Contents Issue 7 (October) 2012 PUBLISHER Tourism Tattler (Pty) Ltd. PO Box 891, Umhlanga Rocks, 4320 KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Company Reg.No.: 2006/015252/07 Website: www.tourismtattler.co.za MANAGING EDITOR Des Langkilde Tel: +27 (0)87 727 8631 Cell: +27 (0)82 374 7260 Fax: +27 (0)86 651 8080 E-mail: editor@tourismtattler.co.za Skype: tourismtattler EDITOR Marjorie Dean Tel: +27 (0)11 886 9996 Fax: +27 (0)11 886 7557 E-mail: communications@satsa.co.za Skype: satsa-comms ADVERTISING MANAGER Bev Langkilde Tel: +27 (0)87 727 8643 Fax: +27 (0)86 656 3860 Cell: +27 (0)71 224 9971 E-mail: bev@tourismtattler.co.za Skype: bevtourismtattler SUBSCRIPTIONS Email: subscriptions@tourismtattler.co.za Skype: subscribetourismtattler
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Competition: Win a Function Voucher
Hospitality: Single Supplement Surcharge
EDITORIAL 05 From the Editors Desk / Cover Story 06 Letters to the Editor 07 Competition ACHIEVEMENTS & ACCOLADES 08 Trade Awards AVIATION 10 Kenyan airport controversy BUSINESS & FINANCE 12 Driving trust with employees 14 Pulling out of a slump 15 Financial Guide - Part 2 CONSERVATION 16 Combating rhino poaching 17 Lion trade in Far East 18 Helping Mossel Bay’s wildlife 19 TRACKS for Giants ends EVENTS 22 TAFI 2013 Convention 23 HICA 2013 dates announced 24 SATTIC Feedback
HOSPITALITY 25 The sinful single supplement surcharge 26 Goodersons Leisure expands 28 SA poised for growth LEGAL 29 From the Bench - The CPA Part 4 MARKETING 30 How to barter beds for media 31 SATSA Market Intelligence Report 32 Mobile marketing lessons 33 Marketing buzzword: Relationship 34 How to get Qualified Sales Leads PHOTO GALLERY 34 Marie-France Grenouillet TECHNOLOGY 35 Gadgets & Gizmos TRADE NEWS 36 Trade Snippets
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Official Trade Journal of:
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EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS
Adv. Louis Nel Anthony Paton Apolinari Tairo Ardath Albee Chris Harvie Claire Warneke Des Langkilde Dr. Wolfgang H. Thom Gail de Villiers Jan Truter
Kagiso Mosue Marjorie Dean Nicci Mitchel Martin Hatchuel Martin Jansen van Vuuren Merit Norenberg Nigel Willmott Philipp A.L. Patzel Richard Earls
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Disclaimer: The Tourism Tattler is published by Tourism Tattler (Pty) Ltd and is the official trade journal of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA). The Tourism Tattler digital e-zine, is distributed free of charge to bona fide tourism stakeholders. Letters to the Editor are assumed intended for publication in whole or part and may therefore be used for such purpose. The information provided and opinions expressed in this publication are provided in good faith and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Tourism Tattler (Pty) Ltd, SATSA, its staff and its production suppliers. Advice provided herein should not be soley relied upon as each set of circumstances may differ. Professional advice should be sought in each instance. Neither Tourism Tattler (Pty) Ltd, SATSA, its staff and its production suppliers can be held legally liable in any way for damages of any kind whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from any facts or information provided or omitted in these pages or from any statements made or withheld or from supplied photographs or graphic images reproduced by the publication.
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SATSA / RETOSA Tourism Tattler Trade Journal
OCTOBER 2012
EDITORIAL
From the Editor’s Desk The big event in the tourism industry over the past month was the first South African Travel and Tourism Industry (SATTIC), a combined industry event that was held at the Protea Hotel OR Tambo from 2-4 September. The concept was hailed as a great step forward by many of the delegates, especially those from government, as it offered a view on what the whole industry thinks, and not just a segment of it. It was described as “putting destination South Africa on the path to success, providing a platform for many of the country’s most important role players to share their ideas and concerns around implementing the National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS)”. There was plenty of lively debate, with much input from the floor as well as from the high calibre speakers, all experts in their respective fields. Delegates from the public and private sectors took part in three days of frank and open (and sometimes even acrimonious) discussions, designed to achieve collective
results that will lead to sustainable growth through improved competitiveness. Delegates agreed that this objective will only be achieved through their concerted cooperation and collaboration, made much easier by such a meeting. For any enquiries on SATTIC email info@sattic.co.za In this issue of Tattler we continue to deal with the thornier issues of tourism. These are issues that won’t go away, and from the letter we have from Wayne Duvenage, on the outcome of the latest legal battle over e-tolling, to the debate around single supplement surcharges in hospitality, to issues around rhino and lion poaching to supply the markets for their supposed magical medicinal properties, debate rages fiercely. We know it’s wrong, but what can we do about it? The good news is that the good fight is being fought, and as SATSA, we support those who fight it. Marjorie
Cover Story Our cover for this edition features one of southern Africa’s most sought after premier tourism attractions - Rovos Rail.
for trains and the presence of the Witbank Steam Railway in the coal-mining town where Rohan Vos ran his successful auto spares business. Read the full story at http:// www.rovos.com/about/history
When it comes to experiencing an African safari in five-star luxury, Rovos provides diverse travel packages for tourists to recapture the romance of a bygone era.
Private Hire Rovos Rail provides an ideal combination for group and incentive charters in Southern Africa. Catering to a maximum of 80 passengers in the comfort and luxury associated with their product, they are able to construct exciting and practical itineraries to suit time and budget requirements.
From its fleet of seven 19D class locomotives, a classic 20-seater DC3 aircraft, its own 60acre private rail station, stately guesthouse retreats and bespoke journeys, Rovos provides sophisticated tourists with unique experiences and cherished memories.
Rovos Rail have launched an Events Train, which can accommodate up to 250 guests for daytime journeys. Limited only by time and distance, there are many alternative uses for the train, which include a three-hour circular trip around Pretoria or a one-way journey to any destination within eight hours’ rail travel time from Pretoria. Rovos Rail can also provide an exclusive five-star air charter service. A magnificent aircraft and dedicated, professional crew will accompany guests on a superb and exciting adventure, which includes two nights at six outstanding venues. This unique charter can accommodate a maximum of 20 people in the security, comfort and style expected of Rovos Rail’s product. Read more on pages 20 and 21. ▲
As with any successful tourism enterprise, Rovos has a fascinating history. Founded by Rohan and Anthea Vos in 1985, it was a combination of influences and events that led to the purchase of the first coach, the start of what would become Rovos Rail. The history reads like a Wilbur Smith novel, including a heroine with her own private railway coach, a man called Phil Acutt with a passion
Rovos Rail founders, Rohan and Anthea Vos OCTOBER 2012
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Having said that, nothing is guaranteed, but what we do know is that the vast majority of people and businesses do not trust the process. They do not trust SANRAL and the Government on e-Tolls for a number of reasons, mainly due to a lack of transparency, poor engagement, the deceit and rumours of corruption. A lack of citizen’s trust (combined with other issues) will impact heavily on non-participation in the e-tag process. Without a high degree of tagging, e-tolling will simply not work. OUTA is still in discussion with the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to try and find an amicable ‘out of court’ solution.
Dear Editor E-Tolls – THE STATE OF PLAY NOW Following the Constitutional Court’s decision to set aside the interdict on eTolls (which effectively allows SANRAL to start tolling if they can or want to), what now for the various anti-eToll movements and OUTA’s challenge? Note must be made of the fact that a full judicial review will still take place from 26 to 28 November in the North Gauteng High Court, and that the possibility of halting e-Tolls then is still very real and possible. This may seem a tad confusing, following the Constitutional Court’s judgment. Essentially, this Con Court judgment merely stipulated that the High Court judgment in April should have granted a judicial review to happen, but that Judge Prinsloo should not have ruled for a temporary halt (interdict) to e-Tolls whilst the review was being formulated and conducted. In other words, that the (executive powers of) government’s decision to introduce a policy of e-tolls should not be interfered with on a temporary basis, until the judgment from the judicial review comes into effect. So, what are OUTA’s chances to win their case? According to the legal team members, the case remains strong on a number of fronts. The main argument is that of irrationality. With SANRAL’s own policy stipulating that the Fuel Levy is one of their “user pays” policies to raise funds for roads, why was this policy ignored at the expense of a cumbersome and highly expensive e-Tolling option? Is it reasonable to expect the citizen to be subjected to additional and unnecessary costs when an easier, cheaper and far more efficient funding mechanism exists? These, along with other technical arguments will be heard and argued in court.
Wi n
OUTA would also like to express their gratitude and thanks to the thousands of people and businesses who have contributed almost R7 million to the legal funds to date, BUT this is still far short of the required R10,8 million required, and time is against us. R4million is still required if we are to successfully defend this matter, and we urge all citizens to please log onto www.outa.co.za and follow the easy prompts to contribute, be it R200 or more. When deciding how much, consider simply how much you as an individual or business have saved over the past 4 months. This is one case that tests the consumer’s appetite to defend our democracy and challenge irrational decision making of our government. We need active citizenry and support – today. Wayne Duvenage Chairperson – OUTA www.outa.co.za Congratulations, Wayne. Your letter has been chosen as the winning letter for the October edition. A copy of National Geographic’s ‘The Last Lions’ DVD will be delivered to you with the compliments of Livingstones Supply Co – suppliers of the finest products to the hospitality Industry. Ed.
