service to three flights daily, and the JNB-CPT service to seven flights daily.

Flight FA115 departs Johannesburg at 18h00 from Monday to Friday and arrives in Cape Town at 20h15. Flight FA114 departs Cape Town at 15h20 and arrives in Johannesburg at 17h35.

FA272 departs Johannesburg at 11h30 from Monday to Friday and

arrives in Durban at 12h30. Flight FA273 departs Durban at 12h55 and arrives in Johannesburg at 14h05.

The flights are now available for sale and travel.

FlySafair will continue to add flights to its schedule for the festive season depending on demand.

The airline has gone from operating 1 015 flights in October to 1 156 in November and will operate 1 400 in December, says Kirby Gordon, vp of sales and distribution.

Sudan announces visa changesTHE Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan has announced changes to the multiple-entry visas for South African and British passport holders travelling to the country.

The fee for a six-month multiple-entry visa for South African passport holders has increased drastically from R2 800 to R4 200. The two-month single-entry visa is unchanged at R700.

The fees for British passport holders have also increased. A two-month single-entry visa was

R1 500 and will now cost R2 800. A three-month multiple-entry visa has gone up from R2 800 to R5 600, while a six-month multiple-entry visa was R5 600 and is now R8 400.

A three-month multiple-entry visa is no longer available to South African passport holders and a one-year multiple-entry visa has been introduced for South Africans, costing R8 400. A one-year multiple-entry visa is not available for British passport holders.

Botswana UBC requirement ‘not new’ THE requirement for minors travelling into and out of Botswana to produce an unabridged birth certificate is not new, director of Immigration and Citizenship, Mabuse Pule told TNW.

“It’s not a new thing, we’ve been practising this for many years now. We are just making it more public and re-educating members of the public,” said Mabuse.

Mabuse’s comments come after the government released a statement last month that

the requirement would be implemented from October 1 (see TNW November 2).

He said that previously minors travelling to Botswana who were unable to produce an unabridged birth certificate were denied entry into Botswana. He described the unabridged birth certificate as a document detailing the certificate number, name of the child, sex, date of birth, names of both parents, and country of birth for both the parents and the child.

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6 n Wednesday November 23 2016 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

NEWS

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A brief look at this week’s hotel news

New Northern Cape property for aha AHA Hotels and Lodges, the property management business of Tourvest’s Accommodation and Activities division, has added Urban Hotel Khatu to its portfolio. The hotel is in the Northern Cape on the border with Botswana and its 79 en-suite rooms are all equipped with LCD TV, bespoke DStv bouquet, air-conditioning and WiFi access. Fine dining, vegetarian, halaal and healthy eating options are also available at the property.

Beach resort gets upgradeALPHONSE Island in the Seychelles has renovated its accommodation to cater for the luxury travel market. The 21 beach bungalows and five beach suites have received a facelift, offering visitors a more luxurious stay, and the beach bar and restaurant have been refurbished. Alphonse Island also offers new activities. Travellers can now go on walks on the neighbouring uninhabited islands of Bijoutier and St François, overnight on the A’mani – a catamaran docked in the St François lagoon – go snorkelling, diving and fly fishing.

Hilton expands in AfricaHILTON Worldwide has signed three new hotels in Africa. The 280-room Hilton Garden Inn Accra Liberation Road will be the group’s first hotel in Ghana and is expected to open in 2018. The group also signed a management agreement with Jabavu and White Lotus Projects to construct the tallest building in Africa, the Hilton Nairobi Upper Hill in Kenya. The building will stand 330m high and will have 255 rooms. Hilton also signed a management agreement with Quality Inspection & Testing Services to open a 350-room hotel in Lagos in 2023. The hotel will be located at Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

PillowTalk

BA launches new US flights

BRITISH AIRWAYS will launch a new service from Gatwick to San

Francisco Bay from March 28, and a new service from Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale from July 6.

The Gatwick-San Francisco service will operate four times a week. BA2279 will depart Gatwick at 10h20 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays and arrive at Oakland International Airport

in San Francisco at 13h15. BA2278 will depart Oakland at 15h05 and arrive at Gatwick at 09h25. The Tuesday flight, BA 2279 will depart Gatwick at 11h25 and arrive at 14h20. BA2278 will depart Oakland at 16h10 and arrive at 10h30 next day.

The Gatwick-Fort Lauderdale flight, BA2169, will operate on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, with an additional flight on Sundays during the

peak summer season. It will depart Gatwick at 09h25 and arrive in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport at 13h45. BA2168 will depart Fort Lauderdale at 17h00 and arrive in Gatwick at 06h30.

