NEWS FEATURE - Now Media...WorldVentures invites people to purchase a DreamTrips vacation and...

TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY

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SOUTHERN AFRICA’S TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLYFebruary 1 2017 I No. 2431

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FEATURETRAVEL TECHNOLOGY

Too much juggling between platforms?

NEWSSAUDI VISAS

Extra documentation required

NEWSBOOKING BOOM

Clients are looking for good deals

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40% off faresTo celebrate Kenya Airways’ 40th anniversary on January 22, the airline is offering travellers up to 40% off selected flights departing JNB and CPT. Travellers can also buy one business-class ticket and get 50% off the second to selected destinations from the same airports. Pictured are (from left) Kenya Airways’ Refilwe Fosu-Amoah, sales executive; Rosemary Adogo, regional gm – Southern Region; Helena Maxwell, area manager Southern Africa and South America; and Edith Tabane, market support and pricing executive. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl

Hold on to your clients!Taryn nighTingale

AGENTS risk their clients being poached by new arrival to the SA industry, WorldVentures, a multi-

level marketing company that sells curated group travel at discounted rates to its members.

Concerned travel agents contacted TNW after a WorldVentures’ sales representative hijacked the agency’s product posts on Facebook. “The rep had commented on a deal I posted, saying he could offer the same trip much cheaper,” said an agent, who preferred to remain anonymous. The agent said it was an all-inclusive trip to the Maldives for approximately R20 000. After doing research on the company, the agent discovered the representative was from WorldVentures, an American-based company that has come under fire, being deemed a pyramid scheme.

“When I saw this it worried me because it makes travel agents look dodgy, especially if someone has a bad experience with a company like this,” the agent said. “This kind of post makes us look as if we mark up prices for our own benefit.”

Kemble Morgan, md of WorldVentures South Africa, says the company does not support this sort of behaviour and does its best to monitor its sales reps’ marketing communication. But he also says agents will struggle to offer the same

type of deals that WorldVentures can, due to the company’s buying power. WorldVentures currently operates in 21 countries.

The company is not a pyramid scheme, Kemble told TNW, as it doesn’t pay people to recruit people, but that it is rather a multi-level marketing company that builds its distribution channel through face-to-face marketing and “the actual sale of product”.

WorldVentures invites people to purchase a DreamTrips vacation and lifestyle club membership, says Kemble. After paying the once-off membership fee, members can either refer four friends to join (thereby waiving their monthly membership fee) or they can choose to become sales reps. As a ‘DreamTrips franchisee’ they will earn a commission based on the number of memberships they sell and on the number of memberships sold by the sales reps that they have recruited. “The amount of money reps make is based on the organisation they build and the rank they establish in the marketing system,” says Kemble.

The Norwegian Gaming Board banned the company from operating in Norway after concluding that it was a pyramid scheme. John Keogh, director of Compliance South Africa, told TNW that WorldVentures was currently filing an appeal against this decision.

Oz visas drive agents crazyDebbie baDham

RECENT changes to Australia’s visa applications have been creating major hassles for agents and their clients. Applications have become so troublesome that agents say they totally refuse to handle Oz visa applications and those from other countries that are outsourced to visa application centres.

“Australian visa applications are driving agents crazy at the moment,” says Liz Potgieter, travel consultant

for Sure Epcot Travel. She says it has been taking, on average, a month to get a visa processed.

What’s more, says Tracy Teichmann, manager of Sure Adcocks Travel, travellers will pay an R800 service fee to spend five minutes at the application centre, which is very expensive.

There is a serious need for a biometrics processing centre in Port Elizabeth, says Michelle Minnaar, manager of Harvey World Travel

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2 n Wednesday February 1 2017 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

NEWS

Rubes® By Leigh Rubin

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• China • Tibet • Nepal • Vietnam • Cambodia • Laos • Myanmar • Japan • India • Sri Lanka & beyond

Contact details: Tel: 010 001 9998 | [email protected]

“So have you considered a clip-on?”

Oz visas drive agents crazy

Plettenberg Bay. She says she has many clients who travel between Port Elizabeth and Australia and that they have to drive for seven hours just to reach the visa centre.

As of June 8, 2016, South Africans were required to provide biometrics for Australian visa applications at one of four application centres in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Agents were previously able to apply online on their clients’ behalf (see TNW June 22, 2016).

The situation highlights agents’ growing refusal to

handle visa applications that have been outsourced to third parties. Inge Beadle, manager of Corporate Travel Services, says since countries have been outsourcing visa applications, the process has become slow and cumbersome. The visa centres always want something extra in terms of information or documentation, she says.

As a result, Inge says her agency doesn’t handle visas any more, pointing out that the tendency for problems to arise creates the potential for bad relationships

between agents and their clients.

“Handling visa applications is like setting yourself up for failure,” says Angela McLoskey, md of Sure Dynamic Travel.

Jose Cruz, national executive client services manager of HRG Rennies Travel, says it’s becoming increasingly difficult for travellers to apply for visas across the world – a situation that’s likely to worsen. He advises agents to warn clients of the difficulties surrounding visas to avoid any backlash when problems occur.

From page 1

Bookings boom as travellers budget and bargainDebbie baDham

CORPORATE and leisure travel bookings have both kicked off with a

bang this year, with agents reporting that overall bookings for January are up – some say by as much as 100% compared with last year. Travellers are booking well in advance to budget for 2017 and are eager to take advantage of specials, creating opportunities for consultants, agents say.