The winning letter published in the Tourism Tattler Issue 6 (September) 2012 edition will receive a copy of National Geographic’s ‘Big Cat Odyssey’ DVD with the compliments of Livingstones Supply Co – Suppliers of the Finest Products to the Hospitality Industry. Letters should be sent by 24 October 2012 to editor@tourismtattler.co.za For some people, studying big cats is not just a hobby, but a life’s work. Following award-winning filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert on their 30-year-long quest to document the behaviour of big cats in Botswana, this film brings together three decades worth of material, including extraordinary footage of hunting lions, scavenging hyenas and stealthy leopards. See firsthand the numerous changes that have led to dramatic decline of the lion population, and what needs to be done in order to ensure their survival. Live through some of the most extreme cat sequences ever captured on film. See a lion pride bring down a large buffalo, a blood feud erupt when scavenging hyenas move in on the kill and catch a glimpse of leopards who creep from the bushes to hunt and retreat into the trees before falling prey to larger killers. Beyond the blood and gore lies a stark For more information visit: reality: Big cats kill to live and live to kill. • A Film by Derek and Beverly Joubert • Running Time: 50 minutes www.livingstonessupplyco.co.za
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SATSA / RETOSA Tourism Tattler Trade Journal
OCTOBER 2012
EDITORIAL
Wi n A function
Venue Hire Voucher worth R10,000.
With the compliments of:
READER COMPETITION
To enter this reader competition simply ensure that you are optedin to the Tourism Tattler mailing list by subscribing at http://www. tourismtattler.co.za/subscribe and answer the following question by email: “At which Goodersons Leisure property is the function venue hire prize redeemable?” Email your answer with Goodersons Competition in the Subject field to editor@tourismtattler.co.za by 24 October 2012. Remember to include your contact details (Name, company trading name, telephone numbers, city/town, province and country). The first correct entry drawn after the closing date will win a function venue hire voucher to the value of R10,000 redeemable at the Fabz Garden Hotel & Conference Centre located in Lonehill, Fourways, Johannesburg with the compliments of Goodersons Leisure. The prize voucher may be redeemed against a quotation for a conference, wedding or other function on any day between November 2012 and April 2013, subject to availability. The Fabz Estate Hotel & Conference Centre is set amidst striking country surrounds, and is the perfect getaway for guests who yearn to break away from the hustle and bustle of inner city life. This charming hotel’s perfect location, the heart of Lonehill, Fourways, is in close proximity to major highways, shopping malls, casinos and renowned golf courses. As part of the Gooderson Leisure Group, Fabz Estate Hotel caters for guests who enjoy unrivalled service standards, hospitality and quality accommodation. Fully equipped conference facilities, numerous function rooms, an à la carte restaurant and braai facilities on the waters edge are some of the facilities that are available. The renowned
Sunday Buffet Lunch is part of the Good Value, Good Fun that can be expected from this property. All these unique attributes combine to make the Fabz Estate Hotel & Conference Centre an ideal retreat with a venue to host events for weddings, birthdays, end-of-year private and corporate functions – you name it we have the venue for you. In keeping with the elegant, country inspired design and décor this theme is carried throughout the Hotel. The Hotel offers a wide selection of family and superior suites, as well as twin, double and single rooms which all offer scenic garden and lake access. All rooms are equipped with en-suite bathrooms, DSTV, telephone and tea/coffee facilities. For more information visit: http://goodersonleisure.co.za/ The Terms and Conditions of this competition can be downloaded at: http://www.tourismtattler.co.za/goodersons-TourismTattlerCompetition_Terms&Conditions.pdf
WINNER OF THE AWOL TOURS COMPETITION FROM ISSUE 6 (SEPTEMBER) 2012 EDITION CONGRATULATIONS to Dieter Prinsloo of SATIB Insurance Brokers, Cape Town, South Africa whose competition entry was the first correct entry to be drawn. Dieter has won a 4 day Cycle Tour for 2 valued at R9,700.00 with the compliments of AWOL Tours. For more information visit:
www.awoltours.co.za
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ACHIEVEMENTS & ACCOLADES
Hat-Trick for Red Carnation Hotel Collection SA with top Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards All of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection’s hotels in South Africa have been voted onto the list of top 20 leisure hotels in the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian Ocean. This is the first time that the trio of luxurious hotels has featured simultaneously on this coveted list. For more information visit: www.redcarnationhotels.com
Bushmans Kloof leads the way with top international award for sustainable tourism leadership
SEYCHELLES North Island named Runner-Up Best Overseas Leisure Hotel: Middle East, Africa & Indian Ocean in Conde Nast Travellers Readers’ Awards 2012 Wilderness Collection and the team on North Island are thrilled to announce that the legendary Seychelles resort was voted Runner Up in the Best Overseas Leisure Hotel in the Middle East, Africa and Indian Ocean at the 15th Annual Condé Nast Traveller Readers Awards, held at the British Museum on Thursday 06 September 2012. For more information visit: www.wilderness-collection.com/
SOUTH AFRICA Europcar ranked as Africa’s top car rental company This for the seventh consecutive year in the annual World Travel Awards. “This is fantastic recognition and reaffirms that we are enhancing our customers’ experiences by tailor-making our services in order to appeal to different market segments whether for business or leisure,” said Europcar CEO Dawn Nathan-Jones. For more information visit: http://www.europcar.co.za For the full list of African winners visit: www.worldtravelawards.com/ winners2012-3
The Virtuoso Travel Week Awards Gala held in Las Vegas on 16 August 2012, announced that Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat had won the Virtuoso Sustainable Tourism Leadership Award (2012). Family owned and part of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection in South Africa, Bushmans Kloof was up against almost a thousand other top resorts and hotels from around the world.
Bushmans Kloof came out tops for its extraordinary dedication to restoring and preserving the natural beauty of the 7500 hectare reserve, and the supporting initiatives it has introduced in the local community. Located at the foothills of the Cederberg Mountains some 270m north of Cape Town (South Africa), this luxurious ecological oasis bases its entire business ethos on preserving the natural environment, while providing guests with the ultimate African wilderness experience. For more information visit: http://bushmanskloof.co.za
Thompson’s Team “Graduate” in Cape Town It may seem like all work and no play, but these Thompson’s TEAM “graduates” did get to enjoy some leisure time on their educational trip to see the more than dozen stunning Protea Hotels in Cape Town. The Thompson’s TEAM ended their visit with a Cape Town “graduation” at Protea Hotel Sea Point. The trip is just one of many that Protea Hotels organises throughout the year to showcase their properties to travel consultants who operate both domestically and internationally. For more information visit: http://www.thompsons.co.za/
Coveted Site Crystal Award For Somewhere In Africa Aside from attending the SITE International Conference in Beijing – an uplifting experience in itself – the Somewhere in Africa team has collected a coveted SITE Crystal Award. “We’re so thrilled that our collaborative project – a day of community service for the Nutrimetics Incentive Group - has been chosen as a winner in the category “Responsible Experiences”, says MD Susan van de Merwe. “We set out to create a sustainable community service programme that would make it possible for the women in Khayelitsha (South Africa) to tell a different story. The Khayelitsha Sewing Project enables tourists and local businesses to touch the lives of others in a very real way, leaving not money, but a legacy,” she says. For more information visit: www.somewhereinafrica.co.za
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Receiving their certificates were (from left) Nadia Very (Thompsons Consultant); Matthews Monyatsi (SAA Holidays Consultant); Philippa Matshoe (Thompsons - Sales Executive); Helen Sheer (Thompsons - Manager); Tebogo Molefe (Thompsons Consultant) and Moira Masuku (Protea Hotels - Sales Executive).
Dongola Guest House Wins First Gold Environmental Recognition Cape Town’s Dongola Guest House is the first Greenline member to attain gold status and one of the industry’s few smaller accommodation facilities to be independently audited for its environmental commitment.
ACHIEVEMENTS & ACCOLADES
Dongola guest house was awarded Gold status after implementing a formal environmental management document which includes policy statements and procedures for environmentally responsible and sustainable business practice. The GreenLine Programme®, incorporates the South African National Standard for Responsible Tourism, and meets the certification needs of accommodation facilities of less than 20 rooms across nine main categories: purchasing and procurement; air quality; energy management; hazardous material, chemical and pesticides; waste management; training and awareness; water management; and social initiatives. For more information visit: http://www.dongolahouse.co.za/
Tsogo Sun’s Bice and Daruma restaurants win awards Tsogo Sun’s Southern Sun Hyde Park hotel’s Bice and Daruma won the 2013 Accredited American Express Platinum Fine dining award. Bice also received the ‘recommended on Tripadvisor sticker’ which acknowledges that travellers are impressed by Bice’s business and service levels.
AA Travel Guide votes Garden Court Kimberley and StayEasy Emnotweni as the best budget and traveller value hotels Founded in 2000, the AA Quality Assured Programme provides prospective travellers and travel bookers quality information to optimise their choices when selecting accommodation At the national award ceremony held on 30 August 2012, the StayEasy brand had a total of six regional finalists and four national finalists with StayEasy Emnotweni scooping this prestigious award in the Budget category. Garden Court dominated in the Selected Service Hotel category with 17 regional finalists and four national finalists.