Both services will be operated with a B777-200ER with 216 World Traveller economy-class seats, 24 World Traveller Plus premium economy seats and 40 Club World business-class seats.

Airlink extends Lodge Link network AIRLINK has extended its Lowveld ‘Lodge Link’ safari lodge network in partnership with &Beyond.

The network will provide daily connections between &Beyond’s Ngala Safari Lodge and Ngala Tented Camp in the Timbavati, Kirkman’s Kamp in the Sabi Sand and the six lodges in &Beyond’s Phinda Private Game Reserve. The lodge network will also provide direct connections with Airlink’s regional services

from Nelspruit Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport to Mozambique, Vilanculos (gateway to &Beyond Benguerra Island) and Livingstone in Zambia, which provides access to &Beyond Matetsi Private Game Reserve.

Travellers can connect from Cape Town and Johannesburg on Airlink to Nelspruit Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport or Skukuza Airport with a short transfer

connecting guests onwards to Airlink’s Lodge Link service direct to their safari destination.

Ngala (NGL) and Phinda (PZL) are displayed in the GDS to allow for single ticket bookings. Flights went on sale on November 7 for travel commencing June 2.

Airlink’s Lodge Link flights are operated with a new two-pilot Cessna Grand Caravan 208BEX, 12-seat turbo-prop aircraft.

Taking the pain out of supplier payments for travel management companies Mastercard’s In Control solution offers a secure, streamlined way to pay for travel itineraries spanning multiple suppliers

The introduction of Mastercard’s In Control electronic payment solution gives travel management companies and their clients the ability to regain firm control over travel spending, eliminate slow, paper-based processes and reduce the risks of corporate credit and lodge cards being abused by employees or fraudsters.

The solution addresses the challenges that travel management companies and their corporate customers face in managing payments locally and internationally to multiple suppliers – airlines, hotels, car rental, and more.

It's not uncommon for the travel management

No more inefficient bill-backsFor security reasons, travel management companies ideally do not want to give their own corporate card information or the client’s to their suppliers. Electronic travel booking software is widely used, but card numbers are still frequently faxed to hotels, car rental companies and tour operators. Risks of fraud are unacceptably high.

Now with the introduction of In Control, the travel industry has an opportunity to do away with the inefficiencies of needing to bill clients back for hotel bookings and other spend. Even better, travel companies and their clients no longer need to use physical card payments for high value transactions.

In Control is a virtual card solution that eliminates the need for travel purchasers to share primary card information with a vendor or merchant—vastly reducing their exposure to fraud or card misuse. Instead, the platform generates unique virtual account numbers (VANs), card expiry details and Card Verification Value (CVV) numbers that are only valid for single or very limited use.

In Control securely transmits once-off VANs to each service provider, with strict authorisation controls for when, where and how cards are used for each transaction. The VAN is associated with client and itinerary codes, and booked to the agency card, but the platform does not reveal those details to the provider.

Rich data capabilities Buyers can use the virtual account details to make both physical and online purchases making it suitable for the travel agency reservation process or direct vendor use. With its rich data capabilities, In Control overlays up to 29 custom data fields on each transaction, to automatically capture all important traveller and account detail such as ticket and invoice number, purchaser name, employee code, department, cost centre and so on.

This functionality means efficient approval in line with company procurement policies before purchases are made and easy reporting, 100% bank account reconciliation and detailed spend analysis after.

Customisation, agility and efficiency Mastercard Corporate Payment Solutions is a global leader in streamlined, end-to-end payment solutions for corporations, mid-sized companies, small businesses and the public sector.

Designed for companies with basic or complex security and accountability purchasing requirements, In Control is an advanced solution that also provides the customisation, agility and efficiency required by South Africa’s travel industry.

In Control transforms travel management companies’ payments in the following ways: Reduces exposure to risk of fraud and

misuse; Allows for more efficient payment

processing using strict controls for each invoice payment; Enables the company to manage

cash flow more efficiently using their bank’s credit line; Smart integration options with online

booking tools, travel websites, and/or procurement systems minimises the impact on the current reservation process; Provides increased protection against

supplier default; and Improves efficiency of accounts

payable through automated, real time reconciliation and enhanced reporting.