“Normally January is a slow month,” says Yumna Kharodia, md of Sweet Life Travel. “But so far, we’ve had double the amount of bookings for January this year than in January 2016.”

Rachael Penaluna, business manager of Sure Maritime Travel, says the agency didn’t even slow down in December as would traditionally be the case.

She says in terms of

leisure, enquiries are flooding in, with requests also starting to come through via online platforms such as Facebook.

What’s more, bookings started earlier this year than last, says Liz Potgieter, travel consultant for Sure Epcot Travel.

Liz says travellers are already booking holidays for October, November and December. Yumna says travellers are also booking for their holidays throughout the year, including Easter and September.

“Times are tough and people are planning their budgets ahead,” says Tracy Teichmann, manager of Sure Adcocks Travel.

Inge Beadle, manager of Corporate Travel Services, says there are opportunities for agents across the board.

“And if clients see good deals, they go for them,” says Michelle Minnaar, manager of Harvey World Travel Plettenberg Bay. The Gulf carriers recently ran flight specials that were snapped up by clients, she says.

Despite the weak rand, travellers are heading to international destinations, says Rachael. “We’re seeing lots of requests for cruising and conferencing.”

On the corporate side, Inge says companies are travelling more because the outlook has been more positive business-wise.

Liz says corporates also seem to be back in the office and booking travel earlier than usual in an effort to budget for the year ahead.

Hold on to your clients!

Early last year the National Consumer Commission did an assessment of WorldVenture’s business model and practices, says spokesperson of the NCC, Trevor Hattingh. “The assessment was then passed

on to the Hawks as they asked us to determine whether their business practices were prohibited by the CPA.”

Head of communications and spokesperson of the Hawks, Hangwani Mulaudzi, confirmed that there was an ongoing

investigation into the company but could not provide further details at the time of going to print.

WorldVentures officially opened its first offices in South Africa in October last year.

From page 1

“Travellers are already booking holidays for

October, November and December.”

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Kulula holidays is offering a special at the Nipa Resort in Phuket. Priced from R9 999pps, it includes seven nights in a deluxe room, breakfast daily, return flights from Johannesburg to Phuket, all pre-payable airport taxes and fuel levies and return airport-resort transfers. The offer is valid for travel from April 16 to October 31. Pictured here are (from left) Zahedah Bhorat, product manager – Far East, and Tinu Hargovan, travel consultant, of kulula holidays. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl

Pack for Phuket

Additional doc needed for Saudi visas

SAUDI Arabia has updated the documentation required for travellers applying for visas.

All travellers applying for family visit and business visas must obtain a Council of Cooperative Health Insurance-approved Medical Insurance Certificate from a VFS TasHeel Visa Application Centre, says a notification on the VFS TasHeel website.

The visa company will provide the certificate during the application process at the appointment. VFS TasHeel told TNW the cost varied and depended on the visa category and age of the applicant. The new document requirement was instituted in August last year. VFS TasHeel is the only approved application office for Saudi Arabian visas in South Africa.

RwandAir takes off to Mumbai RWANDAIR will commence flights to Mumbai on April 5.

Flight WB107 will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, departing from Johannesburg at 16h45 and arriving in Kigali at 20h45. Connecting flight WB500 will depart from Kigali at 23h55 and arrive in Mumbai at 11h25 the following day.

Return flight WB501 will depart Mumbai at 01h45 on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays arriving in Kigali at 05h15. Flight WB106 will depart Kigali at 09h15 and arrive in JNB at 13h15. Both legs of the flight will be serviced by a B737-800. Return fares start from R5 269, including taxes, and are currently available for booking.

Gulf carrier ups JNB capacity with A380EMIRATES will use a 516-seat A380 on one of its Johannesburg-Dubai flights from February 1.

The A380 replaces the 360-seat B777 on one of the airline’s four daily flights, allowing Emirates to carry 1 092 more passengers a week between Johannesburg and Dubai.

The A380 has a three-cabin layout – 14 private suites in first class, 76 business-class pods and 426 seats in economy class.

Flight EK762 departs Johannesburg

at 13h25 and arrives in Dubai at 23h45. EK761 departs Dubai at 04h40 and arrives in Johannesburg at 10h55.

The A380 service operates as a codeshare with SAA.

Emirates will also introduce A380s on its Dubai São-Paulo and Dubai-Casablanca services from March 26. The airline will also resume operating an A380 on its service between Dubai and Narita, Japan, on the same date.

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NEWS

TK launches Central America flightsTURKISH Airlines launched a thrice-weekly service from Istanbul to Havana and Caracas on December 20. Flight TK183 departs Istanbul at 02h10 every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. It arrives in Havana at 08h00 then departs at 10h00 to arrive in Caracas at 14h00 the same day. The return flight departs Caracas at 15h30 to arrive in Istanbul at 10h15 the following day. Flights are available for booking.

ET to launch new flightsETHIOPIAN Airlines will launch flights to Antananarivo in March, Chengdu, Jakarta and Singapore in June and resume its service to Conakry in February. From March 28, Ethiopian will operate three weekly flights to Antananarivo. The airline will also introduce five weekly flights from Addis Ababa to Singapore from June 1 and a thrice-weekly service to Jakarta is scheduled to start on June 2. Three weekly flights to Chengdu commence on June 3 and a five-times-a-week service from Addis Ababa to Conakry commenced on February 1. The flight schedules and fares have been loaded on to the GDS and are available for sale.