The Windmills Boutique Hotel in the heart of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands was recently announced as the Best Boutique Hotel Wedding Venue in the African Bridal Industry Academy’s (ABIA) annual Bride’s Choice awards. Held on a provincial basis, the ABIA Bride’s Choice awards are the “Oscars” of the wedding industry and are held each year to recognise the best wedding suppliers in South Africa. All judging for the event is done by brides who have been married in the 12 month period prior to the awards (June 2011 to July 2012). According to The Windmills Boutique Hotel general manager Andre Schoeman, the award is the result of 18 months of incredibly hard work. “To be the winner in the ABIA Bride’s Choice Awards is certainly an amazing accomplishment as these awards reflect the experience of the brides,” explains Schoeman. “Our entire team is dedicated to making every wedding the perfect occasion so the fact that we came out tops with our brides speaks volumes for our product and service delivery. This award is an achievement that belongs to everyone in our team as we all play a role in ensuring that our brides really do have their perfect day.” For more information visit: www.thewindmills.co.za
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For more information visit: sshydepark. reservations@tsogosun.com
Windmills Boutique Hotel Scoops Prestigious Award
Andre Schoeman, General Manager of The Windmills Boutique Hotel accepts the ABIA Bride’s Choice award for Best Boutique Hotel in KZN from Tonia Kreft, Marketing Manager ABIA.
Granny Mouse Country House & Spa Wins Diners Club Diamond Wine Award Third Year Running
For more information visit: http://www.tsogosunhotels.com
Avis and Fair City Quatermain Hotel win awards at BTAfrica Business Travel Awards Avis was awarded first place in the Best Car Rental Company category at the first ever BTAfrica Business Travel Awards, at the Sandton Convention Centre on 07 September 2012. “We are honoured to be the first to hold the title for the Best Car Rental Company. It is always encouraging to know that the hard work, passion and ‘We try harder’ promise continues to live,“ said Chief Executive of Avis Southern Africa, Keith Rankin.
Renowned for being superior hosts, the popular Granny Mouse Country House & Spa, situated in the KZN Midlands has reason to celebrate as they proudly announce the latest accolade to their growing list of awards: A Diamond Diners Club Wine Award for their 2012 / 2013 wine list. For more information visit: www.grannymouse.co.za/
For more information visit: www.avis.co.za
The Quatermain Hotel was named ‘Best Independent (single property) Business Hotel in South Africa’ at the BTAfrica Business Travel Awards. For more information visit: http://www.quatermain.co.za/
To be featured in the Trade Awards section email: editor@tourismtattler.co.za
OCTOBER 2012
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AVIATION
Airport controversy threatens to spin out of control The latest twist in the saga of Kenya airports, is hitting the headlines in Nairobi, with allegations of a million dollar bribe having been given to an unnamed official, who subsequently tried to turn all hell lose when “his friends” did not get the contract to build Jomo Kenyatta International Airport’s (JKIA) second runway and new “super terminal” writes Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome. This Vision 2030 expansion of East Africa’s primary aviation hub, which according to information gathered while in Nairobi during the week will be aimed to significantly cater to Kenya Airways’ (KQ) projected growth under its 10-year strategic “Plan Mawingo” and provide an integrated terminal for KQ and its Sky Team partners, has been under the media spotlight since embattled Transport Minister Amos Kimunya attempted to overturn the tender award made in December last year. The Kenyan public, armed with ever-more details through the media, is presently rushing to conclusions as to his true motive, now that open allegation on a million dollar bribe has been made, though without naming names for legal reasons at this moment. Similar allegations were made years ago when Kimunya was knee deep in the fallout when the Grand Regency Hotel was sold to the then Gadaffi regime for a fraction of what was the true market value of the property. Analysts are already drawing parallels between the two cases and are attempting to put two and two together, once too often for those now baying for Kimunya’s scalp. Sections of the board of KAA, thought to be individuals in Kimunya’s pocket, attempted to send the KAA CEO on compulsory leave, but the latest information has it that Stephen Gichuki refused to take this laying down and in turn accused the board of acting illegally by failing to observe regulations to do with calling a valid board meeting. “From what I could establish, that meeting was not called by the Corporation Secretary, which is a requirement, and it failed to involve the CEO in calling for the meeting, which is another requirement under the existing law. It would suggest that the Chairman of the Board committed a serious procedural error, and it now calls his own position into question. Is he still tenable in this job or just did the bidding of his political master by trying to organize a clandestine meeting behind the back of the CEO? “The biggest fallout of that, if it delays the project start, will be for Kenya Airways because their entire strategy is centered on the expansion of JKIA. They said it, the President said it, and if there are now forces at play which put their bribes before the national interest, it is surely time Kibaki steps into the fray and directs where this is to go. Kimunya has been disrespectful to the President when 10
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he basically told him to get lost with his ambition to break ground for the project before his term ends, and ministers in the past were sacked for less reasons. Let us not lose sight that Kimunya very likely misled the parliament with his answers on the issue and is already being investigated for that action. And the Board of KAA had sanctioned the contract in principle even though there is now a cost increase over the figure initially agreed upon. If sections of the board are dancing to Kimunya’s tunes, let them be sacked, too, for trying to sabotage this project,” wrote a regular aviation source from Nairobi overnight. It has since become known that Kenya Airways’ Chief Executive Dr. Titus Naikuni has spoken out, too, expressing his growing concern that any change in schedule would have a significant and financially very negative impact on national airline Kenya Airways. He had on previous occasions minced no words, not when in December last year the B787 Dreamliner was introduced in Nairobi nor at the launch of the airline’s share right issue in April in the presence of President Kibaki, that the growth of infrastructure in Nairobi was quintessential for the growth and future success of the airline. With aircraft number 36, an Embraer 190, expected in September, and then more month-by-month lifting the fleet across the 40 threshold by early 2013, it is needless to say paramount that government delivers on the airport expansion, not just the current work scope but the crucially important second runway and major new terminal under “Project Greenfield,” without which Kenya Airways’ “Project Mawingo” could be stopped dead in its tracks, a failure which competitors on the continent belonging to other airline alliances would gleefully watch happen as no such issues are known to surround the building, for instance, of the new airport in Addis Ababa, where Ethiopian Airlines belongs to Sky Team’s archrival Star Alliance. “If JKIA does not soon start to build the second runway and that new terminal and facilities expansion, the airport will choke on traffic and KQ’s ambitions will be thwarted if not sabotaged. Therefore, I think it is important that the issue of economic sabotage is raised here, and that those individuals trying to scuttle the timeframe need to be exposed for what they are - traitors to progress and development, scavengers only interested in filling their own stomach,” added the Nairobi-based source when discussing the latest developments this morning. What is clear, is that the project is being increasingly submerged in murky waters, making it more and more difficult to see through personal and vested interests of individuals playing the fiddles and vying for the lead, and that investigations will find it difficult to separate myth and intentionally-told fiction from the hard reality of signed documents, signed board minutes, and, in particular, the various letters and green light nods from, among others, the Kenyan Attorney General and the country’s procurement watch dog. Published with acknowledgement to Wolfgang’s East Africa and Indian Ocean reports (http://wolfgangshthome.wordpress.com/)
BUSINESS & FINANCE
Building Trust: Foolproof Steps to Train Employees
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Want to trust your employees to do the job right? Train them like you would teach them to drive, writes Vanessa Merit Nornberg. Building trust in an employee is very much like teaching someone to drive. You don’t just hand him the keys on the first day and let him take the car for a spin while hoping for the best. You have to show him how the car works, what the rules of the road are, and how to handle emergency situations successfully. Only when he can drive you to a destination without incident can he be trusted to take the car out alone. So how do you create that trust with an employee? 1. Start everyone as a passenger. When a new employee joins our team, he spends a significant amount of time learning our products. He is taught our computer system and our order fulfilment process. Finally, he role-plays the correct way to help customers get what they need. Throughout this training period, he does not talk to live customers or touch actual orders; instead he is kept in a classroom-like environment, much like a student taking driver’s ed. Only when he is able to pass a product exam, successfully enter a test order, and impress me with how he handles difficult sales obstacles is he able to move on the next level. 2. Put the employee behind the wheel--in the parking lot. Just because an employee has been successful on the written road test does not mean he is ready to drive. In phase two of our trustbuilding process, a new team member is given real responsibilities, but performs them in an off-road setting, still quarantined from customer contact. Whereas before, he was only allowed to enter test orders, he will now enter actual orders that come in via our website. Because the orders are real, he must enter them correctly, anticipate problems, and make sure they are handled in a timely manner. Essentially, he is given the chance to sit in the driver’s seat, but can only drive around the parking lot, because another team member will be double-checking all of his orders for potential errors. When his orders are error-free, I trust him to take the next step.
compares his order to the order taken by the senior rep. Once he is successfully typing in the same thing as the senior rep, and several orders are done correctly, he can be trusted enough to go further. 4. Time to try the open road. You will never know if someone can actually drive until you let him do it. As a business owner, I find this is the hardest stage because there are real consequences. The employee is now in control of the order-taking situation, but a senior rep will be shadowing him to make sure the order is done right. Even if the new staffer makes a mistake, the customer will not suffer, and the mistake can be used to teach how to make a better choice the next time. This allows me to let the employee drive, but with the safety of my foot close to the brakes, just in case. Once the mistakes diminish, and the employee feels comfortable in most situations, he can be trusted to take the car out alone. 5. Licensed and ready to roll. At this point, the employee trusts that he knows enough about our product, procedure, and mission to be able to drive without a problem from point A to point B. I also trust that he will be able to do that.