Absa Virtual Pay powered by Mastercard Absa has introduced a true Virtual Pay solution supported by Mastercard that integrates with most corporate procurement solutions and travel booking tools through an application programme interface (API). It allows a procurement system and travel management company and/or a booking engine to seamlessly create virtual cards with various levels of control that reduce fraud and abuse or misuse, of those virtual cards to zero. It’s an easy process and the virtual cards are then distributed electronically to the supplier and travel and entertainment (T&E) sector. Because it integrates into a global distribution system that travel agencies use, it allows for 100% matched data to the user of Virtual Pay. This changes the landscape on how the T&E industry is going to make and receive payments.

“With Virtual Pay, Absa is leading in the field of Virtual Cards because we have created a product that addresses the main concerns procurement and travel managers encounter – matching data, an easy-to-use system, opportunities to save money and an increased level of security aimed at reducing fraud and card abuse,” says Riaan Van Niekerk, Absa Head of Commercial Credit and Prepaid Issuing for Absa Card.

For more information about In Control by Mastercard, please visit http://www.mastercard.com/za/business/smart-data.

company to pay the costs from their own accounts, and raise an invoice to recover the money. It can take anywhere between 30 and

90 days for payment

by the time the bill has worked its way through the client’s payment process.

In Control is also a good solution for corporate travel managers, enabling them to streamline travel payments for employees who do not have corporate cards such as infrequent travellers, contract workers, new or short-term employees, and interns.

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AF KLM reveals details of new operation Debbie baDham

AIR FRANCE KLM’s new long-haul operation, Boost, designed to compete with the Gulf airlines, will

not be a low-cost model. In October, a spokesperson for Air France KLM said the group was considering entering the low-cost long-haul travel market (see TNW October 12).

Ten long-haul aircraft will be in operation by 2020 with 30% of operations focusing on newly created routes.

The initiative will enable the group to reopen routes closed due to their lack of profitability and will assist in maintaining routes under threat.

Focus will be on business and leisure destinations with standards comparable with those of Air France in terms of product quality and the professionalism of the crews.

The new offering will be modern and simple, showcasing the group’s products, digital technology, catering, cabin design, services, customer experience, and working methods. The ground operations, handled by Air France, will also be optimised by digitalisation.

Kendy Phohleli, md of XYZ Consulting, says to compete with the Gulf carriers, AF KLM will need to present an operation that offers more value at a lower price, because the Middle Eastern carriers have already taken the lead in both product and price.

He says a smart move for the group could be to focus on its premium customers as that is where the yield is. Kendy says Lufthansa has already employed this strategy, by investing significantly in its premium product in an effort to position itself as the world’s first five-star airline.

He also says it is unclear how the group plans to leverage work conditions to compete more effectively, saying that with its unions, France has a highly regulated labour environment which makes it difficult for the company to be flexible in that regard.

Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) has welcomed a new addition to the group’s brands. Stage and Screen South Africa will provide a dedicated travel arrangement service to the sporting and entertainment industry, including large group bookings, negotiated rates for excess baggage and equipment, VIP services, and round-the-clock customer care. Pictured at the launch of the new company are (from left) Jennifer Colloty, operations team leader of Stage and Screen Cape Town, Robyn van Staden, gm of Stage and Screen South Africa, Euan McNeil, executive manager of FCTG and Alister Oberem, business development manager of Stage and Screen South Africa.

“A smart move for the group could be to focus on its

premium customers as that is where the yield is.”

Opening act

QUICK READ FOR BUSIEST PEOPLE Wednesday November 23 2016 n 9

ASK AN EXPERT

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How to manage the cons of being an ITCTammy Hunt, operations director of eTravel, and Carol Eedes, owner of Alphabet Travel, offer advice to ITCs on how to cope with the downsides of being an ITC.

Leigh hermon

IRREGULAR working hours are the biggest drawback for agents

who are ITCs, according to a recent eTNW survey. Doing their own marketing, came second, followed by competing with big-brand agencies and the absence of office camaraderie.

Nearly half (47%) of the respondents said always being on duty was the biggest disadvantage. Tammy Hunt, operations director of eTravel, says to cope with this, agents should set boundaries with their clients by making them aware of their after-hours fees. Carol Eedes, owner of Alphabet Travel, says agents should feel confident charging clients after-hours fees and if it’s a big client who is loyal

to their business, there is always room to reduce the fee.

Of the respondents, 24% said doing their own marketing could be tough. Carol advises agents to set aside time every day to focus on marketing. “When you get in, for the first half-hour, just post on social media.” She also says by doing it themselves, agents will avoid the costs of a marketing company.

Tammy advises agents to get in touch with their host company for support with marketing and says eTravel is available 24/7, 365 to assist with several options. Going it alone can seem daunting when there are bigger brands in the market. It is important for agents to understand their value-add and make sure their clients are

aware of and experience it, says Tammy.