EY and LH sign codeshareETIHAD Airways and Lufthansa have finalised a codeshare agreement. Pending government approval, the new codeshare was expected to take effect in January. Lufthansa will place its code on Etihad’s twice-daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt and its twice-daily Abu Dhabi-Munich service. Etihad will place its code on Lufthansa’s long-haul intercontinental services between Frankfurt and Rio de Janeiro as well as Bogota. In other news, Lufthansa welcomed its first A350-900 on December 21, the first of 25 on order. The 293-seat aircraft will have a cabin configuration of 48 business-class seats, 21 in premium economy and 224 in economy class. The A350 will replace the A340 on the Munich-Delhi route from February 10. Lufthansa told TNW that the A350 would not be introduced to any of its South African routes at this stage.

AirHeadsA snapshot of the week's airline news

Iata upgrades agent booking engineIATA, in partnership with QuadLabs Technologies, has recently relaunched its travel agent website, AgentExperience. The booking site allows travel agents who have Iata cards, to view and access special industry offers from travel and tourism suppliers around the world.

The improved website has new features, including a Google Maps

interface that helps agents locate suppliers and offers; a detailed description of suppliers and promotions; an intuitive keyword search; and the ability to login with a Facebook account.

A new offer and trip management function includes features such as recent searches, a wish list, top suppliers and a comparison tool.

New Zanzibar resort in the pipeline

ANANTARA Hotels, Resorts and Spas is to develop Anantara Zanzibar Resort as

part of the Zanzibar Amber Resort mixed-use lifestyle community. It is expected to open in 2020.

The resort will feature 100 guest rooms, alongside 50 one- and two-bedroom pool villas. Leisure facilities will include a luxury spa and wellness centre, a gym, kids’ and teens’ clubs, as well as three

restaurants and bars. The resort plans to introduce marine life and coral to restore and re-create a reef ecosystem.

Anantara Zanzibar Resort guests will have access to Zanzibar Amber Resort (also still under development), which will offer a retail souk, a tropical aqua park, a marina, an equestrian centre and international polo club, and a golf course.

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Durban to the SeychellesAir Seychelles and the Seychelles Tourism Board hosted 114 travel trade representatives at the Oyster Box in Durban on January 20 to promote the airline’s new route between Durban and the Seychelles. Pictured at the event, from Serendipity Worldwide Group are (from left): Lal Jayamaha, md; and ticketing agents Kashmeera Hurbans and Harshana Jinabhai; with Megan Wilson, gm of Border Air. Photo: Dorine Reinstein

Premier rebrands, upgrades Cape Town hotelPREMIER Hotels and Resorts has rebranded the Premier Hotel Cape Manor to Premier Hotel Cape Town. The hotel will undergo upgrades, which are expected to commence within the next few months.

“Apart from the changes made to the logo, signage and online presence of Premier Hotel Cape Town, we will be commencing refurbishments

in April,” said md of Premier Hotels and Resorts South Africa, Samuel Nassimov. The changes will include upgrades to the reception area, rooms and interior.

The name change was implemented as part of the second phase of the nationwide rebranding across all properties that took place last year.

To the pointAir France and KLM have implemented a new baggage policy for economy-class travellers to and from South Africa and Namibia. Passengers can now check in two pieces of luggage, each weighing 23kg, effective on all tickets from January 13. Previously, the allowance was one piece to Europe and two pieces to the US and Canada. The new baggage policy only affects economy class. The excess baggage fee in economy class is now US$200 (R2 692) for the first extra bag.

FCTG sets up shop in Namibia Debbie baDham

THE SA Flight Centre Travel Group’s (FCTG) foray into Africa has

taken off with a bang. Its branch in Windhoek has recorded R1m worth of sales during its first month of operation.TNW spoke to md,

Andrew Stark, shortly after Flight Centre Namibia’s official launch on January 12. The branch, in Maerua Lifestyle Shopping Centre in Windhoek, is staffed by six consultants and operates as a hybrid, servicing both leisure and corporate clients.

The branch’s hybrid status makes it unique: it has the appearance of a Flight Centre store but is equipped with a sales team dedicated to winning corporate accounts. Andrew reveals that sales currently comprise 80% leisure and 20% corporate bookings.

He says an established top-performing store in South Africa would only be expected to produce R2m worth of sales in a month. So for a store that is brand new and the first for SA FCTG in the Namibian market, it is a very good result. Should sales continue favourably, Andrew

says further expansion into Namibia will be in the pipeline.

The group also has ambitious plans for growth further afield on the continent.

While it was too early for Andrew to say which countries the group would explore, he did say that expansion would likely take place in the SADC region between now and 2025.

As a result of the success of Flight Centre Namibia, the group is now recruiting a country manager for Namibia. Applications for the position closed on January 20.

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Travel TechnologyTechnology has enormous potential to improve agents’ efficiency, but is there a point where too much of a good thing is bad? Sue van Winsen speaks to industry experts to find out.

Platform hopping wastes agents’ time

IN ORDER to offer clients the most competitive rates and access the best availability,

agents are increasingly having to juggle between various technology platforms – a trend that can make consultants’ jobs far more laborious and admin intensive.

Wally Gaynor, md of Club Travel, says the days of agents just relying on one system to access all suppliers and rates are over. “Without a doubt, an agent just relying on one GDS system will often not get the best availability and fares,” he says.

“That’s why the Club Group is the only consortium in South Africa that has Amadeus, Worldspan, Galileo and Sabre, as well as our global fares and availability system, Fare Star, along with a number of other systems to enable our ITCs and consultants to be the most competitive in the industry. It’s impossible to get it right 100% of the time, but we rarely get beaten on price,” adds Wally.