3. Let the employee take a drive around the block.
6. Send him on his way.
Driving is difficult at first because it requires the use of many skills at once. At this level, the employee must put together all the product knowledge he has acquired, use our computer system accurately, and do both with a live customer on the line. In order to make it a little less frightening (for both the employee and me), a new employee practices by shadowing a senior rep on calls. The senior rep takes the order, while the new employee listens in, silently getting his cues from the customer, and using them to enter the order on his own computer. At the end of each call, he prints and
Once the new rep is out on the road, I fully expect he may have some minor fender benders along the way. Being okay with that is the final speed bump in the two-way street called trust. About Vanessa Merit Nornberg: In 2004, Vanessa opened Metal Mafia, a wholesale body and costume jewellery company that sells to more than 5,000 specialty shops and retail chains in 23 countries. For more information visit: http://metalmafia.com/ OCTOBER 2012
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BUSINESS & FINANCE
How serious is the trade union threat? When a trade union approaches an employer with the news that its employees have joined the union, one can understand that some employers might experience a sense of betrayal. But is it as bad as it seems? asks Jan Truter of Labourwise. The right of workers to form and join trade unions is a fundamental constitutional right that has its roots in the South African Constitution. The Labour Relations Act deals with the level of union membership in the workplace (referred to as “representivity”) that is needed by unions to acquire organisational rights. It also specifies what rights a union and its members may exercise in the workplace and determines how a union should go about acquiring those rights. Certain rights can be acquired when a union is “sufficiently representative” (which is not defined in the Act) and other rights can only be acquired once the union “representative of the majority” of employees in the workplace.
Employers tend to overlook the fact that they have an opportunity to negotiate a recognition agreement with the union on terms that are not merely one-sided in favour of the union and its members. One cannot deny that employers and trade unions have conflicting interests and this will remain inherent in their relationship. However, besides the checks and balances afforded by the Labour Relations Act to ensure orderly collective bargaining, there are certain benefits for employers in having relationship with a representative trade union. • Properly considered recognition and other procedural agreements with trade unions can lay the basis for order and predictability that might not otherwise have existed. • In a well functioning relationship, the union can even play a constructive role in assisting the employer to manage work performance and misconduct in the workplace. The proposed amendments to the Labour Relations Act seek to increase the ability of trade unions to acquire organisational rights. In essence unions will need lower thresholds of representivity to acquire certain rights, affording minority unions entry to the workplace. It is likely that the amendments will lead to more union activity in the workplace than has been the case so far. While employers may consider this to be bad news, they might as well make the most of the possible advantages mentioned above.
New minimum wages for hospitality industry
So how do employers typically respond when they are first approached? Besides the feeling of being betrayed, there is also the dreaded prospect of the union gaining access to confidential information and interfering in the manner the business is run. Small employers tend to feel more offended and respond more vehemently.
As from 1 July 2012, the minimum wage rates in the hospitality sector are increased by the following:
The employer’s reaction is often one of threatening to withdraw the favours and benefits afforded to employees in the past. While such a reaction might be understandable, it is based on a misunderstanding of the situation.
Employers with 10 or less employees: • Monthly rate: R 2240,60 • Weekly rate: R 517,10 • Hourly rate: R 11.49
Access
Employers with more than 10 employees: • Monthly rate: R 2495,80 • Weekly rate: R 576,00 • Hourly rate: R 12,80
The first organisational rights mentioned in the Act, relate to access: • According to the Act any office-bearer or official of a representative union may enter the employer’s premises in order to recruit members, communicate with members and to otherwise serve members’ interests. This might appear to a be a frightening prospect to the uninitiated employer. A closer look reveals that these rights are not unqualified rights. • They are subject to any conditions as to time and place that are reasonable and necessary to safeguard life or property or to prevent the undue disruption of work. • The right to hold meetings with employees, is subject to such meetings being held outside the working hours of employees. • A trade union cannot simply walk into the premises at any time and insist on exercising its rights. • The Act requires it to notify the employer in writing that it wants to exercise certain organisational rights. The written notice must be accompanied by a certified copy of the union’s certificate of registration and must also specify how it wishes to exercise those rights. • There is also the right to deduction of subscriptions from employees’ wages, leave for trade union activities, election of shop stewards and disclosure of information. 12
Recognition
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These increases are only on minimum wage rates. Higher earners therefore do not necessarily have to receive the same percentage increase. The wage increases have been determined by utilizing the CPI reported by Stats SA on 23 May 2012. The current level of CPI is 6,4%. The wage increase is therefore determined by adding 6,4% plus 1% as stated in the current Sectoral Determination. Therefore the total increase is 7,4%. The increases do not apply in areas that are governed by bargaining council agreements, for example the Bargaining Council for the Restaurant, Catering & Allied Trades that applies in Johannesburg and certain surrounding areas, and the Bargaining Council for the Tearoom, Restaurant & Catering Trade in Pretoria. Labourwise is an on-line labour relations service aimed at assisting employers with the implementation of effective labour relations. They can be contacted via the website at www.labourwise.co.za or emailed at info@labourwise.co.za.
9245 GE 0312 CHEF 634
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BUSINESS & FINANCE
Pulling Out of a Slump I hope nobody told you the travel business was easy. I attended a Cruise World forum in Seattle, USA where the travel professionals in attendance seemed upbeat about business prospects, affirming the general sentiment that pent-up demand for travel is taking hold of the general public, writes Richard Earls. One agent, however, indicated things had not been going her way lately and everyone else’s enthusiasm was just making her feel worse. Her business was down and she didn’t know why. We have all experienced a slump in our business activity. Suddenly things grow quiet, too quiet. The reasons for a slump can be purely individual and unpredictable, but down-turns in business can be reversed if you take appropriate measures. Immediate action is the key. The worst thing you can do is “wait and see”- a slump is psychologically tough to handle, but giving into depression is selfdefeating and prolongs the misery. If you don’t seem to be picking up the momentum you are expecting, if your business is running a bit behind the curve you see others trending, let me suggest a few tactics that can put you and your sales back on track:
anything you can do for them? Be pro-active in your outreach. Ask for referrals and testimonials from your existing clients. Generate your own momentum. •
Coaching and training – keep educating yourself, especially in marketing, sales and customer service. Ask a business coach to assist you. There are a number of business coaches to whom you can turn. Investing in yourself is always important, but especially if you are unable to determine what the problem is on your own. A third party can often see issues and opportunities easier than you.
•
Evaluate the situation – what is at the core of the slump? See if you can pin-point the issue and then design a strategy appropriate to the circumstance.
•
Revisit your marketing plan and calendar – are you keeping the commitments you laid out for yourself? Are you doing the necessary marketing to generate sales? Remember than marketing drives sales, but today’s sales are typically the result of much earlier marketing efforts. Don’t ever quit marketing, your future sales depend on it!
It is important to keep perspective. Slumps are usually temporary and best solved by putting yourself into high gear. Resist the temptation to commiserate with others who are in their own funk. Avoid negativity in those around you and with your peers. Move your associations to people who can help you generate some enthusiasm and determination. Give yourself a break, regain your focus and your balance.
•
Keep touching clients – go to your best accounts and touch base. How are they doing? Is there
Six times down, seven times up. Sometimes you win just by showing up one more day.
About the author: Richard Earls has spent the last 21 years in the travel industry as an agency owner, a technologist, a publisher and a writer. A serial entrepreneur, Richard has sold two of his start-up companies prior to his current project, Travel Research Online Richard believes a new breed of travel agent is ready to emerge from the masses. The days of the casual travel agent are gone and only those who take the art and science of marketing and sales to heart will truly be in demand and succeed. The publishing credits to Richard’s resume are many, including Weissmann Travel Reports, STAR Service, Intelliguide, BTP24, Voyager Travel Guides and Travel Research Online. During his tenure at Northstar Travel Media (parent of Travel Weekly), he learned just how unemployable he is and thus has the greatest of affection for the self-unemployed. For more information visist: TravelResearchOnline.com
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BUSINESS & FINANCE
Recruiting a Financial Planner - PART 2 -
In Part One (page 23, September 2012 edition) we looked at the following: • Various Retirement planning Myths; • Getting started and set up to engage a financial planner for the first time; • 11 sure fire questions to put to your financial planner. In Part Two we will move from “getting set up” to the actual “engagement”, writes Nigel Willmott, CFP® professional. 1. Why appoint a financial planner? Many of us are not equipped to deal with the more complex financial planning transactions. Financial planning transactions can be emotive and complicated. Making the right choice is paramount. This is where the financial guide takes center stage. There are many instances where we will need the assistance of a financial guide; •
Investment planning
•
Healthcare and post retirement planning
•
Adequate and appropriate insurance cover
•
Retirement provision
•
Estate planning
•
Understanding policy and underwriting conditions
Many of these points are inter-played and linked as a composite financial plan. The trick is to get all of these points, and possibly others depending on how complex your needs may be, into one cohesive and harmonious financial plan. This is not a one time activity. Over time our needs, circumstances, goals and objectives will change – our financial plans must be able to change and adapt as required.
•
Submit all FICA and FAIS documents on time and complete
•
Don’t abdicate responsibility, ignorance is not an option
•
Demand service and back up, enter into a service level agreement
4. Always be prepared! •
Keep a handle on your budget. This is the one of the most important tools that will ensure that you stay focused.