Carol says, rather than going after clients that larger travel companies service, agents should aim to provide services to a specific market to make a name for themselves. Carol’s ITC focuses on small to medium enterprises by giving them a personalised service.

When it comes to office camaraderie, 13% of respondents said this was something they missed. Tammy says staying social is a good way to tackle this. She says eTravel organises meetings, workshops and high teas throughout the year for their ITCs. “We also have a social media platform where ITCs can communicate with each other, which has bolstered a lot of camaraderie.”

Always on duty - clients call me at all hours

Source: eTNW survey

Miss the camaraderie of an office

The cons of being an ITC

13%16%

24%

47%

Doing my own marketing

Hard to compete with big- brand agencies

10 n Wednesday November 23 2016 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

REPORT XL TRAVEL CONFERENCE

Be ‘hyper-personalised’: use tech to connect XL Travel held its annual agency conference at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre on November 12-13. Taryn Nightingale reports.

AGENTS need to focus on building ‘hyper-personalised’ relationships with clients using

the technology that’s available to them. In an age where technology has disrupted how agents do business, many agents conduct

business with clients they don’t know. Agents need to recapture the days when a close personal relationship and high service levels were the main differentiators between travel agency competitors.

This was ceo of XL Travel Group, Marco Ciocchetti’s message during

his address at the opening of the second session of the conference on November 13.

“Before technology, agents had much more one-on-one interaction with clients. If an agent wanted to ensure the client got his preferred seat, he had to go to the airport with the client’s ticket, find the seating plan of that flight and place the seat number sticker on the client’s ticket and then meet with him to hand him his ticket,” Marco told TNW.

He says that now, personal visits have been replaced by online booking systems; agents lack the dedication to the industry that they had before and fewer agencies have repeat business. Marco says, instead of agents looking at technology as a disrupter to the industry, they should use it as a solution to build a highly personalised long-term relationship with both leisure and corporate clients.

Agent/client app coming soonXL TRAVEL has a new agent/client mobile application currently in development, expected to launch at the end of January.

“The app is meant to function as an engagement tool between the agent and the client so the client feels as if they are travelling with the agent,” says Marco.

With the app, XL Travel consultants will be able to communicate any changes or updates on bookings and perform their duty-of-care requirements by communicating travel alerts to their clients. XL Travel customers will also be able to book and pay for ancillaries using the app.

The conference’s theme, ‘Back to our Future’ encouraged XL Travel agents to use technology and digitalisation to offer clients a personalised service to build customer loyalty and encourage repeat business. Pictured at the conference are (from left), Christo Hauptfleisch, Sonja van der Merwe and Judith Piek of XL Wild Travel and Marco Ciocchetti of XL Travel head office. Photo: Taryn Nightingale

Own your future

“Agents should use technology as a solution

to build a highly personalised long-term

relationship with both leisure and corporate clients.”

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SHOPPING DESTINATIONS

Five places where the rand goes further

Despite the weak rand, there are still many destinations where cash-strapped South Africans can shop till they drop. Sue van Winsen reports.

SOUTH African travellers who love to shop should not be put off by the volatility of the rand as there

are a number of destinations that still offer excellent value, along with a wide range of complementary activities.

Vietnam also offers good quality at affordable prices, says Hayley. “The country features some fantastic boutiques where travellers can have clothes or leather boots and shoes made,” she says. The destination is also suited to high-end shoppers,

she says, with Dong Khoi Street in Ho Chi Minh City offering brand name stores. “Vietnam offers great upselling opportunities for travel agents, who can suggest trips combining cooking, wellness and shopping.”

BaliBali still offers value for South Africans wanting to go shopping. “It caters for a wide range of shoppers and is where designer brands can be found beside local and handmade curios. It is a treasure island of fine art and handicrafts, antique and semi-antique furniture, paintings, carved jewellery, wood and stone carvings, masks, fabrics, silk scarves, shirts, bags and

many other hand-crafted goods and also mega-brand names,” says Genine de Witt, ITC of the Club Travel Group.

She recommends that travellers visit Ubud’s open-air market, as well as the Bali Collection, a high-end department store, Kuta beachwalk, Mall Bali Galeria, Sukawait Art Market, Seminyak, Petitenget and Kerobokan, all good shopping areas.