The drawback, he says, is that this wide array of technology can pose a challenge to agents’

productivity, which is why Club Travel has a fares department to assist.

Wally says that ITCs and consultants still have access to all the various systems, but in order to avoid a situation where they rely too heavily on the fares department, they have to come to Club Travel’s fares division with an answer. “For example, ‘this is the routing, this is the fare I have to beat, or this is the fare I have to come up with – can you get it cheaper or with a better option?’.”

Rob Snelson, chief technology officer for Travel Counsellors, says the multi-platform technology issue is a problem his department is constantly trying to tackle. “Having to go from platform to platform can be time consuming. An individual only has so many working hours in the day, so it’s important for them to spend as much of that time as possible looking after customers rather than hopping between technologies and re-entering customer information over and over again.

“We are very focused

on delivering an internal platform that gives our travel agents the best content and the best pricing,” he says. Travel Counsellors has invested significantly in the development of its own software to address this challenge to productivity.

Another way to tackle this issue, and something that GDSs are currently working towards, is inputting various platforms into one solution. Richard Addey, country

director for Sabre South Africa, says it is essential that consultants have simple and productive ways of working, and this can be achieved by aggregating all the different platforms into one. So, while you may need to pull from multiple sources of content, these can all be drawn into a single user-friendly format,” he adds.

Jannine Adams, senior manager Marketing at Amadeus Southern Africa, says as a GDS, Amadeus is constantly improving content relevant to market requirements, giving agents access to a wide scope of options and competitive pricing, and less reason for them to search for content on other platforms.

“LCCs, insurance, shuttle services, ancillary services and fare families are good examples of new content. Not only do these services speed up processes, but they also help travel agents provide a better service to their customers, having it all in one place as well as additional revenue opportunities for the travel agent,” says Jannine.

Beyond the GDSAccording to Melissa Storey, executive head: Strategy, Development and Marketing at First Car Rental, there has been a major increase in the number of technology solutions being offered to agents, or consortiums developing their own platforms.

She says these platforms feature multiple direct integrations with suppliers via the suppliers’ preferred web services. “In terms of our system capability, it is certainly a far superior method to connect with us, as this allows for the best real-time availability capability and dynamic pricing as opposed to, for example, the various GDS channels, which we also provide inventory and bookability for, but one has to subscribe to the limitations of their systems,” adds Melissa.

“We still offer a personalised booking engine to agents, which doesn’t require agents to remember rate codes or their account number. It was also recently redesigned to ensure responsive design for any device.”

Richard Addey

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Six of the most exciting tech developmentsTNW spoke to industry experts to find out which technology platforms and solutions they are most excited about this year.

Developed by Sabre, TripCase is an itinerary management system. Wally Gaynor of Club Travel says it allows clients to have their live itinerary on their phone or smartwatch, which is very helpful in the case of flight delays or gate changes, as it automatically notifies the traveller. The mobile app is available in a variety of languages, and provides a single place for travellers to manage all their trip information.

It is predicted that

TripCase will manage more than 40 million trips for travellers this year.

Booking.com launched its initial test pilot of Booking.com for Travel Agents, which it describes as an iteration of a new platform designed specifically with the needs of travel agents in mind. Agents will be able to generate commission on bookings, provided they use the search box on the

homepage of the Booking.com for Travel Agents tool. These commissions range between 15% and 20% of the total transaction value, which will be split between the agent and Booking.com. The percentage split differs, depending on how many bookings the agent has made.

Quick Software has announced plans to concentrate on changing the QuickTrav product suite to a service-orientated architecture this year, which means it will be accessible online using standard

web http technologies. QuickTrav says this will facilitate integration with third-party systems to access QuickTrav data and functionality on a live basis across the web. This new infrastructure will also

enable QuickTrav to write new QuickTrav browser-based clients, giving users access to relevant parts of the system’s functionality via a browser from anywhere in the world, 24/7.

Mid-2016, Travelport upgraded to Travelport Smartpoint 7.0 which included a number of enhancements and upgrades to its itinerary management solution, Travelport ViewTrip and changes to the flight, hotel and car graphical user interface. The application now also includes a ‘Grid View’ mode that enables

the travel agent to open four windows instead of one when using Travelport Smartpoint. Other benefits include changes to the start of message interface, allowing agents to improve their car-rental searches and have easier access to relevant sponsored flight promotions based on agent search criteria.

Sabre TripCase

It is expected that this tool will have an even greater impact on the way South African travel agents operate in 2017. “So far, the solution has been a huge hit with travel agents in

South Africa,” says Jannine Adams of Amadeus. “For travel agents, Selling Platform Connect has provided amazing flexibility and customisation. It is allowing them to automate

manual tasks, save time, generate more revenue and work from anywhere. The feedback from the South African market has been phenomenal,” she adds.

Launched by Sabre in October last year, the Traveler Experience Platform integrates a suite of travel technology products in a consumer-grade mobile experience, delivering self-service in-transit travel bookings, itinerary management, payments, expense integration and safety capabilities. According to Richard Addey

of Sabre South Africa, the platform provides every service a business traveller could need. The platform includes a travel risk management solution, SafePoint, which addresses duty-of-care concerns and helps travellers to check in with their employers via a GPS location and request assistance in case of an emergency.

1. Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

2. QuickTrav

4. Travelport Smartpoint

3.Traveler Experience Platform

6. TripCase

5. Booking.com for Travel Agents

TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY

Travelport has upgraded its itinerary management solution.