•
Create an emergency fund [3 – 6 months expenses cover]. Things happen, no emergency fund means that you will have to borrow to cover the hard times.
•
Keep your debt in check. Debt holds us back. High levels of debt means constrained cashflow. We cannot save if debt is in the way.
•
What are you worth? – keep your Will up to date and relevant. Many of us either do not have a Will or our Wills are not properly constituted.
•
Make sure that you are adequately covered. Do you have enough insurance cover in place?
•
Don’t keep all your investments in one basket. Understand your liquidity needs. Match your investment strategy with your needs and objectives. Understand the impact of time and investment risk.
•
Confirm his personal | his company details in a CV
•
Carry out a full needs analysis and risk profile assessment
There is a lot to consider when employing a financial guide. Be mindful about how you set yourself up in preparation and then understand the engagement process. Understand your planner’s responsibilities and yours. Don’t settle for second best, demand service, you are paying for it. Ensure that the relationship is not one sided. This is not a one time activity.
•
Write up a full record of advice and give you a copy
Good luck…keep them honest.
•
Disclose all relevant fees and commissions
•
See the business through to its logical conclusion and implementation
•
Repeat where necessary for each subsequent transaction
2. The planning engagement – financial planner responsibilities
Nigel Willmott CFP® is the Managing Director of motivate | today, an independent holistic financial life skills company focused on the financial education needs of employer groups, universities and schools.
3. The planning engagement – your responsibilities •
Keep your planner fully informed at all times
•
Insist on clear and relevant information to make a decision on
For further information visit: www.motivatetoday.co.za OCTOBER 2012
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CONSERVATION
Combating Rhino Poaching Since Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles donated six Volkswagen Amarok bakkies to the Wilderness Foundation’s Forever Wild Rhino Protection Initiative in June 2011, the vehicles have travelled almost 300 000 kilometres and have been used in a large number of successful anti-poaching activities, writes Claire Warneke. “Due to the security risk, we can’t offer detailed information on where the vehicles have been and what they have been used for,” says Wilderness Foundation’s Conservation director, Matthew Norval. “However, we can confirm that the vehicles have been used extensively in KZN, Kruger, the Pilanesberg, Indalo Private Game Reserves and the Great Fish River Nature Reserve. They have been part of a coordinated anti-poaching strategy which has led to a number of successful arrests and convictions.”
▲ Matt Genrich from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles poses with a rhino during a Shamwari Game Reserve notching operation in June, 2012
Forever Wild works together with the SAPS Hawks Rhino Unit as well as a number of other conservation agencies which have developed a proactive approach to the poaching crisis. “Rather than being reactive, the Amaroks are deployed as part of a preventative plan based on intelligence gathered in the field,” says Norval.
“The vehicles have allowed team members to access difficult roads, and have been used for additional fence patrols and security measures,” says Norval. “Not only have a number of rhino poaching incidents been prevented, but at least 20 other animal poaching arrests have been made, and many rifles and other firearms have been recovered. One of the vehicles was even used in the arrest of some artefact thieves who were attempting to steal historical relics from a reserve.”
The Amaroks have also been utilised in a number of rhino notching
exercises. The notching is imperative for gathering rhino DNA, and for being able to identify individual animals for census purposes. The majority of the successful rhino-poaching convictions were based on DNA evidence.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has pledged to renew the vehicle lease for another year. The R2-million sponsorship is part of the partnership between Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and the Wilderness Foundation, the pioneers and administrators of the Forever Wild Rhino Protection Initiative. Jaco Steenekamp, General Manager: Sales and Marketing at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said; “Ensuring that the sponsorship one becomes involved with is in fact delivering the intended results is often very difficult to determine. In the case of the Forever Wild anti Rhino Poaching Initiative we have concrete examples of the difference our vehicles are making and this really makes the sponsorship worthwhile.”
▲ Rhino Notching Operation in Pilanesberg National Park in April, 2012. 16
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He added: “Our partnership with the Wilderness Foundation is one we treasure and are proud of, jointly we have been able to make a difference to the people and the animals involved in the programmes that we partner in ”
CONSERVATION
Illegal African lion trade in Far East Image © Brian Courtenay
Striding proudly on short grasses of the African savannah, lions are the major tourist attraction of all the wild animals, pulling in big crowds of tourists to the East African premier wildlife parks, writes Apolinari Tairo. Recent media reports on an emerging trade in lion bones is cause for concern to nature conservationists and tourist business companies in East Africa, fearing that their companies may be forced to close down if these big cats become endangered. Tourist stakeholders in Tanzania fear that emerging trade in lion parts would stimulate a high level of poaching of the big cats and decimate their numbers in protected areas.
Several directors responsible for wildlife supervision have been sacked on corrupt practices, and recently, the Minister responsible for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr. Khamis Kagasheki, vowed to sack all corrupt officers in the wildlife department. Unlike rhino and elephant, which are highly protected in Tanzania, lions are not much protected because their body parts are not needed by local Tanzania poachers. Only professional and rich hunters kill lions for trophy - the skin and foots (paws), while welltrained wildlife experts are engaged to kill and process the lion skin.
A recent media report published in South Africa said lion bones have become a hot commodity for their use in Asian traditional medicine, driving up exports from South Africa to oriental states.
Trophy hunters in Tanzania are allowed to shoot male lions, the old ones, leaving alone females and young productive lions. But lion bone markets would attract poaching of any lion found roaming freely.
The report pointed out Vietnam and Laos as the leading East Asian nations where lion bones had found a new lucrative market, fearing to see illegal hunting of lions to feed those markets, while China came in next in demand.
Lions are scattered all over Tanzania, living in protected and unprotected open areas. Tanzanians are not interested to kill lions, except for protection purposes. Only the Maasai herdsmen kill lions to express their bravery shortly before marriage.
Protection
New Markets
East African lions are protected under legislation in each country, but not listed as an endangered species under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Media reports from South Africa said lion skeletons are mostly shipped to Vietnam and Laos, feeding conservationists’ fears that the market will drive up lion poaching -- just as the illegal hunting of rhinos escalates for their horns, also popular in Asian traditional remedies.
Under CITES list, lions are classified as a vulnerable species. Hunting of these big cats is allowed under CITES regulations, but with issued permits from respective countries. Lion trophies from East Africa have so far flooded the international markets of Europe, America, and Asia. It is estimated that there were over 200,000 lions in Africa in the 1960s, but their numbers have dropped to about 17,000 to 30,000 in the past 8 years, creating fears among conservationists that these big cats are on the verge of extinction. Africa is not the only continent inhabited by lions, mostly in the plains savannah in Eastern and Southern Africa, with a few in West and Central Africa. There is a very small population of Asian lions found in Gir Forest in India. Kenya and Tanzania are the leading African countries boasting big prides of lions in their leading wildlife parks, pulling most tourists visiting these two African destinations, and no single foreign tourist who wants to leave these two countries without seeing a pride of lions. Tanzania Hunting of lions in Tanzania is conducted through special permits issued by the Wildlife Division under the Ministry of Tourism. Tourist stakeholders fear the worst if the trade in lion bone flourishes, taking into reality that the Wildlife Division has been counted as he most corrupt government unit in the Ministry of Tourism.
“Suddenly, and very recently, there are a great number of people from Laos who have a big interest for trophy hunting. And that had never happened in the whole history of Laos!” said Mr. Pieter Kat from the conservation NGO, LionAid. Around 500 lions are hunted legally every year in South Africa, most of them from commercial lion breeding farms, which also supply zoos all over the world. Until recently, hunters paid $20,000 just for a trophy to hang above the fireplace, and the carcass was thrown to the dogs. But their crushed bones have become popular, as a substitute for the bones of tigers, in love potions or “tiger wine.” Trade in tiger parts is banned under international law, as the animal is a threatened species. Now Asian hunters buy lion trophy hunting permits to get at the bones, Kat said. Breeders are also coy about the number of lions they have on their farms. South Africa is thought to have 5,000 in captivity. But the bones of wild lions - thought to be more potent - are worth even more in Asia, which threatens the 3,000 big cats left in the country’s reserves, animal rights groups say. Lion breeders in South Africa deny the lion bone trade will spark poaching similar to that of rhinos. Apolinari Tairo is the Tanzania correspondent for eTN http://www.eturbonews.com/ OCTOBER 2012
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CONSERVATION
End of the road marks the beginning of environmental change Tracks of Giants, the epic conservation trek over 5000 kilometres through six southern African countries has come to an end. But the impact of the expedition will have a lasting effect for years to come, writes Claire Warneke. Starting on the Namibian coastline on May 01, 2012, the journey saw a team of conservationists travel across southern Africa through Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa where the two team leaders Ian Mc Callum and Ian Michler met with conservation ‘giants’ in each area. The “two Ians” undertook the entire journey without the use of mechanical transportation. They walked, cycled and kayaked in the historical tracks of migrating elephants in order to highlight the need for corridor conservation, transfrontier parks, and promote more understanding about the coexistence of humans with wild animals. They were supported by a backup team, and joined by various sponsors and environmentalists along the way. After the expedition “Now that the expedition component, which has been absolutely vital for the gathering of relevant and up-to-date field data, is done, the most significant challenge is about to begin,” says specialist wilderness guide, photojournalist and naturalist Ian Michler. “In the months to come we will be processing and laying out all the conservation, wildlife management, community and ecotourism issues we have encountered along the route. We are hoping the final products (a book and documentary film) will be ready in time for the next World Wilderness Congress in October, 2013.” Medical doctor, psychiatrist, writer and conservationist, Ian
▲ The two Ians - photojournalist and naturalist Ian Michler and medical doctor, psychiatrist, writer and conservationist, Ian McCallum.