TurkeyIstanbul, with its avenues filled with bazaars, open-air markets, chic boutiques and shopping malls is another mecca for shopaholics, particularly those on a modest budget, says Genine. “One needs to be an expert in the art of bargaining and then hunt for carpets and kilims, fabrics and linens, jewellery,

art, antiques, handmade shoes, leather apparel and ceramics.”

Hayley Walls, marketing manager of Thompsons Travel, says Istanbul has always been a firm favourite with South Africans. “Travel agents can suggest a two-day stop in Istanbul, continuing on Turkish Airlines to one of its many other destinations.”

DubaiIf shopping is the primary purpose, then agents should look no further than Dubai, says Ramesh Jeenarain, md of World Leisure Holidays. “Where else in the world can you swim with sharks just a few metres away from the world’s leading retail brands? Where else can you break away from your shopping spree to have a quick ski down a snowy mountain? In what other city can you spend the morning bartering for spices in a historic souq?”

Ramesh says, with over 95

shopping malls, virtually every global brand is on sale alongside homegrown boutiques and labels.

Thaybz Khan, manager: contemporary brands of Cruises International, says if a client’s primary purpose is shopping, then Dubai comes top of the list. “The rate of exchange is reasonably low compared with the UK, Europe and the US, which allows the rand to

stretch a little further. Getting there is also a lot more favourable for South Africans in terms of flights and visas.”

ThailandThailand is another firm favourite. “Especially when you consider just how far your baht will take you and how many interesting purchases can be bought and bartered for,” says Theresa Szejwallo, md of The Travel Corporation and Trafalgar South Africa. She says while visiting Bangkok’s Chinatown may be considered a little “kitsch”, it is a

charming experience. “The night-time shopping in Khao San Road shouldn’t be missed, where a wide selection of sports and travel wear can be found.”

Theresa says Thailand’s after-dark shopping goes way beyond a walk in a mall or a stroll through a market, but lets travellers immerse themselves in the cultural uniqueness of Asia.

Vietnam

New on the radar...Eastern Europe is still considered a cheap destination for South Africans, making shopping there very cost effective, particularly in cities such as Budapest and Prague. Bronwyn Strydom, marketing manager of Trafalgar South Africa,

says Prague is well known for Bohemian handmade glassware, while Budapest is known for paprika and pálinka (a traditional fruit brandy). She says in Budapest, travellers can combine a shopping experience with a food holiday.

Best value buysCareful planning will let shoppers make the most of their travel budgets. Annemarie Lexow, sales and marketing manager of Travel Vision, provides her top suggestions: India: Fabric, textiles, carpets

and pottery.

Thailand, Bangkok: Clothing, handbags and accessories. New Mexico, Santa Fe:

Handmade jewellery and pottery. Peru: Woven clothing, bags and

winter accessories. Turkey: Glassware, jewellery and

carpets.

Sukawati Art Market in Bali.

Ramesh Jeenarain

Istanbul is a bucket-list destination for shopaholics. Photo: Moyan Brenn

Local entrepreneurs bring paddle boats to Orlando Towers, Soweto

Advertisement

TNW7691

Johannesburg – A new activity in the form of paddle boating launched

on Thursday, 3 November 2016 to add to the festival of exciting activities already available at the iconic Orlando Towers precinct in Soweto to amuse visitors.

“Bringing adventure activities to Soweto is our tradition and it has worked out since 2010,” says Kgomotso Pooe of Soweto Outdoor Adventures, the company behind introduction of Paddle Boats. The company already offers quad biking, go-karting, paintball, rock climbing, electric cycling, boot camp, Soweto amazing race and township tours.

Pooe adds: “Paddle boats are loads of fun, bringing visitors nothing but adventure and outdoor facilities in one of the biggest townships. There is no better way to enjoy the Pimville Dam with its

surrounding beautiful scenery and a view of the famous Orlando twin towers.”

It is hoped that the new product offering will help attract growing numbers of visitors to Soweto. The township is steeped in a rich political heritage that has been its draw card over the years, but it is evolving into an entertainment and lifestyle destination as well.

According to Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) CEO, Siphiwe Ngwenya, entertainment and lifestyle products and experiences are the foundation of the promotional drive to increase visitation in the Gauteng City Region. “When the product and experiences innovations happen in the townships, they have us achieve the twin objective of growing the economies of the townships,” he says.

“Entrepreneurs such as the ones from Soweto

Outdoor Adventures have an invaluable role to play in innovating tourism products and experiences that will grow the visitor economy in the townships. The Township Economy Revitalisation Programme of the Gauteng provincial government recognises township tourism as a core focus area.”