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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY

Technology: friend or foe?IT’S DIFFICULT to imagine a time when consultants didn’t have the benefit of being able to email itineraries, check availability and rates online or pull up instant reports. But with these advancements have come various threats, particularly in terms of customers opting to book direct due to their ability to easily compare rates and weigh up options online.

Dangerous techThere have been major advancements in booking and price comparison technology in the airline industry, with a range of platforms available that are able to do things that some GDSs don’t – for example compare prices between various low-cost carriers. Wally Gaynor of Club Travel says good agents know about these tools, which are available to both the consumer and the trade, and are using them to their advantage.

Rob Snelson of Travel

Counsellors, says there has been a huge amount of hype around artificial intelligence on technology blogs and at the latest technology trade shows, and there is the suggestion that these systems will change the employment landscape as systems and technologies become capable of the activities that, up until now, people have had to carry out.

“We recognise this, and while artificial intelligence technologies may pose a threat in some areas, at the same time we are working closely with our digital specialists, strategists and consultants to look at how it can be incorporated into our relational business model to enrich it without making interactions robotic or automated,” he says.

He adds that, for now, artificial intelligence only has a role to play in terms of very simple transactions. “We are all about creating personalised, customer-centric interactions, where our consultants understand their clients and tailor experiences to suit their specific preferences. Technology will be able to replace some things, but from a Travel Counsellor business perspective, it’s very difficult to replicate others.”

Helpful techOn the other hand, there is a vast selection of

technology now available that can facilitate richer relationships with customers, greater personalisation and improved productivity.

Jannine Adams of Amadeus Southern Africa, says business intelligence will become increasingly important for travel agents in 2017. “They will need to tap into the technology at their disposal to transform the increasing amount of raw data into actionable insights.”

She says agents need to gather and analyse raw

data across the entire travel cycle, from inspiration, search, booking, in trip and post trip, in order to anticipate trends, adapt their offers, better monitor their performance and provide a more personalised experience for the traveller.

“This kind of intelligence, which Amadeus technology can offer, will allow travel agents to better assess their market performance against competitors, negotiate better contracts with providers, evaluate growth opportunities, make more informed decisions

Rob Snelson

QUICK READ FOR BUSIEST PEOPLE Wednesday February 1 2017 n 15

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and gain insights into customer preferences and travel patterns,” adds Jannine.

CRM toolsAnother area where technology is proving to be hugely beneficial is in terms of customer relationship – and in particular, CRM systems, says Rob.

“We have our own bespoke CRM application designed for Travel Counsellors and our specific business model, with feedback from our Travel Counsellors to make sure we are capturing information about their customers that is easy to access, easy to update and provides a clear view of the customer to that agent,” he says. “We want to make sure we capture information in a way that’s well presented and easy to understand. We are about to release the latest iteration of our CRM tool, which provides agents with a concise view of the client and their interests, and stores this information in a very secure manner, which is equally as important.”

Chat botsRichard Addey of Sabre South Africa also emphasises the potential technology has in terms of improving service levels. “Today’s travel agent needs to personalise their service with every customer, and technology can help them to achieve this.” He points out that technologies such as artificial intelligence and chat bots are becoming increasingly prevalent in the South African travel space.

“As a traveller, you want to feel linked to your travel agent at every point of your journey, and connected services like chat bots make this a possibility.”

The future is virtualWhile a few static photographs were once enough to catch a customer’s eye and attract them to your travel agency, today’s travel shopper is looking for something much richer and more engaging – and virtual travel could help travel sellers deliver it.

This is also the view of Jannine, who says virtual travel offers the sights, sounds and even smells of a destination. “For some leisure travel shoppers, virtual shopping can be a way to ‘test drive’ a destination – a form of ‘try before you buy’,” she says.

“Consider a travel agency shop with virtual travel booth installed: it’s a great way to get prospective travel buyers into the shop – and coming back for return visits – as it would be the only place they could find that rich virtual experience.”

Forging offline relationshipsWHILE it’s essential for travel companies to stay abreast of the latest digital trends, it’s equally important to take care of the relationship with their technology providers. This is according to Rob Snelson of Travel Counsellors, who says a lot of the company’s success is due to the relationship it has forged with its technologists. “You need to meet face to face and build relationships so that you can get and give feedback on what’s working, what isn’t and to

come up with solutions,” he says.

“There is a lot of complexity around software integration and Travel Counsellors has a team based in Manchester in the UK that constantly looks at ways of hooking in content providers and establishing working relationships with them.” He warns that it’s easy to just focus on the implementation of technology, and end up forgetting the ongoing relationship that has to come after that point.

Jannine Adams

Meet face to face with your technology provider.


TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY

How to book safely onlineAT THE end of last year, a number of clients were left out of pocket when they booked flights online with Globetravel, a company that appears not to have paid monies over to the respective airlines and later disappeared. This is just one example illustrating the dangers of booking online, where customers are often lured by great specials and packages, but can end up being scammed.

Agents risk falling into the same trap as consumers, especially as price pressure continues to rise and

consultants increasingly turn to various online platforms to source the best possible rates and fares for their customers.

“Any time you’re transacting online, you need to be very careful, and that’s not just true for travel, it applies to every industry,” says Richard Addey of Sabre South Africa. “If you’re using a platform that is recognised and stable, then the risk is limited. But, there are a lot of different platforms out there and some of them may seem very innovative and different, but it doesn’t mean that what’s behind it is what it

claims to be,” warns Richard. One of the best ways to

avoid falling victim to online fraud, is simply by researching the websites you use, says Wally Gaynor of Club Travel. “There are many other checks that can be conducted, but one of the most important ways to stay safe is by always paying by credit card, so the charge can be reversed if the service is not delivered.

