TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY

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SOUTHERN AFRICA’S TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLYSeptember 28 2016 I No. 2417

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FEATUREUK

Weak rand counters Brexit bonanza

NEWSHOW TO INDEMNIFY YOURSELF

...when travel plans go wrong

NEWSCARBON TAX

Increases ahead for domestic airfares

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Visit AgentConnect.biz your dedicated website.

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Havana good time

Travel Vision is offering a special to Cuba. Havana Sounds is a five-day package priced from R19 099pps. Bookings are open and the special is valid for travel until December 21. The offer includes four nights in Havana in a four-star hotel with breakfast, three lunches, private guided sightseeing tours and transfer, entrance fees to sites and all taxes. Flights are not included. Clearly enjoying themselves, are from left, Leigh Tayob, reservations consultant, and Annemarie Lexow, sales and marketing manager of Travel Vision. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl

Ban the bill-back!TRAVEL agents could soon see

the end of bill-backs as Fedhasa considers banning the time-

consuming, expensive and often risky practice.

Ceo of Fedhasa, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, told TNW that the organisation was pushing its members to do away with the process. “We need to ask if bill-backs are still relevant in 2016. Many of our members are struggling to get payments. The travel agent doesn’t get paid and, as a result, the hotel doesn’t get paid. Hotels are currently owed millions of rands,” he says.

“If the industry decides collectively to do away with bill-backs, we need to develop an accepted standard practice,” says Tshifhiwa. He says consensus would avoid a situation where some establishments offer bill-backs and others don’t. “We’ll need to approach financial institutions and technology providers to explore which other solutions are available in the market.”

“Managing bill-backs can be quite tricky,” says Mike Gray, ceo of Uniglobe Travel. “Reconciling with client purchase orders, handling additional cost items that are not authorised on the purchase order and the workload of administration are some of the core problems associated with bill-backs.”

“Agencies even have to employ additional people to handle bill-backs,” says Peter Schoeman, divisional director, sales and marketing at City Lodge Hotel Group.

Peter warns, however, that there is a risk that if the hotel industry stops bill-backs altogether, the burden will

fall on the travel agency. “Corporates want a 30-day account to have better cash flow in their business. It then becomes a chain reaction with the supplier sitting with the risk or the debt. Most agencies don’t have the cash flow to carry the corporate debt and still run their agency successfully.”

Ben Langner, md of Carlson Wagonlit Travel for South Africa, says although other payment options are available, they’ve not been widely adopted by corporates and don’t match the convenience of a bill-back arrangement.

“Not all travellers in the South African corporate travel market have credit cards and providing such travellers with cash for each trip is not efficient,” he says.

Claude Vankeirsbilck, chief sales and marketing officer for Tourvest Travel Services, says providing credit cards to employees is often seen as risky to the corporate.

He says Tourvest employs a virtual credit card process through its online travel management solution to reduce bill-backs. Although it is successful, Tourvest is a long way off total elimination of the traditional bill-back process, says Claude.

Rachael Penaluna business manager at Sure Maritime Travel, says South African travel agents are afraid they will lose the business if they refuse client bill-backs.

She says the only way around this situation is to stop all forms of billing back. “If travel agents can say the car-rental companies, hotels and other suppliers have stopped bill-backs, our clients will have no choice but to comply.”

Treasury stalls TMC appointmentsTaryn nighTingale

NATIONAL Treasury is delaying the appointment of TMCs to provide travel management services to government departments in accordance with the long-awaited tender published in July.

An industry insider told TNW that it was unlikely that Treasury would appoint any TMCs to manage government accounts by the beginning

of October as initially stated, and that Treasury was currently meeting with state departments to determine how the next phase of the bidding process would work.

“Treasury needs to find out what type of information TMCs would need to submit regarding how their management fees are structured. Each department has slightly different

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2 n Wednesday September 28 2016 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

NEWS

Rubes® By Leigh Rubin

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TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY

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Carbon tax to inflate domestic airfaresDebbie baDham

SA DOMESTIC airfares could increase as a result of the

government’s plans to introduce a carbon tax on domestic airlines, which could be followed by a carbon tax on international flights.

National Treasury has confirmed that emissions from domestic flights will be subject to its domestic carbon tax regime. According to Chris Zweigenthal, ceo of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa, the domestic carbon tax regime will be implemented in 2017.

However, administrative complications could arise for SA airlines that operate both domestic and international routes should South Africa decide to retain its domestic carbon tax once an international carbon reduction solution is in place.

International negotiations on the aviation sector in response to climate change are being dealt with by the International

Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and a global market-based measure (GMBM) is under consideration, says Treasury.

Chris says, aside from a tax, the GMBM could come in the form either of carbon offset programmes or emissions trading schemes. “Iata is looking to introduce one solution as agreed on by all states around the world,” he says.

June Crawford, ceo of Barsa, says a way forward in terms of the international solution will be determined at the upcoming 39th ICAO assembly, taking place between September 27 and October 9.

Treasury will then have a follow-up discussion with the Department of

Transport and the industry in early October to consider the outcomes from the ICAO meeting.