Ngwenya adds that tourism has the potential to create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities where people live. “This could assist us in solving some of the apartheid spatial development problems that we have inherited from the previous political dispensation.

“It is, therefore, absolutely

critical that we continue to enhance our product and experience offerings to attract even more visitors to our townships. It is with this in mind that we congratulate Kgomotso Pooe on the launch of the new product – he represents an example that other entrepreneurs, especially the youth, should strive to emulate.”

Soweto Outdoor Adventures and Pooe clinched the Township Entrepreneurship Award and Youth Entrepreneur of the Year at the inaugural Gauteng Township Entrepreneurship Awards held in March 2016. The company reinvested winnings from the awards into the business.

For more information on what’s happening in Gauteng, what to do and where to go, visit www.gauteng.net download our Gauteng Travel Guide APP on Google Play and App Store, follow us on facebook at ilovegauteng on twitter @visitgauteng and Gauteng Tourism Authority on Instagram with #GPLifestyle #GeePeeShotLeft

14 n Wednesday November 23 2016 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

Top shopping on your doorstepMANY South Africans are currently following in the footsteps of their fellow travellers from elsewhere on the continent and heading to Gauteng when they feel the urge to splurge.

Spokesperson for the Gauteng Tourism Authority, Barba Gaonganediwe, says there has been a dramatic decline in the number of African travellers, including locals, who head to London, Paris and New York to shop. “This is because the quality of goods available locally is so good

and reasonably priced. “The newly refurbished Diamond

Walk in Sandton City houses the biggest shopping zone in Africa and is a huge drawcard.” Barba says this combines well with travel to the inner city precinct which is undergoing a total regeneration. “Many of South Africa’s top designers are based here and travellers can arrange personal consultations with them and add on visits to some of the trendy restaurants and rooftop bars.”

Cruising through customsNAVIGATING destinations’ customs laws can be daunting, but this is even more the case with cruising, where the client is moving through multiple countries, each with different customs legislation. Thaybz Khan of Cruises International says cruise lines generally have strict guidelines when it comes to bringing alcohol

and food items on board that have been purchased at the destination. “If they are suitable to take on board, the cruise line will store the purchase for the guest until the day of disembarkation,” she says. “Obviously items that are considered dangerous will not be allowed, irrespective of where or when these were purchased.”

How to upsell INDUSTRY experts share their tips on how agents can add activities to their clients’ shopping basket to make their shopping holiday more memorable. Shopping tends to combine easily with a range of experiences, whether they are cultural, adventure, sightseeing or beach experiences, says ITC, Genine de Witt. “In the major cities, offering a city tour before the client starts to shop would be a great way of allowing them to orientate themselves.” Genine says relaxation and shopping are also a good match. For example, shopping in Bali could be combined with a yoga or spa retreat.

Aside from adding complementary experiences to a shopping holiday, Annemarie Lexow of Travel Vision, says there are many other creative ways for agents to add value while at the same time earning extra revenue.

For example, agents should find out what time of year is best for shopping in a particular destination, which is normally when it holds shopping festivals, and then check whether this is in winter or summer. “Winter apparel will take up more space and the client could end up paying for excess luggage.” She says agents can offer insurance to cover this. On the other hand, if the traveller is going to a humid country like Singapore, Annemarie suggests advising time out for clients to have some ‘TLC’ like a spa treatment or foot massage.

In Gauteng, Barba Gaonganediwe of Gauteng Tourism, says golfing is a popular add-on to shopping holidays, along with various other leisure activities such as riding on the City Sightseeing Red Tour Bus, which takes travellers into Soweto where they can enjoy lunch and drinks.

Sandton City offers a world-class shopping experience in Johannesburg.

SHOPPING DESTINATIONS

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JOBSCOMMUNITYNEWSBirths, deaths, marriages, promotions – we want to know! Please e-mail TNW’s Taryn Nightingale, at tarynn@nowmedia.co.za.