McCallum, hopes that the expedition has laid the groundwork for building the trust of the local people in each region. “If we do not get the trust of the people on the ground, conservation is doomed. They have been disempowered over the years by government and government departments, but we have to start listening to what they have to say.” The collar At the close of the expedition, the Tracks of Giants team handed over a GPS-linked elephant collar which they carried with them throughout the journey. The collar acted as a constant reminder of the purpose of the journey as well as a valuable part of the backup team’s equipment. It was handed over to the Elephants Without Borders (EWB) organisation and will become part of the journey’s legacy when it is attached to one of the elephants that the organisation tracks in the Chobe region of Botswana. “The collar is a symbol of what we’ve learned from monitoring elephants and how that knowledge has become our path, leading us towards positive conservation efforts,” says Kelly Landen of EWB. Landen and Dr Mike Chase, also from EWB guided the Tracks of Giants team through Chobe and the Linyanti Floodplain in Botswana. The twenty week journey culminated on the dunes at Cape Vidal on KwaZulu Natal’s northern coastline on Monday, September 03. Wilderness Foundation CEO, Andrew Muir joined the team for the final week of the journey walking along the shores of St Lucia – a Natural World Heritage Site. They were met by founder of the Wilderness Foundation and Wilderness Leadership School and world-renown conservationist, Dr Ian Player. “The journey may have come to an end, but the full impact of Tracks of Giants is still to come,” says Muir. “The Wilderness Foundation is extremely grateful to all the environmental organisations, sponsors and supporters that made this journey possible.” For more information visit: www.wildernessfoundation.org Tourism Tattler has followed the Tracks of Giants story - read more in the following back issues: Issue 4 2012 (July) - page 17 Issue 5 2012 (August) - page 14 available at: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&fieldkeywords=tourism+tattler or http://www.magcloud.com/browse/ search?q=tourism%20tattler
▲ The team walking across the Horuseb River Valley
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CONSERVATION
Unusual cooperation helps Mossel Bay’s wildlife An intern working for a local environmental partnership identified a problem amongst the game animals in a refinery’s veld area resulting in a private game reserve stepping in to help, writes Martin Hatchuel.
Image © Kelvin Saunders
Kelly-Jane Peo – a third year student in game ranch management at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University – is currently employed as an intern at the Oyster Bay Reserve, a community-based project of the Mossel Bay Environmental Partnership (MEP). Her work includes the management of the game in the veld areas that surround the nearby PetroSA refinery. “In terms of our internship agreement with PetroSA, Kelly-Jane has been doing research into the carrying capacity, veld conditions and the condition of the game at PetroSA as part of her practical training,” said MEP chairperson, Beverley Boer. “She found that the carrying capacity has been exceeded, and that some animals are starting to inbreed, which is weakening their gene pools.
“The intention is also to build up good relationships between Gondwana, PetroSA, and the Oyster Bay Reserve, to ensure future game exchange opportunities if they’re needed, and also to provide further research opportunities for students like the people who will take over my projects when my internship is finished,” she said. Ms. Boer said that PetroSA’s executives have provisionally accepted a game management plan proposed by MEP. Russel Mamabolo, regional manager of corporate affairs at PetroSA, said that, “PetroSA is excited about the animal exchange programme as it will assist with the effective game management at the nature reserve. “It should be noted that the nature reserve is an indication that PetroSA can co-exist with an environmentally sensitive facility.
“At the same time, one of our past interns - Chris-Mari Dorfling, who now works at Gondwana Game Reserve – found that Gondwana needed springbok. So a game swap was proposed, and with the blessing of the PetroSA and Gondwana management teams, some of Gondwana’s zebra will now be swapped for some of PetroSA’s springbok. None of this could have happened if Kelly-Jane and I hadn’t worked together earlier this year at PetroSA, and if I hadn’t come to Gondwana knowing the situation at PetroSA.
“As a company, PetroSA is committed to ensuring that its operations minimise any possible harmful impact on the environment.”
Ms. Boer said that Ms. Peo and Ms. Dorfling – working with John Vogel, Ms. Dorfling’s mentor at Gondwana – are currently busy attending to compliance with CapeNature’s permit conditions.
“As an industry, tourism could transform the economy of Mossel Bay - but it will only be able to do so if the environment is protected, since the environment is the town’s main attraction. So while the PetroSA/Gondwana game swap is scientifically sound and displays good management practice, it’s also a symbolic gesture which shows that industry in Mossel Bay is serious about conservation. And that’s very good news for everyone.”
“They have to get approval for the transport we’ll be using, and to make sure there’s adequate fencing at PetroSA, and so on – but the game exchange will probably begin next week, weather permitting.” Ms. Peo said that, for her, the most challenging parts of the project have been getting the correct permits from CapeNature, and planning an operation in which so many parties involved. “But Natalie Baker, the Conservation Services Officer at CapeNature helped us with this – and I really want to thank her for that: I’ve enjoyed the challenges, and the learning process has been invaluable. “The long term goal for this project is to improve the condition of the veld on the reserve at PetroSA, and also to establish viable populations and breeding herds for all animals.
Fred Orban, a founder member of MEP and a member of the board of directors of Mossel Bay Tourism, said that the game swap – and the management agreement that has resulted from the project – auger well for the future of wildlife in Mossel Bay. But, he said, there are economic considerations here, too.
For more information visit: Gondwana Game Reserve www.gondwanagr.co.za Oyster Bay Reserve www.oysterbayreserve.co.za Mossel Bay Environmental Partnership www.mep.org.za PetroSA www.petrosa.co.za Mossel Bay www.visitmosselbay.co.za and www.facebook.com/visitmosselbay OCTOBER 2012
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EVENTS
TAFI Convention moved to 2013 The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) convention in South Africa has been moved from October 2012 to February 2013. The event is being hosted by SATSA and sponsored by Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, in the beautiful city of Durban, writes Marjorie Dean. The TAFI convention is a major event in the tourism calendar in India, and SATSA are delighted to host it in South Africa for the first time. More than 1000 delegates (businessmen, entrepreneurs and travel agency owners, are expected to attend). Between them they are collectively responsible for 70 per cent of all the outbound long-haul tickets sold within India. In India, travel agents prefer to sell products of which they have had personal experience, therefore the opportunity to see and experience a wide range of South African product will give all those who participate in this convention a significant marketing edge in this growing market. To enable South African companies to take full advantage of this unique event, we have designed an Exhibition Area that will allow SATSA members and South African product a significant opportunity to market your wares to this influential group of travel professionals in our own back yard.
Sponsorship opportunities exist at all levels. From lanyards, pens, pencils and notebooks to teas and lunches, water bottles and car hire. We are happy to offer part and co- sponsorships for the opening and closing events. For more information contact Bunny Bhoola on +27 83 632 2420 or +27 333 453175 or email: bunny@africanlink.co.za
HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE: ADVERTISING: The Tourism Tattler will be distributed to delegates at the TAFI Convention. Contact Beverley for special rates bev@tourismtattler.co.za EXHIBIT: Secure your space (3m x 3m sq.) in the Exhibition Area. Forms can be obtained from: ashna@africanlink.co.za The Exhibition Opportunities brochure can be downloaded at: http://www.tourismtattler.co.za/downloads/taficonvention2012.pdf
The TAFI convention committee members during a site inspection of the Tsogo Sun Beverley Hills Hotel in Umhlanga are from left to right: Darshan Shah - Hon Treasurer, Praveen Chugh - Vice President, Pradip Lulla - National General Secretary, Zakkir Ahmed - President, Promod Kohli - MC member & Convention Advisor and Bharat Shah - Co-Chairman.
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EVENTS
HICA 2013
Dates Announced
The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has confirmed dates for the 7th Hotel Investment Conference Africa (HICA). HICA 2013 will take place in the time slot ahead of the annual Tourism Indaba, on 9 and 10 May in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, writes Kagiso Mosue. HICA is an established business to business networking platform focused on showcasing Southern Africa as a viable investment destination in the hotel and hospitality sector. It is an event which is also dedicated to improving the knowledge base within the region in terms of building and operating hotel and hospitality facilities. The target audience is local and international investors, hospitality property developers, owners and operators and government leaders and officials operating in the tourism space. The conference is convened by the TBCSA and hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) and the KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority (TKZN).