As ICAO recognises that domestic situations around the world may differ, each state has the option of applying the domestic solution it deems necessary. National Treasury says its proposed domestic carbon tax regime could be incorporated within the solution decided on for international air services for this sector at a later stage.

But Chris says the airline industry is opposed to a separate domestic carbon tax and believes the international solution should be applied domestically so airlines aren’t required to manage different solutions around the world. “This would increase administrative and cost burdens on airlines,” says Chris.

“Airlines would need to recover these costs in some way, whether through increased fares or improved efficiencies determined by each airline in question.”

Mango top job still openDarise Foster

DESPITE widespread media reports earlier this month that Skywise’s former co-chairperson, Javed Malik, was in the running for the position of ceo of Mango, the airline says it is still in the process of making a permanent appointment.

Mango head of communications, Hein Kaiser, says the airline has yet to officially begin the search for a new ceo. “The process will commence as soon as it is advertised, thus it would be premature for Mango to engage formally with any candidate

[at this time].” However, in a statement

dated September 14, Skywise said Javed “has been [approached] for a ceo position at another African carrier, which he is currently considering.”

Javed told TNW that he had been in discussions with Mango about taking the ceo job. He and colleague, Tabassum Qadir, resigned as chairpersons of Skywise earlier this month.

There is currently no list of possible ceo candidates says Hein. “Nic Vlok will remain as acting ceo until the board appoints a permanent chief executive.”

Hein could not provide a date as to when the airline planned to announce its new ceo. The position became vacant on July 31 when founding ceo, Nico Bezuidenhout, departed Mango to join pan-African airline, fastjet.

Meanwhile, Skywise still plans to resume operations after it was grounded in December last year for failing to pay several airport fees. In a statement, the airline said it had already appointed a new acting ceo and chairman, and planned to assemble a new management team to lead the airline.

“Airlines would need to recover these costs in some way, whether

through increased fares or improved efficiencies

determined by each airline in question.”

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4 n Wednesday September 28 2016 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

NEWS

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CemAir ups Plett flightsCEMAIR has increased its flights

from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Plettenberg Bay.

The Johannesburg flights will increase from five a week, some of which were one-way, to a daily service, and the Cape Town flights will increase from three to six a week. The new flights will commence on October 1.

Flight 5Z702 will depart OR Tambo at 12h30 and arrive in Plettenberg Bay at 15h00 every day except Thursdays. Return flight 5Z701 will depart at 07h00 and arrive in Johannesburg at 09h30 on Mondays. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the return flight will depart

from Plettenberg Bay at 15h30 and arrive in Johannesburg at 18h00. On Thursdays, the flight will depart Johannesburg at 14h00 and arrive in Plettenberg Bay at 16h30. The return flight will depart at 17h00 and arrive in Johannesburg at 19h30.

Flight 5Z902 will depart Cape Town at 12h00 and arrive in Plettenberg Bay at 13h15 from Tuesday to Saturday. Return flight 5Z901 will depart at 13h45 and arrive in Cape Town at 15h00. On Sundays, the flight departs Cape Town at 14h00 and arrives in Plettenberg Bay at 15h15. The return flight will depart Plettenberg Bay at 15h45 and arrive at 17h00.

Zimbabwe government moots rand-based pricingWHILE various media have reported that Zimbabwe is adopting rand-based pricing in the tourism sector, Zimbabwean tour operators say they will continue to price in dollars.

According to Zimbabwean Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Patrick Chinamasa, the government is only encouraging the use of the rand.

“In order for tourism industry to cushion itself from the current liquidity and cash crisis, it is highly recommended that the sector commences the use of the rand-based pricing system,” said the Minister during his mid-year fiscal policy review in Parliament earlier this month.

When TNW contacted tour operators in Zimbabwe, they had not heard of the government’s recommendation to move to rand-based pricing and said it was unlikely that they would make the change.

“Everything in the Zimbabwean tourism industry is based in US dollars and, for the foreseeable future,

we’ll continue to be based in US dollars,” said Shane White, sales and marketing manager of Wild Horizons.”

Africa Albida Tourism finance and operations director, Nigel Frost, said: “We price in US$ as it is the most stable currency but we accept payment in all the approved currencies.”

Uniworld has launched its new 2017 Europe and Russia brochure, which sees the introduction of two new all-inclusive European river cruises in Germany and France; a new ship, the SS Joie de Vivre, which will sail the River Seine on the popular ‘Paris & Normandy’ cruise; and the launch of its fifth themed cruise, ‘Bridges of Understanding’, which will explore Jewish heritage. The cruise line has also launched a new incentive: for every booking made until February 28, 2017, agents receive an entry into a draw to win a Uniworld European river cruise for two. Pictured here, from left, are Gail Gilbert, marketing manager and Lieria Boshoff, brand manager, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl

What’s new?

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NEWS

Visit: www.travelinfo.co.za

Training when it suits you!