QUICK READ FOR BUSIEST PEOPLE Wednesday November 23 2016 n 15

Obituary

For a FREE subscription to TNW contact Gladys on gladysn@nowmedia.co.za

To advertise on this page email antheal@nowmedia.co.za

Pick of the week

These adverts were selected from the vacancy section of www.travelinfo.co.za For more details contact jobs@travelinfo.co.za

brought to you by

TNW

7693

Senior Leisure Specialist – JHB NorthProfessional Career ServicesGood knowledge of SA and Africa. Design itineraries. Ability to travel with groups. Min 3 years’ experience handling inbound leisure. Email: jeancv@pcs-sa.co.za

Intermediate Leisure Consultant – TygervalleyProfessional Career ServicesAssist clients either via email or telephonically. Min 3 years’ leisure exp. Amadeus. Strong geography, destination and product knowledge. Sales focus. Email: nonocv@pcs-sa.co.za

Marketing Assistant – N/Suburbs, Cape TownQuantex Recruitment GroupJunior level candidate required by established tour operator. Candidate must be in possession of a relevant marketing qualification & 1+ years’ experience. Email: bridget@quantex.co.za

Events Manager – TanzaniaQuantex Recruitment Group2+ years’ industry experience & related degree required. Excellent relationship building skills & project management experience essential. Registration experience in meeting industry required. Email: lee@quantex.co.za

Senior Tour Consultant – Cape TownLee Botti & AssociatesT/O seeks East Africa whizz to sell 5 star getaway’s to US clients! 3 years’ experience & travelogic ess! R20 000.Email: malikam@nowjobs.co.za

Spanish MICE PRO – Cape TownLee Botti & AssociatesEnterprising and dynamic incentives brand needs your 5 years’ experience creating “out of this world” events! Spanish is key! R25 000. Email: malikam@nowjobs.co.za

Lodge Wholesale Travel Consultant – SandtonWendy’s Travel PersonnelMinimum 3-5 years’ inbound tour operating experience, Tourplan, or similar booking tool, and South, Southern or East Africa experience essential! Email: wtp@icon.co.za

Intermediate Travel Consultant – Cape TownClub TravelAre you looking for opportunity with high earning potential and guaranteed client base? Look no further! Be part of our online divisions. Email: careers@clubtravel.co.za BSP Refunds Clerk – Cape TownClub TravelAdministrator required to support the BSP division. Must be proficient and accurate in processing automated refunds in the GDS and BSP link. Email: careers@clubtravel.co.za

Development Promotions has appointed Michelle Hunter as its new MICE manager. Previously she was gm groups and incentives of World Leisure Holidays and not gm of World Leisure Holidays as was reported in last week’s TNW. Ramesh Jeenarain is the gm of World Leisure Holidays. TNW apologises for the error.

For the record

Sheralee Pretorius, operations manager of World Leisure Holidays, died on November 8 after battling a long illness. Sheralee had been part of the World Leisure Holidays family for 12 years. She is survived by her husband and two children.

Sheralee Pretorius

Air France KLM has separated the role and functions of the chairman and ceo. Jean-Marc Janaillac has been appointed chairman of Air France and Franck Terner, who was the executive vp engineering and maintenance of Air France KLM, has been appointed ceo of Air France. Frédéric Gagey is new cfo of the Air France KLM Group, replacing Pierre-François Riolacci.

LUX* Resorts & Hotels welcomes new sales manager for the Western Cape and Namibia, Tanith Oram (pictured). Tanith previously worked on niche brands in Mauritius and replaces Natalie de Lange who has left the company to pursue her own interests in the travel industry.

Aha Hotels & Lodges has made a number of new appointments. Neil Bald is new ceo of the hotel group. Neil has been the md of the group for the last four years and has 28 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. Angeline Marokoane is the group’s new pr and copywriter within the marketing department. Angeline was previously news and pr

manager for East Rand Stereo. Graeme Edmond has been promoted from national sales manager to chief sales and marketing officer. He will be responsible for increasing revenues through the management of the sales and marketing department. Previously the ceo of the Hospitality Property Fund, Andrew Rogers takes up his new position as new business development executive. The group has appointed Thabang Willie as the new brand manager. Before arriving at aha, she was the regional marketing manager of Adapt IT. Gerhard Strydom joins aha as its new regional financial manager and will be based in the Cape Town office.

Previously, he was the group financial controller at Newmark Hotels. After five years as the financial controller at Tsogo Sun Group, Anees Carrim has been appointed regional finance manager at aha’s Durban office. Bertus and Karien Bezuidenhout are the new management couple of aha Ivory Tree Game Lodge in the North West province. Bertus and Karien previously managed Madikwe River Lodge.

Taste MauritiusOn a recent educational to Mauritius, Beachcomber Tours hosted a group of travel agents at its five-star Trou aux Biches Resort & Spa. Pictured here, enjoying a meal at the resort’s Mahiya restaurant (from left) are Maxine Marais (African Fusion Travel), Shelley Daniels (Beachcomber) and Anja Strydom (Travel by Investec).