When describing the risk of being lured by cheap rates and fares, Rob Snelson of Travel Counsellors, says: “The adage applies – if it looks too good to

be true, then it probably is!” He says Travel Counsellors

builds technology that adheres to very high security requirements. “We use secure

encryption and follow best practice, but if you’re not doing these things, maliciously or not, there is an increased likelihood that people that use your technology will be at risk.”

Rob points out that the danger is that travel technology development companies may choose to focus mostly on the user interface part, but it’s the “deep, dark back end of systems” that really matters most. “The assurance that agents can use our technology securely is critical to our brand image,” he says.

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Next-level mobile appsMOBILE apps are no longer considered the future of technology – they are very much the present – and today they play a prevalent and integral role in all aspects of the travel process, from booking through to payments and in-trip services.

Richard Addey of Sabre South Africa, says it is only fairly recently that South Africa’s travel industry has caught up with the global standard in terms of providing travellers with mobile services. “Mobile technology provides the traveller with the reassurance of being connected all the time,” he says, which is very beneficial, especially when it comes to duty of care.

Rob Snelson of Travel Counsellors says last year the company developed the first model of its phone app, which has already seen high levels of adoption. “We are about to release

a new set of features in about a month’s time, which will provide our Travel Counsellors with new tools and functionality they can use, provided that they are appropriate for their customers.”

Travel Counsellors’ mobile app currently focuses on sharing customer itineraries and travel documentation, but future developments will include the ability to make secure payments against outstanding balances, rich quote content including imagery and video, and immediate agent feedback.

He explains that the app deliberately does not include booking functionality, as Travel Counsellors doesn’t want to remove the personal nature of the transaction. “Instead, the customer can inform the agent, via the app, that they are ready to book, and they will then be contacted and guided through that process,” says Rob.

Wally Gaynor

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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY

Sabre’s top three tech trends for 2017In its Emerging Tech in Travel report, Sabre has identified three key megatrends that will impact travel this year

Sabre predicts that major advances in voice technology will aid agents in their quest to improve service and support levels for clients. The report states that phone-based agents can look at introducing voice systems that actively ‘listen’ during phone calls. An algorithm would identify key words to capture information and perform search tasks during the call, leaving the agent free to focus all their attention on the caller instead of trying to talk and search simultaneously.

Another area where voice technology may be utilised is to quickly access daily updates about travellers – for example, whether they still need to check in, notification of weather events or safety issues. “Building ways for agents to use voice to access auditory dashboards with key information can allow agencies to save time and increase operational efficiency,” says Sabre.

Voice-based interfaces

1. Connected intelligenceThis refers to the way in which connected beacons and other digital devices gather data constantly and interact with one another. This technology is useful when it comes to analysing data, and has several applications within travel as it provides users with the ability to look at the metrics of how people are moving through a space. This can help airlines to identify bottlenecks, or hotels to see which parts of their properties get the most traffic.

Sabre says connected intelligence is also playing a significant role for agencies, particularly in terms of advances in automation. “Automated search algorithms are making it possible for agents to have more information at their fingertips with less work, improving the services they are able to provide to customers. Automation is able to handle some of the routine work of itinerary management, freeing up time for agents to build relationships and respond to customer requests,”

says Sabre in the report. Another likely result is greater integration between bots and humans, with robots offering more conveniences for travellers, from hotel deliveries to drone-delivered travel documents.

2. Conversational interfacesThese interfaces mimic conversation with a human being, via voice or text, and are expected to make a greater impact in the travel space in 2017. Companies may be able to use voice systems to provide travellers with travel information like flight reminders and traffic and weather updates. It is also likely that travel companies will start using messaging platforms that they’re already on like Whatsapp, WeChat and Facebook Messenger to provide support.

“Message-based interfaces allow agents to chat with customers during trip planning as well as while travelling. The casual, trusted medium of messaging allows increased context and connection,”

says Sabre. “It also offers the opportunity to integrate elements of automation to easily provide reminders and travel updates to travellers on the go.”

3. Digital realityDigital realities – virtual, mixed and augmented – are likely to be used for advertising purposes, to showcase destinations and hotels. Real-time translation of signage and other text-based content is another useful application of digital realities, for travellers heading to destinations where they cannot speak the local language.

“Digital realities offer tremendous opportunities for brick-and-mortar agencies to inspire travellers in new ways and encourage a broader scope of potential destinations and excursions. Virtual reality can make all manner of locations and experiences immediate, both for potential travellers as well as for all agents who want to learn about new travel products and destinations they may want to share with customers,” says Sabre.


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Does your consortium offer top tech? Technology has become a critical aspect of your offering as a travel agent. Debbie Badham asks Marco Ciocchetti, ceo of the XL Travel Group, which tools agents need to look out for when joining a consortium.

THE XL Travel Group has recently invested significantly in its technology proposition with the launch of its mobile app imminent. The app, which will allow XL Travel agents to engage closely with their travellers throughout their trips, is expected to launch this month.

At the rate at which technology is taking hold of the industry, travel consortiums must ensure they are up to speed with the latest developments and, likewise, agents need to make sure they have access to top technology that will assist them with winning and keeping clients.