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6 n Wednesday September 28 2016 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

How to indemnify yourselfAgents are often the first to be blamed when a client’s travel arrangements go south. Debbie Badham asks the experts how agents can protect themselves from unfair accusations.

WITH the rise of the increasingly savvy consumer, travel

agents are at greater risk of being blamed for travel plans gone wrong, making it more

important than ever for travel professionals to cover their backs, industry experts say.

Agents should indemnify themselves at all times, says Stuart Goodall, ITC of

Travel 15. “If there’s no proof of what you advised, clients can say it never happened.”

There are a number of key areas where indemnity is particularly important.

Travel insurance

Health requirements

Record everything

Non-refundable items

Nonsensical itineraries

When it comes to travel insurance, agents should cover themselves by gathering proof that they have advised travellers to purchase insurance.

Michelle Minnaar, manager of Harvey World Travel Plettenberg Bay, says agents should be bold about speaking to their

clients about taking travel insurance, even though they can’t offer them advice. “Cheap tickets are often non-refundable and, in many cases, unless clients take out insurance within 48 hours of having purchased the tickets they won’t qualify for some of the stipulated reasons to cancel.”

What’s more, she says many clients still believe that credit card insurance is adequate. Michelle says this makes it important for agents who have clients who refuse to take out insurance, to sign a document stating they believe their current insurance is adequate.

Health requirements are another important aspect of travel to keep in mind. Stuart says agents should ask clients to confirm they have been advised to go for the requisite

inoculations. “If a client needs a yellow fever shot, you can’t go and get it done for them. This makes it important for you to prove you upheld your end of the responsibility.”

It’s important for agents to leave a paper trail of absolutely all their dealings with clients, says Carey Milne, senior travel professional for CLM travel and event services. She

says clients are increasingly likely to take a chance in blaming their service providers, especially in SA. “For this reason, all my correspondence is done by email.”

The need for agents to reduce risk is not exclusive to travel insurance, says Stuart. When it comes to any documents that have a non-refundable clause, you

should get your clients to acknowledge that you warned them about forfeiting their cash if they choose not to travel, he says. Stuart says this can

be a problem, particularly with specials where clients are eager to take advantage of a good deal before the validity expires, but don’t yet have a visa.

Stuart says that even if a client chooses an itinerary that doesn’t make sense to him, he makes sure he advises the client that it is

a bad idea. He says while agents wouldn’t necessarily indemnify themselves against this, they should retain proof on email.

Cruises International offers travel agents and wholesalers the lowest price - guaranteed!There has been a lot of

misunderstanding about Cruises International’s

recently launched We Will Match Your Quote offer.

Many travel agents misunderstood the offer and local wholesalers have reported incidents where agents have asked them to guarantee their rates or lose the booking to Cruises International.

What these agents fail to understand is that local wholesalers purchase cruises from Cruises International to on-sell to the trade. Cruises International is not in competition with local wholesalers. They are our partners, who sell at the same rates that we do and have the same ‘lowest price – guaranteed’ offer to present to their travel agent partners and, by extension, to South African consumers.

As the representative of the world’s leading cruise lines in South Africa, Cruises International makes every effort to ensure that our pricing is competitive.

The reason we introduced this ‘lowest price – guaranteed’ offer was to ensure that the local trade – travel agents and wholesalers – do not lose sales to foreign consolidators and international travel agents, with whom they compete on a daily basis.

The lowest price guarantee is a Cruises International initiative that aims to ensure that the local trade can match

any cruise quotes consumers bring to them from foreign consolidators and international online travel agents (OTAs). Where consumers find an offer from a foreign firm that is better than we and our wholesale partners can offer, we will match it, as long as the offer fulfils our terms and conditions (T&Cs are available on www.shipmates.co.za on request from our reservations team; also see below).

Travel agents will never find themselves in a situation where they can get a better deal from Cruises International than they can from their local wholesale agent, as the local wholesale agent is our partner.

Our lowest price guarantee is available for all our South African trade partners to utilise, but there are certain terms, conditions and restrictions that apply. These are: The lowest fare offer is only

applicable to new bookings and is not combinable with other promotions. Cancelled and reinstated

bookings do not qualify. Cruises International will

require an official, original quote to offer the best price. Quotes for comparison have

to be on the same cruise line, ship, stateroom category, sailing date and itinerary and clearly state inclusions and exclusions. Quotes that are compared

must have been generated within 24 hours of each other. Guaranteed best prices do

not cover exchange rate fluctuations or cruise line rate changes. The ‘Lowest Price –

Guaranteed’ offer does not apply to groups. Cruises International will only

price-match once. Once Cruises International has

price-matched a quotation, the deposit has to be paid within 24 hours to secure the sailing at the price-matched price.