Appointments

Club Travel hosted a group of travel agents for an educational in Zanzibar with The Holiday Factory and Mango Airlines. Pictured here lapping up the sunshine and some cocktails by the pool are Heidi Niemand (One2Travel) and Mary Van Der Merwe (Flightsite).

Living it up

In last week’s TNW the following appointment should have read: Kim Nixon is the new md of Wilderness Safaris Botswana. He started his career as an overland guide in Botswana in the mid-1990s

For the record

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 info@etravel.co.za

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16 n Wednesday November 23 2016 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

TNW NEWS

Teach us about tech In which area do you think you need more training?

New online technology Visas Flight ticketing Destinations Travel insurance Car rental Accommodation options

40%

19% 18%13%

6%2% 2%

Trust your staff?“He was an excellent people’s person and customers loved working with him,” the agency’s owner said. “But, somehow, in the past few months, bad habits developed and he started making unusual purchases with the company credit card – a bus ticket for his girlfriend. Soon, his performance at work deteriorated and he started making errors. He also repeatedly booked tickets on a JNB-HRE-JNB flight for a particular group of people.

After a disciplinary hearing

in September and another, three weeks ago, the employee was dismissed. He was asked to hand in all company property, but did not, went missing and was unreachable.

Next, the agency was given an ADM from the airline for non-payment on the JNB-HRE-JNB flights. The tickets had been booked using a fraudulent credit card.

“Travel agents are notorious for not doing proper background checks on potential new employees,” says Christo Snyman, national director:

Forensic Services of Mazars. “In most of the cases I’ve investigated – where travel agencies experienced fraud by an employee – the person worked at another travel agency where he/she was dismissed for a similar offence.”

Ceo of Asata, Otto de Vries, says Asata has a database listing individuals who’ve been dismissed due to an offence in the industry. Asata members can use e-Watch to contact the previous employer to find out why the person was dismissed.

From page 1

Fend off fraudsters

Look out for the warning signs

Christo gives his tips to help agencies protect themselves. Conduct background

checks on new employees – including ITC and criminal record

checks. Contact previous

employers to find out about the person’s behaviour and conduct at work. Make use of e-Watch and

social media. Implement an

anonymous tip-off hotline

at work where employees can report irregular and/or fraudulent conduct. Conduct regular fraud

awareness training sessions so staff can learn about what constitutes fraud and its consequences. Conduct regular internal

audits to ensure all your internal controls are in place and adhered to. Ensure work duties

and controls, especially

in your accounts department, are clearly documented and segregated – have one person load payments and another approve them. Conduct regular spot checks. “We have investigated a huge amount of fraud where creditor and debtor invoices have been falsified and payments have been made in staff and family members’ bank accounts,” says Christo.

The following are possible signs that someone could be conducting fraudulent or dishonest behaviour at work: They are living beyond

his/her means or are

experiencing financial difficulty;

Has an unusually close relationship with a customer or vendor;

Has an addiction; most often drugs or gambling;

Be wary of strange behaviour at work. If someone is constantly sick or works long hours without taking leave for unexplained reasons you should be on high alert.

Oz introduces visa changesLeigh hermon

AUSTRALIA’S Department of Immigration and Border

Protection has introduced reforms to its temporary activity visa framework.

Under the new reforms, application centre, TLScontact, and the Australian High Commission will no longer accept paper applications for temporary activity visas. These visas must now be applied for through Australia’s online visa service, ImmiAccount.

The changes will also see the introduction of new temporary visa categories – old visa categories will be

incorporated within the new framework.

The following temporary activity visa categories have been introduced: Temporary Work (Short

Stay Specialist); Temporary Work

(International Relations); Training; Temporary Activity. The following visas closed for new applications from November 19: Temporary Work (Long Stay

Activity); Training and Research; Special Programme; Temporary Work

(Entertainment); Superyacht Crew.

According to TLScontact,

there have been no changes in temporary visa fees.

As applicants cannot make appointments with TLScontact via telephone and email, the Australian High Commission says they should make an appointment online through TLScontact’s website. TLScontact has also increased the number of appointments available each day at all South African visa application centres and introduced a live operator option on its call centre service.

For more information, go to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s website.

Airlink is offering discounted fares between Cape Town and George, effective for sale until January 31, with travel from December 1 up to and including January 31. Travellers can fly from R1 190 return, including taxes, on-board refreshments and 20kg free checked-in baggage allowance. Pictured taking a selfie in Cape Town are Airlink’s Linda Mazibuko (left), marketing customer relations officer – Johannesburg and Michelle Green-Thompson, strategic market customer relations officer – Government. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl

It’s holiday time!