As Marco Ciocchetti points out, the qualifying questions today’s clients will ask of their agent are significantly different to what they were five or ten years ago. On the corporate side, for example, focus was previously on the deals an

agency could negotiate. Now clients want to know how their agency’s technology can assist

with data analysis. As this technology is

generally too expensive for independent agents to acquire themselves, the ability to connect to this technology through a well-established consortium can be invaluable.

Critical for corporate Tools that can assist with the collection and analysis of data have become a must in the corporate environment. Marco says emphasis is on risk management and duty of care, particularly in light of the current volatile global context. He says the ability to track travellers with apps using GPS co-ordinates and then alert companies as to where their travellers are when incidents occur is particularly important.

“Quality control used to be good enough,” Marco says, “but now clients want to know what kind of automated controls their agency has.”

He points out that the technology should also be able to integrate with systems like SAP and Oracle.

Equally important is technology the consortium has that will enable the agent to get closer to the traveller. Marco says this comes in the form of apps that allow the traveller to do everything from download their itinerary to receive notifications should there be a flight delay. “Functions that will make the traveller feel as though their travel agent is travelling with them,” says Marco. “For example, if the client is travelling in Africa, do they need to be reminded to print their flight ticket where they would normally be able to present an e-ticket?”

In many ways, XL Travel’s new mobile app will enable agents to do exactly that. He says the platform will allow consultants to engage with clients in an unlimited number of ways. The options are endless, from reminding a business client to load their expense claims on to the app as soon as they land to recommending that a client takes the Heathrow Express as soon as they land in London.

When it comes to online booking tools, Marco says there has been greater demand for this over the past year or two. However, many corporates still have bookings handled by consultants through

the use of a procurement tool. What is important, he says, is that each and every transaction, from the traveller’s initial request to the agent’s response and then final authorisation, is recorded. Whether this happens through the use of an online booking tool or procurement tool is not as important as the level of accountability afforded. “Through this technology, agents can be penalised for not responding to a client’s query in good time.”

Personal preferencesFor leisure agents, Marco says the key is to be able to provide clients with a service they can’t access themselves on the Internet. “Ultimately it comes down to profiling the customer,” he says. “It’s about making the customer feel that their personal preferences are understood while they are travelling.”

A good example of this might be a traveller in Piccadilly who enjoys good Italian food.

The app will register this and notify the traveller when they are in the vicinity of a great Italian restaurant.

In terms of reaching the client, establishing a good online presence has also become essential for today’s leisure agent. “We are starting to see a lot more traditional agencies using social media,” Marco says.

TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY

“The qualifying questions today’s clients will ask of their agent are

significantly different to what they were five

or ten years ago.”Marco Ciocchetti

Did you know?

Amadeus has some ambitious plans in place for 2017, including the introduction of a new payment solution, with more details being available in due course. The company will also launch a new corporate self-booking tool in the South African market: Amadeus Corporate Travel.

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JOBSCOMMUNITYNEWSBirths, deaths, marriages, promotions – we want to know! Please e-mail TNW’s Taryn Nightingale, at [email protected].


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Major changes at MSC CruisesTHE executive team at MSC Cruises has undergone significant changes.

The company recently announced the appointment of Ross Volk as md of MSC South Africa, following the resignation of Johann Strydom at the end of December. Ross was previously cfo of the South African operation.

“Ross is the perfect candidate to take on the role

of the growing commercial business in South Africa. He has a strong financial background and has gained an overall understanding of the commercial operations,” said Gianni Onorato, ceo of MSC Cruises.

On the global front, MSC has appointed Angelo Capurro as senior director. Based in Geneva, Angelo will focus on the company’s future expansion plans for

South Africa for the local and international MSC product.

Together Ross and Angelo will be tasked with taking the SA company to the next level.

Meanwhile, outgoing ceo of the SA market, Daphne Osborne, and head of marketing, Allan Foggitt, have also announced their retirement. They will remain in a consulting capacity for an interim period.

New faces join Asata boardASATA has appointed Andrew Stark, md of Flight Centre Travel Group South Africa, and Jackie Turnbull, director of The Holiday Factory, to its board, with immediate effect until the next AGM in September.

Andrew says he thinks “it’s a step in the right direction for the Flight Centre Travel Group” and that one of his objectives is ensuring there is a unified approach to macro industry matters, like

industry scorecards.Johann Strydom, former

md of MSC Cruises South Africa, has resigned from the Asata board. Jackie will take over his responsibilities as the association’s wholesale

member representative.The board thanks Johann

for his many years of service to the industry and Asata, and congratulates Andrew and Jackie on their appointments.

Jackie Turnbull Johann StrydomAndrew Stark

Leon Pretorius has been appointed Thompsons Holidays regional manager in the Western Cape. Leon joined Thompsons in Johannesburg in 2014 and has been the international team leader in the reservations department for the past two years.

Satsa has appointed Hannelie Du Toit as the association’s new coo. Hannelie joined the Satsa team two years ago and has played an instrumental role in steering various important projects, including open-safari-vehicle permitting, transformation and operating licences, says Satsa.

Michelle Hollis has been appointed sales manager of marketing portfolio company Seolo

Africa. Michelle previously worked at Isibindi Africa.

The Etihad Aviation Group board of directors announced that James Hogan will step down as president and ceo. H.E. Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, chairman of the board of the Etihad Aviation Group said: “We are very grateful to James. In just ten years, he has overseen the growth of the company from a 22-plane regional carrier into a 120-aircraft global airline and aviation group, with seven airline equity partnerships which together serve more than 120 million guests every year.”

Gys Joubert has been appointed new md of Gondwana Collection Namibia. Gys holds two Masters degrees in law, has 10 years’ experience in the banking world, and has served on Gondwana’s board of directors for the past year.