When potential cruise clients ask why they should book through a local travel agent rather than buying that ‘great deal’ on the Internet, here’s what you can tell them: Foreign online travel agents

(OTAs), consolidators and travel websites sometimes offer deals that on the surface seem very attractive, but in reality are not. These cruise agents advertise very low prices but more often than not, don’t inform their customers of hidden costs until they have paid a non-refundable deposit. A local travel agent, who is a

cruise expert, will ensure that the price presented is the true cost of the cruise, with no hidden surprises. Clients will have peace of

mind knowing that their actual cruise holiday will match the product you sold them. There are horror stories of people who booked what seemed like a dream cruise on the Internet, only to find a very sub-standard cruise awaiting them at the other end. Or they

discovered upon arrival at their cruise destination that their cruise booking was invalid, resulting in thousands of rands lost and no one to assist them. Service and after-sales

support are among your most important selling points to convince your clients to book their cruise through you. Your ability to assist with visa issues, schedule changes, flight changes, travel insurance, information on incidents that may affect their travel plans, claims for lost items, family emergencies, repatriation, destination knowledge and requirements, complaints to

the cruise company when luggage is damaged or clients have been overcharged on their on-board account should be enough to convince them. Foreign OTAs, consolidators and travel websites offer little or none of this support. You can also demonstrate the

great savings you can offer them on airfares, cruises and promotions through your agency’s access to exclusive deals from suppliers – deals that they won’t find on the Internet. These could translate into cabin upgrades, free excursions and after-hours access to popular tourist sites.

Cruises International proudly represents the world’s leading cruise lines. 011 327 0327 | reservations@cruises.co.za | www.cruises.co.za

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8 n Wednesday September 28 2016 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

NEWS

Agents gathered at the Radisson Blu Hotel Sandton on September 15 for the Thompsons Holidays’ Disney workshop. Disney specialists shared the latest information about the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disneyland Paris and Disney Cruise Line. Pictured here (from left) is Tegan De La Pierre, travel expert of Flight Centre, with her sister, Cian De La Pierre, senior travel consultant of Exotic Vacations. Photo: Leigh Hermon

Discovering Disney

Ethiopian ups service to ChinaETHIOPIAN Airlines has increased its services from Addis Ababa to Guangzhou, China, with three new weekly flights, effective October 1. The additional flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using a Boeing 787-800 with 24 business-class seats and 246 in economy. Flight ET616 departs Addis Ababa at 09h45 and arrives in Guangzhou at 00h30 next day. Return flight ET617 departs Guangzhou at 14h00 and arrives in Addis Ababa at 19h30. The additional flights will bring the airline’s schedule from seven to ten flights a week. The airline has also taken delivery of its second Airbus A350 XWB, bringing the airline’s fleet to 80 aircraft. The aircraft will be deployed on the London, Lagos and Dubai routes. The airline has 12 more A350s on order.

October Delta cancellationsDELTA Air Lines has cancelled four flights in October between Johannesburg and Atlanta. The flights that will be affected are DL201 from Johannesburg to Atlanta on October 6 and 12, and DL200 from Atlanta to Johannesburg on October 5 and 11. The cancellations are due to the airline’s rescheduling of its aircraft. Delta will continue to maintain its daily schedule between the two cities. In other news, the airline will commence daily services to Havana from Atlanta, Miami and New York-JFK on December 1. Flights opened for sale on September 10.

New baggage regulations for LufthansaLUFTHANSA economy-class passengers can now check in two pieces of luggage of 23kg each, with a total dimension of 158cm. The new allowances apply to one-way and return tickets purchased in and departing from South Africa. Previously, this allowance was available only to qualifying frequent flyers or premium economy passengers.

Etihad introduces Venice flightsETIHAD Airways will expand its service to Italy with a daily flight to Venice from Abu Dhabi. Previously Alitalia serviced the route in a codeshare agreement with Etihad, but the Italian airline has redeployed the aircraft on another network. This new service will be operated by Etihad using an Airbus A319 and will begin on October 30.

AF to launch Quebec bus serviceAIR France has introduced a new bus service between Montreal-Trudeau International Airport and Sainte-Foy railway station in Quebec City. The bus is available only to Air France customers on the flight between Montreal and Paris. The service began on September 26 and is free of charge. The bus seats 52 passengers and is equipped with WiFi.

Kenya Airways launches airport shuttlesKENYA Airways has introduced shuttle bus services from Nairobi city centre to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The buses depart from Nairobi’s Central Business District at 06h00, 11h00 and 17h00, while the service from the airport to the city departs at 09h00, 14h00 and 21h00. Passengers are allowed two pieces of luggage plus hand-held items.

AirHeadsA snapshot of the week's airline news

Flight Centre to launch travel academyLeigh hermon

FLIGHT Centre Travel Group (FCTG) South Africa is setting up the Flight

Centre Travel Academy to train the next generation of travel experts.

The group saw a need for an academy due to the shortage of skills in the industry and the lack of travel qualifications at tertiary institutions, Andrew Stark, md of FCTG, told TNW.

Sam Van Gool, Peopleworks gm of FCTG, is heading up the processes that will allow the company to present potential matriculants and graduates with an accredited certificate in travel from its academy.

The certificate will cover travel-related subjects, including how to sell travel products and services, the must-know information about South African destinations,

business management skills and customer service. It will also cover the GDS, construction of an airfare, and processing documents such as itineraries, quotes and invoices.