Leaders’ Panel on the Safari Industry, an update on the global and local macro economy and a developers session with special focus on key cities and countries with the region. Delegates can look forward to the addition of new topics which are in tune with current industry developments. There will be discussions around increasing hotel occupancies, the value of brands; incentives for implementing responsible tourism practices and discussions on how to structure hotel deals and finances, just to mention a few. “We are currently finalising the topics and conference programme to be published on the HICA 2013 website. “Please look out for more information on conference programme, speakers and registration costs from mid-October” concluded Ramawela. For further information please phone TBCSA offices on 012 654 7525 or visit: http//:www.hica.co.za
TBCSA Chief Executive Officer, Mmatšatši Ramawela said post the inaugural South African Travel and Tourism Industry Conference (SATTIC) 2012, participation at HICA 2013 is ‘a must’ for businesses wanting to take forward discussions on how to improve the attractiveness of Southern Africa as a tourist destination amidst increasing competition from countries such as Morocco, Kenya and Thailand. HICA is the platform for those seeking investment opportunities and knowledge about operating in the sector especially in the current economic climate. “Post SATTIC 2012 it is now time to focus on the key resolutions from the conference, one of them being on how we can improve and diversify our tourism product offering by being more innovative – doing things differently. Considering that the hotel industry is at the centre of the tourism value chain, it goes without saying that the discussion on innovation and doing things differently should proceed to HICA” she said. Ramawela added that the viability of ideas such as the development of new coastal resorts or holiday camps for the lower-end of the market (as suggested at the SATTIC conference) should be explored further and HICA is the correct platform for these discussions to take place. The two-day conference comprises of a combination of plenary and breakaway sessions and will include popular topics such as the Hotel Performance Barometer from a global and Southern African perspective to update delegates on the state of the industry; the OCTOBER 2012
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EVENTS
Industry conference sets course for
‘Top 20 by 2020’ The inaurgural South African Travel and Tourism Industry Conference (SATTIC), which took place in Ekurhuleni from 02 to 04 September, put South Africa on the path to success by providing a platform for many of the country’s most important role players to share their ideas and concerns around implementing the National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS), writes Martin Hatchuel. About 200 delegates from the public and private sectors took part in three days of frank and open discussions designed to achieve collective results that will lead to sustainable growth through improved competitiveness. The NTSS aims to make South Africa one of the world’s top 20 tourism destinations by 2020. The country is currently ranked 34th overall in the World Economic Forum’s 2010-11 Global Competitiveness Report.
Among the key conference highlights which Mr. Msimang identified were the issues of business activism and responsible tourism. “One of the important findings of Sunday’s discussions was the importance of the industry taking an active role in shaping public sector policy and legislation.” Topics under debate on the first and second days of the event included an examination of tourist arrivals; an examination of the level of competitiveness of South Africa’s tourism industry; the question of skills development in tourism; and the country’s reputation, positioning, and value proposition.
The plenary session on domestic tourism yielded a number of challenges which need to be addressed – including the need for research into the desires and aspirations of those South Africans who haven’t yet been catered for by the tourism industry. This session was moderated by Professor Ernie Heath of Delegates to the Conference agreed that this the School of Tourism at the University of Pretoria, objective will only be achieved through their who said that he is excited about the possibilities concerted cooperation and collaboration. Previously, now opening up to us through which the country though, this might have been an almost impossible Master of ceremonies, can create an ‘ignite’ campaign which will see more task. Denis Beckett. South Africans travelling than ever before. He said In his closing remarks Tourism Business Council that the secret to a successful domestic tourism economy will be, of South Africa (TBCSA) chairman, Mavuso Msimang, said that, “Globally, the travel and tourism industries are notorious for their “To ignite thousands of little candles that will let our domestic fragmentation. Their name is synonymous with never being able tourism flame burn bright.” to work together – but in one fell stroke you [the delegates] have, by bringing yourselves together here today, achieved a marvellous unifying effect, with all the advantages that go with that. “Through SATTIC we have managed to create a single platform for the industry to engage and plan collectively – as described by the conference slogan ‘Working together, and winning together.’”
Breakaway sessions during the conference examined opportunities in medical tourism, marine tourism, social media, and sports and events – and produced two of the most significant findings of the conference: that South Africa has the potential and the assets to become (a) a significant medical tourism destination, and (b) an important marine tourism destination. Chief executive officer of the TBCSA, Mmatšatši Marobe, said that these issues need to now be incorporated into the NTSS – even though this might be a challenging process, since the NTSS has already been approved by the national cabinet. But this is what SATTIC was designed for: to identify what needs to be done, and to set those wheels in motion that need to be set in motion. Mr. Msimang said that SATTIC must now be institutionalised as an annual conference, “And if you agree, as I come into the chairmanship of the TBCSA, I’ll work very hard to make sure that we do this, and do it properly.” The dates for SATTIC 2013 will be published in the November edition of the Tourism Tattler - Ed. More information visit: www.tourismvision2020.co.za
The TBCSA gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors for their valued support to SATTIC 2012:
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HOSPITALITY
The Iniquitous Single Supplement The Single Supplement is one of the most-hated “norms” in travel. So why do we do it, asks Chris Harvie. According to statistics, more than 40% of the adult population in Britain is single, and up to 15 million of them take a holiday alone very year. ABTA (the Association of British Travel Agents) continues to lobby for hotels to build more single rooms and tour operators across Europe continue to report annual increases of more than 50%, in many cases, in the numbers of bookings for single travellers. Even in the US, a more conservative market, CNN tells us that 22% of the travelling public travels solo. So what do the vast majority of South African hotels do to these pioneering souls, ready to take on the world alone? They charge them double! Why? Because, in the convoluted mind of the accountants who set the rates, they are leaving empty a bed, or half a bed, which could have been used by somebody else and thus damaging RevPAR. But let’s look at the realities. Unless your hotel is running at 100% occupancy, on most days you are not turning away guests, and you’d be better off having one person in an empty room, paying half the potential room rate, than no-one at all, wouldn’t you? And the single traveller is probably more likely to eat in than go out to a restaurant alone; more likely, with no distractions, to use the hotel’s income-generating facilities such as the bar, room service, the pay-movie channel; and more likely to make friends with the staff and therefore return regularly if well looked-after. The solo tourist The majority of single travellers are not on holiday. They are on business: reps, contractors, shop-fitters, for example. They want somewhere to dine, sleep and eat breakfast before pulling out
early in the morning. They are easy clients. They don’t loiter in their rooms. They only use one towel. More often than not, they enjoy a few drinks and some company in the bar. Frequently, they are on a budget. So why do we punish them? And the solo tourists are often the most interesting guests of all. Far from being dull and friendless, they are forthright and outspoken, independent and energetic, entertaining and sometimes eccentric. And we charge them extra! At Rissington Inn, we abolished the single supplement five years ago and we haven’t looked back. We go out of our way to make singles comfortable. We give them space when they want it. We give them a reading light at their dinner table if they need one. We make them feel secure and normal without forcing our company on them. Sometimes they team up with other guests, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they like to chat, sometimes they don’t. They are just like anybody else. They don’t smell more, or have worse teeth. While, I concede that we may occasionally have turned away a more lucrative booking by taking a solo traveller, we have also upped our numbers of business clients dramatically and enjoyed the company of some great single tourist-explorers. In addition, we have welcomed huge families with a solo Granny accompanying them, where she would elsewhere have been charged double and not been able to come. How rewarding is that? Abolish the single supplement In my view, everyone should be charged the same. There should be no single supplement. South Africa, as a destination, should stand up and welcome the single traveller. It should also be illegal for a hotel not to upgrade all clients, single or otherwise, to the best room available on the day. After all, a restaurant always offers you its best available table. A butcher always gives you his best cut of meat. Giving a client a last-minute upgrade doesn’t lose money or cost much more and it’s just plain good manners like not charging a single surcharge. We are in hospitality after all. Chris Harvie is a long-standing South African hotelier with 30 years’ experience in lodges around the country. He owns and runs Rissington Inn, in Hazyview, Mpumalanga. For more information visit: www.rissington.co.za OR follow on Twitter: @RissingtonInn OCTOBER 2012
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HOSPITALITY
Goodersons embraces the domestic market
“A South African Company for South African People” It is always interesting when a company ‘breaks the mould’. It’s even more interesting when that company is an old-established and successful company, such as Gooderson Leisure. (SATSA Member 197). So a recent interview with Gail McCann Westphal, General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Gooderson Leisure, was quite an eye-opener, writes Marjorie Dean. At recent travel industry conferences and talkshops, there has been much hot air generated about the need to cater for and build up the domestic leisure and conference market, as much as satisfying overseas visitors, and it was exciting to find that Goodersons, a company that has kept a bit below the radar, has quietly and efficiently been doing just that. Says Gail Westphal, “Our chairman, Alan Gooderson, could be described as a visionary. Combine that with his age and years of experience at the sharp end of the hotel and hospitality business, and you have a powerful force for change. “The company listed on the AltX of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, on the 26th of September 2006, which is a division of the JSE, and a parallel market focused on good quality, small and medium sized high growth companies. AltX provides smaller companies not yet able to list on the JSE Main Board with a clear growth path and access to capital. A new CEO, Gavin Castleman, was appointed in March 2012 to head up the day-to-day operations and the running of the company, and this has released Alan Gooderson to focus his considerable energies on developing the company in a direction in which he wants it to grow.” Gooderson Leisure was known as a KwaZulu-Natal business, and has been keeping out of the limelight. Under Alan Gooderson’s leadership, the company has refocussed itself to provide excellent quality accommodation and facilities, but still at prices that are affordable. The company has expanded from KwaZulu-Natal into Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo. New properties have been acquired, older ones seriously spruced up, and the portfolio now offers a range of choices possibly not equalled by any other South
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African accommodation group. And the changes are by no means finished. Goodersons is still looking for the right properties to buy and transform and develop into their mixed use concept. For Goodersons does not run with the herd. It does things in its own way, and has a very good handle on its market, and what that market wants. And the fact that what it’s successfully doing is exactly what the South African Tourism industry needs, indicates that it is very much in tune with 21st Century South Africa. A company slogan is that it offers “Great value, Good fun”. And the company embraces all aspects of accommodation in this country. Its offerings range from luxury city hotels and excellent conference centres to country lodges, mountain resorts and affordable seaside and country holiday accommodation, including both timeshare and self-catering. Family Market Their market is varied but mainly aimed at families looking for that priceless commodity – a place to spend precious quality leisure time together. The emphasis is on making that accommodation affordable, while not compromising on quality and service. So their properties, particularly the resorts, have plenty of things to do on offer for all ages. Many South Africans have a great nostalgia for the kind of holidays they had as children, lovely lazy sunny days, enjoying all kinds of activities together, grown ups and children having a lot of fun and relaxation. Goodersons realised, that can still be achieved, even in the age of cellphones, laptops, e-mail and computer games. Upgraded Facilities The first step was to upgrade properties, inside and out. Rooms and restaurants have been upgraded – now boasting modern and well designed furniture, design and softs. Bathrooms are modern and comfortable. Buildings have been modernised, redesigned and architects have created a new image with new buildings. Outdated properties such as the old Beach Hotel in Durban have been sold. The new acquisitions are being given a facelift. This is particularly evident at Fabz in Lonehill where they have spent over 3million upgrading facilities and building state of the art conference rooms.