Kees Heuveling has been appointed the new gm of Villa Rosa Kempinski, replacing Manish Nambiar, who has

moved to the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast Accra, Ghana. Kees has over 30 years’ experience working with hotel brands across Europe, Asia and Africa.

Nicholas Solomon has been appointed One&Only Cape Town’s new resort manager. “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Nick to the One&Only Cape Town team,” said One&Only Cape Town gm, Richard Lyon. “His extensive experience in South Africa and abroad makes him a great addition to the team and I am looking forward to working with him.”

Raul de Lima has been appointed gm of Sun International’s Sun City Resort. Prior to joining Sun International in 2014, Raul was involved in the food and hospitality industry for about 25 years. Raul plans to focus on engaging and building an effective and united food and beverage community.

brought to you by eTNW and TRAVELINFO

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TNW NEWS

brought to you by eTNW and TRAVELINFO

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

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More than one way to book a roomWhat’s the best way to book accommodation?

On a GDS Direct through the hotel’s reservations department Through aggregators like Expedia or Trivago Other Direct using the hotel’s

email/phone number Direct through the

hotel’s website

23% 22%20% 20%

9%6%

World Leisure Holidays will kick off its annual roadshow this month. The supplier will be in Johannesburg on February 14, in Pretoria on February 15, Durban on February 16 and Cape Town on February 17. The sessions will run from 14h00-17h00 and will include a workshop, cocktail function and lucky draw. Pictured here is Cathie Bester, WLH marketing relationship manager. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl

WLH hits the road

Aviation icon retiresTaryn nighTingale

AIRLINE industry doyen, Nic Vlok, has announced his retirement from

Mango Airlines, effective February 28. Nic is currently the acting ceo and gm Operations.

He has been with the airline for over a decade and says although he is retiring from the LCC, he may still be involved in the aviation industry in the future.

“In the short term though, I’m looking forward to taking a decent holiday without carrying my phone or laptop in my

pocket,” he says. Nic joined SAA

in 1970 and worked at Comair for eight years prior to joining Mango.

“It has been a wonderful experience working with the Mango team. We have created a great airline and it is my wish that it will continue to grow and prosper,” he says.

“Nic is one of the aviation industry’s highly experienced professionals and managed

our operations to make Mango one of the most efficient airlines in South Africa. He has been more than a colleague to many of us; he was a mentor, and will always be a friend,” says Hein Kaiser, spokesperson of Mango Airlines.

Hein says a new acting ceo will be announced in due course and that the search for a permanent ceo continues.

DHA plans changes at ORTIAleigh hermon

THE Department of Home Affairs is looking to implement a new system for travellers departing from OR Tambo International Airport.

During the festive season, the DHA piloted a system of separate queues at immigration for SA citizens and foreigners at departures. “This pilot project showed there is value in implementing this option permanently because the service required by citizens and other travellers at the airport is different,” says Malusi Gigaba, Minister of Home Affairs.

But Chris Zweigenthal, ceo of Aasa, says he is not convinced the

separation of passengers at departures will be beneficial.

He says that at arrivals, where separate queues for SA citizens and foreigners are already in place, this makes sense because the immigration desks process an influx of passengers in one shot. Foreigners require further checks, including documentation checks and the possible collection of biometrics.

Whereas, at departures, he says, checks are more sporadic. Travellers visas are checked and sometimes biometrics are captured if they had not been captured on arrival.

The DHA also said it would allocate R25m to ORTIA for the 2017/2018 financial year with the

aim of appointing 58 immigration officials. A further R17m will be allocated to the airport in the 2018/2019 financial year to again increase staff capacity.

Gigaba also says Cabinet and the department may scale down the number of airports with international status.

“We may have to declare some of the international airports as just seasonal airports, so that we deploy personnel and resources according to the type of season.”

For this to happen, Gigaba says the DHA needs to consult with several stakeholders, including the Department of Tourism, before it can proceed.

Nic Vlok

St Helena flights to take off – finally leigh hermon

COMMERCIAL flights to St Helena are expected to begin mid-year, with SA carrier, Airlink, in the running to operate the service.

In December, the St Helena Government (SHG) launched a request for proposals to provide air services to the island at runway 02. In 2015 Comair was initially awarded a contract to provide scheduled commercial air services between Johannesburg and St Helena. The flights were to use runway 20, but were suspended due to turbulence and wind shear. Runway 02’s wind conditions differ from those of runway 20 and require an aircraft that complies with runway

02’s restrictions. According to Kerisha

Stevens, head of news at SHG Press Office, the contract for air services to St Helena will be awarded by the end of May.

“The new tender is for anyone who wants to offer an interim solution until the St Helena government can make runway 20 suitable for a reliable scheduled service,” says Erik Venter, ceo of Comair.

SHG is looking at awarding a contract to one or more carriers to provide a minimum once-a-week flight to St Helena from an international hub airport or an airport with direct connections to the UK or South Africa. The contract will also include a service

between St Helena and Ascension Island.

Airlink is finalising a proposal to operate the service and is currently in the process of acquiring two E190s that it plans to use on the route if its bid is successful. The airline is also expecting delivery of three E170s and has started adding 11 ERJ 140s to its fleet. The Embraer 190 is highly effective to operate at St Helena along with other very challenging airports around the world, says Rodger Foster, ceo of Airlink. An E190, with 11 crew on board, including two pilots, completed a successful trial flight to the island, landing from the south on runway 02 at the end of last year.

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