The group hopes to have the academy (to be housed in the group’s head office in Johannesburg) running within the next two years. Sam says they are waiting for curriculum approval from the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (Cathsseta).

FCTG has also partnered with the University of Johannesburg to expose hospitality and tourism students to job opportunities in the travel industry and has been invited to host lectures on topics such as finance, marketing and products.

“Students in tourism

and hospitality are having career days done by PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG… but there’s no one from our industry that’s speaking to them,” says Sam. In response to this, the group hosted a career expo on September 15 with plans to host more. FCTG is also using a lecture room in the hospitality and tourism department to give information about its brands, the latest packages and details on popular destinations, which will be updated monthly.

After partnering with Amadeus in its learnership programme, which saw six Amadeus trainees exposed to FCTG beyond the retail front-end, the group is looking to relaunch its learnership programme from the beginning of next year.

Iata’s cash sales limit under reviewTaryn nighTingaLe

THE decision to introduce a remittance holding capacity (RHC) as part of the New Generation Iata Settlement Solutions (New Gen ISS) has been put on hold following the working group that was held in Geneva earlier this month.

The RHC, which Iata defines as “a monetary threshold to the agent’s outstanding cash sales”, could see agents restricted in the number of airline tickets they can sell (see TNW July 27).

“The number of agents that could be affected by the RHC at some point in the year

related to the formula Iata has used to calculate when an agent would be at risk of reaching the RHC limit, is extremely high,” says Otto de Vries, ceo of Asata. Iata is expected to put forward a new proposal by mid-October, he says.

Another working group explored a separate initiative, also part of New Gen ISS – the introduction of alternative payment methods of settling a BSP account. The initial focus of this proposal was on developing Iata’s pay-as-you-go EasyPay solution, says Otto, but this has shifted to establishing a standard

that would allow other third-party payment mechanisms to also be introduced. The establishment of new payment methods and other proposals, part of New Gen ISS (currently underpinned by resolution 8xx which will eventually replace 818g of the Iata handbook) will be put to a vote at the next PaConf in Singapore.

“However, although the elements around new payment methods will be voted on at the next PaConf, [the working groups] requested these proposals be recorded in a resolution of their own because they are so complex,” says Otto.

Fastjet introduces through check-inFASTJET has introduced a through check-in service for all its passengers on flights connecting through Dar es Salaam.

Previously, passengers who booked multiple flights on fastjet that connected through the city had to book and pay for the flights

separately. Travellers can now book and pay for both legs of the journey on one ticket.

When checking in, passengers can collect both boarding passes and will only have to pay for and check in their luggage once, at the start of their journey.

QUICK READ FOR BUSIEST PEOPLE Wednesday September 28 2016 n 9

Brexit’s negative impact on the pound has seen global travellers making a beeline for the UK. Are South Africans doing the same? Dorine Reinstein investigates.

Weak rand counters Brexit bonanza

BREXIT is arguably the most significant change in the UK in recent times,

and has had a big impact on the UK travel sector. Reports from Europe and the US show that travellers are heading en masse to the UK to take advantage of the weakened pound following the Brexit vote. But how has it affected travel from South Africa?

Theresa Szejwallo, md of Trafalgar South Africa, says she has noted an upswing in sales, as the company is actively promoting travel to the UK due to the weakened pound. However, although the rand-pound exchange rate is currently looking promising, she says Trafalgar doesn’t rely on the rate of exchange to give guests the best value.

“We have seen a slight increase in enquiries, however booking numbers have stayed the same for the immediate future,” says Megan D’Arcy, product manager for kulula holidays.

She says South Africa’s political issues have made the local currency volatile, which means that travel to the UK is not necessarily cheaper for South Africans.

John Ridler, pr and media manager for Thompsons Holidays, says the weaker pound has boosted travel to the UK to an extent, but that political instability in South Africa might slowly erode the value of the rand against major world currencies and negate the effect of the weakened pound.

When it comes to business travel, John is confident that Brexit could boost travel from South Africa.

“Increased travel might be on the cards for many South African businesses as they start negotiating new trade agreements with the UK.”

Travel industry players agree, however, that it is still too early to predict the true impact on travel from South Africa.

“Brexit still has to find its

feet in terms of what it exactly means,” says Jonathan Gerber, director of TAG, adding that, until such time that the UK’s exit from the EU has been negotiated, the travel industry is playing a waiting game.

“Everything has continued as ‘business as usual’ for the interim while the UK negotiates its exit from the EU,” says Megan.

“Until the terms have been finalised, there is no indication regarding how it will affect anything relating to travel.”

What will happen to airfares? CONCERNS have also been raised over the impact of Brexit on airlines and open sky policies.

Even though weaker sterling has meant lower airfares in the short term, the true impact will be far reaching and will see airlines shifting away from the UK, says Ryanair ceo, Michael O’Leary.

“UK traffic in the coming year will slow and we are predicting a drop in growth from 15% to six per cent, whereas before the vote we were predicting double-digit growth again,” Michael said during a press conference.

However, not all airlines have adopted this view. The International Airlines Group (IAG) confirmed during a panel discussion at the World Low Cost Airline Congress in London that the Brexit

vote had had ‘no impact’ on operations.

Whether airfares from South Africa will increase or decrease remains to be seen. Megan D’Arcy says this will depend on the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU and how amicably agreements can be reached.

According to Megan, the UK is likely to further enforce its border control, as a large part of the ‘leave’ campaign focused on the ability to control its borders. “The UK already has some of the highest airport taxes in the world and any additional measures put in place to control the flow of people in and out of the country would most likely have an impact on the cost of air travel, however whether this would result in an increase or decrease in airfares remains to be seen.”

Theresa Szejwallo

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Photo: Pixabay

10 n Wednesday September 28 2016 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

UK

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Lesser-known areas offer good valueALTHOUGH London remains a favourite destination for South Africans, travel agents and tour operators report that travellers are exploring beyond London and other big cities.

Jonathan Gerber of TAG, says the main reason is that there is far better value around the UK than in London.

Many travellers split their time between London and beyond the city, says Thompsons’ John Ridler. “Not only is the English countryside breathtakingly beautiful, it is also much more affordable than the city.

“Thompsons offers numerous packages to lesser known areas such as our three-day ‘Historic Yorkshire and the Dales’. Or, we can make up a bespoke package to travellers’ requirements.”

ScotlandMegan D’Arcy, of kulula holidays

says for most South Africans London remains the main attraction but kulula has started adding on a few nights in other destinations. “The Lake District is relatively popular, as are Scotland self-drive packages.”

Theresa Szejwallo, md Trafalgar South Africa, says often travellers will opt to book an eight-day London Explorer followed by the Best of Scotland, which is a seven-day At Leisure exploration of Scotland that takes in Glasgow, Glencoe, the Scottish Highlands, the Isle of Skye, Inverness, Loch Ness, Pitlochry, St Andrews and Edinburgh.

Edward Frost, British Airways commercial manager for East and Southern Africa, says the Christmas markets, which are springing up everywhere in the UK, are prompting South Africans to look beyond the big cities. Hogmanay in Edinburgh is especially a drawcard, says Edward.

Northern IrelandIreland is another niche destination that has seen a steady increase in demand from South Africans, says Megan.

Jane Davidson, director of Development Promotions, says that the fall of the pound after Brexit has boosted travel to Northern Ireland considerably and says the main tourist attractions are Belfast and Londonderry. “Both are very compact and can be covered in a day and are worth including in any itinerary.” She adds that Belfast’s main attraction, Titanic Belfast, at the site where the iconic ship was built, is not to be missed.

Jane suggests the Causeway Coastal Route as an addition to itineraries. It travels north from Belfast along the spectacular Antrim coast to the Giant’s Causeway, which is described as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’.

Explore the cities! TRAFALGAR recently introduced the Explorer range, which gives guests the inside story on the most exciting capital cities, with explorations further afield that truly augment their experience. Theresa Szejwallo says: “For example, on our eight-day London Explorer we supply our guests with a three-day London Oyster card pass and give them a great city tour of London. Then we have excursions to Stonehenge and Windsor Castle, optional experiences to Oxford and the Cotswolds, a visit to Kensington Palace, the London Borough Food Market and two of the iconic British museums – the Tate or the British Museum. We also include a scenic river cruise on the Thames from the London Eye to Greenwich.”

Tour the city with a London Oyster card pass. Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness.

COMMUNITYNEWS

QUICK READ FOR BUSIEST PEOPLE Wednesday September 28 2016 n 11

JOBSBirths, deaths, marriages, promotions – we want to know! Please fax or e-mail TNW’s Taryn Nightingale, at tarynn@nowmedia.co.za or (011) 327 4094.

Appointments

For a FREE subscription to TNW contact Gladys on gladysn@nowmedia.co.za To advertise on this page email antheal@nowmedia.co.za

Shareen Akoodie has been appointed the new sales manager for Delta Air Lines in Southern Africa. She will be responsible for all the airline’s sales and reservations activities. Having previously worked as Air France KLM’s regional sales manager for Southern Africa and district sales manager for Qatar Airways, Shareen brings extensive airline experience to her new role at Delta.

The Collection by Liz McGrath has appointed Nicky Heinrich as its new business development manager. In her new role, Nicky will oversee the sales and marketing division, increase local and international brand exposure, manage new business partnerships and focus on increasing sales from existing accounts. Nicky’s previous roles include sales executive and key accounts manager at the Three Cities Hotel Group, heading up the Cape Town regional sales team

of Signature Life Hospitality, trade sales manager for Village & Life, and commercial sales manager at the Taj Cape Town.

Werner Beddies has stepped down as gm of Private Safaris’ Namibian operation. Werner joined the company in 2014 as the sales and marketing manager for Namibia and went on to become gm in April this year. In the interim, Bettina van den Hurk will assume the responsibilities of gm.

Legacy Hotels & Resorts has announced three new appointments to its team. Robert Hodson, current gm at the DAVINCI Hotel and Suites on Nelson Mandela Square, will move into the role of gm of sales and marketing for the hotel group. Andrew Van Hasselt, current gm of Centurion Lake Hotel, will take over Robert’s position at the DAVINCI, while Raymond Kodisang will step into Andrew’s position – moving from assistant gm at Windhoek Country Club Resort.

The board of South African Tourism welcomes the following new members

to the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa’s Awards Committee. Nombeko Rwaxa, owner of Zizwe Guest House; Hapiloe Sello, managing executive of tourism development and marketing at SanParks; Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, ceo of Fedhasa; Rosemarie Van Staden, owner and md of The Angel's Place Boutique Hotel; Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo, divisional director for operations of City Lodge Hotel Group; and Enver Duminy, ceo of Cape Town Tourism. Returning members to the committee are Graham Wood, chairperson of TGCSA, Ravi Nadasen, director of operations at Tsogo Sun; Lindiwe Rakharebe, ceo of Durban ICC; Amor Malan, member of the SA Tourism board; Mmaditonki Setwaba, member of the SA Tourism board; Jegie Padmanathan, group hotel operations and development executive of Peermont; Wendy Alberts, ceo of the Restaurant Association of South Africa; and Johanna Mukoki, group ceo of Travel with Flair.

Exclusive Serenity has been appointed to represent Adaaran Resorts Maldives in the South African market.

Travel agents were invited to get a taste of Thailand with kulula holidays and the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Culinary experts introduced participants to some of Thailand’s unique dishes before they got to make and taste their own. Pictured here are Cape Town-based travel agents at Ginger & Lime in Cape Town.

A taste of Thailand

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

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Travel Accounts Expert – Port ElizabethSure Maritime TravelTravel accounts and back office. Quicktrav and BSP essential. Email: rachael@maritimetravel.co.za

Senior Incentive Consultant – West RandProfessional Career ServicesHave at least 4 years’ experience in travelling with groups. Galileo certificate and experience. Do ticketing & fare builds. Re-issue tickets. Email: nonocv@pcs-sa.co.za

Senior Corporate consultant – JohannesburgLee Botti & AssociatesNorth. Past travel corporate experience coupled with Galileo essential! Available immediately. Multinational agent. Salary - R18 000. Email: catherinep@nowjobs.co.za

FIT Consultant – Cape TownQuantex Recruitment Group3+ years’ inbound consulting experience + fantastic FIT experience + outstanding Southern Africa product knowledge required. Fluency in English & basic German. Email: bridget@quantex.co.za

Business Development Manager – RandburgCiEventsTo gain & increase new business sales for event management, event production, incentives, reward & recognition & digital design at a profitable level. Email: lauren.grobbelaar@flightcentre.co.za

Africa Expert – JohannesburgEquity Connections ccRun all aspects of bookings from initial enquiry to finalisation. Sound working experience with Africa DMC’s. Minimum five years’ senior in-bound know-how. Email: equitycon@mweb.co.za Senior Consultant – PretoriaTourvest Travel ServicesAction travel booking at all levels. Ensure the on-going of all-encompassing viability of the TTS division. Matric, travel diploma and GDS. Minimum 6 years’ experience. Email: ttsvacancies@travel.co.za

In-house Travel Manager – MidrandWendy’s Travel PersonnelRequired by leading travel company. Must have minimum of 15 years’ travel experience and have held previous management roles. Galileo essential! Email: wtp@icon.co.za

Senior Afterhours consultant – shift work – Johannesburg NorthProfessional Career ServicesMin 5 years’ experience gained in corporate consulting at a senior level. Amadeus/Galileo. Salary negotiable. Email: jeancv@pcs-sa.co.za

Business Unit Manager – MidrandCarlson Wagonlit TravelManage client’s expectations and deliverables. Require a minimum of 10 years’ travel experience and thorough knowledge of international reservations and ticketing. Email: htlhapi@cwtsa.co.za

Senior Leisure Specialist – JohannesburgLee Botti & AssociatesNorth. Excellent South and Southern African product knowledge - we want you! Join the inbound field andboost career! Salary - R25 000. Email: catherinep@nowjobs.co.za

Senior Account Executive – Cape TownQuantex Recruitment Group3+ years’ account management experience within MICE industry & sound Southern Africa product knowledge. Excellent understanding of incentives/meetings/planning. Email: bridget@quantex.co.za

Corporate Support and Implementation Consultant – RandburgFlight Centre Travel GroupYou will be responsible for the support of all corporate tools e.g. online booking tools, portal, mobile.Email: jobs@flightcentre.co.za

Senior In-Bound Consultant – Spanish – JohannesburgEquity Connections ccIntermediate/senior in-bound expert needed. Fluent Spanish essential plus in-depth knowledge of South/Southern/East Africa. Mostly FIT’s, groups experience advantageous. Email: equitycon@mweb.co.za

Team Leader – RivoniaTourvest Travel ServicesManage a team of senior consultants. Available after-hours for ad-hoc enquiries. Responsible for ensuring the effectiveness and efficient management of the team. Email: ttsvacancies@travel.co.za

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TNW7136

12 n Wednesday September 28 2016 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

TNW NEWS

Mauritius – packages becoming priceyAre all-inclusive packages to Mauritius getting more expensive?

Yes Yes, but everywhere is getting more expensive No, it’s still affordable

Treasury stalls TMC appointments

requirements and they must ensure they address the departments’ needs so that TMCs can submit accurate bids,” the insider said.

Originally, Treasury had said the assignment of tenders would happen in two phases – in the first phase agencies would be elected to the National and Provincial panels based on their functionality and ability to provide travel management services (see TNW, July 13). In phase two, agents would then be invited to bid again, this time submitting their pricing structures in their proposals.

However, travel agents have yet to hear from Treasury

whether they have made it through to the next phase or not and some agencies believe that the appointments of TMCs to government accounts will only happen next year.

“We have not received any official communication about the status of the recent Treasury travel tender where the commencement date was set for October 1. Right now tenders are running on contracts that are currently in place, whereas those that have expired are running on a month-to-month basis,” says Sailesh Parbhu, md of XL Nexus Travel.

One agent, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that Treasury had advised them

that the appointments were on hold. “I think we will only know by early next year who’s been selected. In the meantime we are very busy; our existing contracts are being renewed, so at least we still have business.”

Meanwhile, some departments have advertised short-term tenders, including smaller departments like municipalities; the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) and the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE). Dirco put out a four-month tender and DPE’s tender was also only for a 12-month contract.

Treasury had not commented at the time of publishing.

From page 1

Dreams has launched two-night midweek (Sunday-Thursday) specials for South Africans at Sun City. Rates start from R950pps for a standard twin room at the Cabanas and for a luxury twin room at the Sun City Hotel, rates start from R1 950pps, from R2 100pps at the Cascades and from R2 700pps at The Palace. The offer is valid until November 30 and includes two nights’ accommodation, breakfast daily, free unlimited access to the Valley of Waves and free WiFi. It is not valid over public holidays and peak periods. Pictured here, are (from left): Octavia Makhado and Penelope Sodumo, sales executives, Dreams. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl

Can you believe this deal?

Hamba kahle, Colleen Michelle colMan

FUN and laughter always followed Colleen Broadley (née Gannon), who died

last week following a severe stroke in August.

Colleen was known to the trade for her years at Beachcomber Tours, which she joined in a marketing capacity in 1991. She initiated a travel trade newsletter at Beachcomber, Travelbeat, which she continued to produce after her retirement, and was still doing so until shortly before her death.

Colleen’s association with the travel industry began in the late ’60s when she worked for public relations practitioner, Nancy Campbell, who represented both the Hong Kong and Seychelles tourism authorities. With her communication skills, Colleen later joined Da Gama Publishers (subsequently

taken over by TFC Tours), working on publications for the travel trade called Travelgram and Travel Times. She was a regular on the industry social scene, and thrived on being at the heart of news and events.

Colleen had a passion for Mauritius and spent many holidays there with her

husband, John, who died a year ago.

Joanne Visagie, Beachcomber Tours’ sales and marketing manager, said: “We will miss her terribly and have very many fond stories, laughs and experiences that will keep us smiling about her for years to come. She will always be remembered very fondly as the stylish Colleen Broadley, with brilliant humour, generosity, friendship and flair.”

TNW’s publisher, Kate Nathan, said: “Colleen will be missed. She was a true friend of TNW, and while she was full of fun and loved a party, she was deadly serious about her work and a fount of knowledge about the Indian Ocean islands.”

Long-time friend and former member of the travel trade, Jill Hammond, paid tribute to Colleen with this poignant but apt farewell: “No more dancing on the tables.”

Colleen Broadley

Zim airline takes off, againDebbie baDhaM

FLYAFRICA Zimbabwe plans to relaunch flights between Johannesburg and Harare and Johannesburg and Bulawayo by the end of October, under new ownership and management.

The airline, which terminated its franchise agreement with the Flyafrica group after the parent company was placed into liquidation earlier this year, had initially said it would begin operations on the Johannesburg-Harare route from mid-May (TNW, May 4).

However, chairperson, Cassidy Mugwagwa, says

the May launch date had to be postponed because of regulatory issues that were delayed by the liquidation of the old company.

While there was some dispute over the brand name, says Cassidy, this has been retained by the new airline.

The airline now operates independently. New leases for aircraft have also been negotiated. All airline operations that were previously based in Johannesburg will now be based in Harare, where FlyAfrica Zimbabwe will operate as a Zimbabwean-owned and registered airline.

Blessing Munyenyiwa has been appointed ceo and Mekias Munyaradzi, coo. Johan Bosman will take on the role of gm South Africa.

Confident that commercial operations will begin by the end of October, Cassidy says the airline will also aim to have flight dates in place by this time or early November.

Besides Johannesburg, the airline will operate a service between Harare and Bulawayo and is also looking to further expand its network. “We will push to have a Harare-London route in place by June 2017,” says Cassidy.

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