HOSPITALITY
Facilities such as golf courses have been upgraded to the point where the Drakensberg Gardens Resort hosted their first annual PRO-AM in February 2012 and are in discussions to host a PGA event in 2014. Several properties have Luxury spas – a “must” for busy people today wanting to relax. BMX and mountain bike trails have been developed at Drakensberg Gardens and activities such as adventure golf, horse riding quad biking, birding trails and hikes for all ages are on offer at their resorts. And the business market has not been forgotten. Conference venues, some with facilities for team building are available at almost all properties. These are aimed at local business, affordable and also efficient. Goodersons’ properties have been graded – most going for a threestar grading, soon to be followed by new properties which have
been refurbished. Fabz and the Kloppenheim Country Estate will be going for four stars. Gooderson Leisure’s approach is both practical and focused. This is heartening, at a time when many in our industry are carried away by schemes that are both economically unfeasible and grandiose. South Africans are known as practical people – it’s one of our great virtues. So we wish SATSA Member #197 (they joined way back in 1990, and have been loyal members ever since) every success with their plans. To be a “South African company for South African people” is a great achievement, and one that could well be emulated by others looking to crack the supposedly “difficult” domestic market. Goodersons is a company to watch! For more information visit: http://goodersonleisure.co.za/
GOODERSON LEISURE PROPERTIES Hotels:
Tropicana, Durban, KZN Fabz Garden Hotel & Conference Centre, Lonehill, Gauteng
Resorts:
Drakensberg Gardens Golf & Spa resort, Southern Berg, KZN Natal Spa Hot Springs & Conference Centre, Paulpietersburg, KZN Kloppenheim Country Hotel & Spa, Machadadorp, Mpumalanga Monk’s Cowl, Central Berg, KZN San Rock Resort & Conference Centre, Modimolle, Limpopo
Lodges:
Bushlands Game Lodge, Hlulhluwe, KZN Dumazulu Lodge, Hlulhluwe, KZN
Cultural:
Dumazulu Cultural Village, Hlulhluwe, KZN
Timeshare:
Silversands 1,2 & 3, Durban, KZN Mtunzini Forest Lodge, Mntinzini, KZN Fairways Gold Crown Resort – Drakensberg Gardens, KZN Kloppenheim Country Hotel & Spa Natal Spa, KZN
Caravan Parks: Drakensberg Gardens, Natal Spa & San Rock, KZN Self- Catering:
Offered at all properties except Tropicana and Fabz.
www.cushman.co.za
SHUTTLE 02
SHUTTLE 04
With room for two and an extra-long cargo deck, the Shuttle 2 is ideal for supporting housekeeping, food service and maintenance operations. Get your people where they need to be in reliable comfort and style
The Shuttle 4 is the ideal choice for transporting staff as well as your guests and their luggage and golf bags. Spacious seating for four and a cargo bed ensure a sophisticated look and keep guests comfortable while on the move.
CENTURION Telephone: +27 (12) 653 8945 Email: info@ezgo.co.za
CAPE TOWN Telephone: +27 (21) 905 0242 Email: infocape@ezgo.co.za
GEORGE Telephone: +27 (44) 874 5041 Email: infogeorge@ezgo.co.za
DURBAN Telephone: +27 (82) 781 6839 Email: infokzn@ezgo.co.za
OCTOBER 2012
SHUTTLE 06
When groups need to get to their rooms, the pool or just want a tour around the propert property, the Shuttle 6 is your go-to vehicle. It has the power and payload to cruise with a full load without hesitation. The roomy Shuttle 6 is perfect for any environment where transporting people is a top priorit priority.
© 2012 E-Z-GO All rigts reserved.
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HOSPITALITY
Sub-Saharan Africa’s Hotel Industry
Poised For Growth The outlook for the hotel industry in Sub-Saharan Africa looks increasingly positive, with potential growth of 7-15 percent in RevPAR (revenue per available room) expected for 2012 compared with 2011 - which augurs well for the future of the industry in the region, writes Gail de Villiers.
Speaking at the Africa Property Invest Summit in Johannesburg (4 & 5 September 2012), Joop Demes, CEO of Pam Golding Hospitality, said this is almost double the growth anticipated for America and Asia. “According to a recent report by Goldman Sachs, growth in 2012 RevPAR in America and Asia’s hotel industry is forecast at around 5-7 percent. In further contrast, in Europe overall 2012 RevPAR is expected to be flat with a decline of 2-4 percent in a number of South European countries such as Italy, Portugal, Spain and Greece. “Compared with the same trading period in 2011, the South African STR results for July 2012 reflect an overall year to date RevPAR growth of between 9.8 percent for 3-Star hotels up to 12.6 percent for 5-Star hotels. In addition, the July year to date occupancy of 57.7 percent in South Africa compares well with America’s forecast of 60 percent in 2012. Furthermore, in regard to South African hotels, the July 2012 PricewaterhouseCoopers Hospitality Outlook publication forecasts a growth of 14.4 percent in 2012 RevPAR, while also predicting a compound 8.7 percent annual growth rate in RevPAR from 2012 to 2016.” Asked what the key factors were which are driving new growth opportunities in Africa, Demes said growth in RevPAR in the hotel industry, as well as the room pipeline of hotels, is strongly dependent on GDP and employment growth. “From these statistics one can easily select the African countries that offer growth opportunities – which tend to be the resource rich countries. There are, however, also many branding opportunities for existing hotels in Africa. In America approximately 70 percent of all hotels are branded, while in Africa (other than South Africa) we estimate that some 35 percent or less are branded, and this presents an opportunity for the large and well-known South African and international operators,” he said. “Further growth opportunities for the hotel industry in Africa exist in regard to the development of affordable holiday resorts for domestic and regional holidaymakers, including timeshare developments by well established and trusted operators. Historically and globally, many traditional hotel companies have extended their operations into timeshare, corporate and residential apartments or condominiums. Branching into these markets allows hotel operators some protection from hotel and travel cycles.” Demes pointed out that in 2011, as much as 13 percent of the total turnover of Starwood Hotels – one of the larger global hotel operators – was derived from timeshare related trading. He says the purchase of timeshare in Africa will not only provide the owner with 28
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Joop Demes, CEO of Pam Golding Hospitality affordable regional and international exchange and holidays, it can also, if the model is designed properly, provide the owner with the opportunity to make an exchange through points for stays in city hotels. Current ‘buy-down’ trend among consumers Demes said that the current ‘buy-down’ trend among consumers in the South African hotel market has been imbalanced by severe discounting. “If we take the achieved average daily rate in South Africa’s hotels and extrapolate this by a compounded rate of 6 percent, and then compare this to what the prevailing rates in 2012 should be, it reveals that on average 5-Star hotels are currently discounting rates by 19.4 percent, 4-Star hotels by 19.9 percent and 3-Star hotels by 12.2 percent. Presently this is impacting negatively on budget hotels, whose customers are poached by higher graded hotels. This trend towards discounting is however, not sustainable as the newer hotels will need to increase rates to service debts.” He said another trend evident in the local market is that free independent travel is increasing at the cost of standard tour operator business, while globally lead times prior to booking accommodation becoming shorter and shorter. Importantly, Demes highlighted the fact that due to a number of important factors, certain existing hotels present the opportunity for lucrative acquisitions compared to retail and commercial. “As mentioned, GDP growth drives the average daily rate and occupancy, as does the low availability of capital for new hotels and low room pipeline (ie fewer additional rooms planned). A further positive is that since 2007/8, hotels have been compelled to consider and dramatically increase their operating efficiencies and margins. “After a number of highly attractive 5-Star hotel transactions, we now have a number of very attractive 3-Star hotel opportunities available with existing yields between 8-12 percent, and at an acquisition price that is about half of replacement value. So if one adds to this the above reasons of increased operating efficiencies, declining room pipeline, declining availability of capital for new hotels and forecast GDP and employment growth - as to why we are optimistic about increasing yields in the hotel industry in South Africa - the time is indeed right to consider acquisitions, particularly from a black empowerment point of view,” added Demes. “We also see the opportunity for a real estate investment trust structure that incorporates mid-market hotels spread across borders in a number of African countries,” he said. For further information contact Joop Demes of Pam Golding Hospitality on 082 883 2231 or email jdemes@goldinghotels.co.za.
LEGAL
personal benefits to the doctor e.g. an overseas conference or golf tour?
The CPA and
Supplier Rights SALES AND MARKETING
THE NEED FOR A NEW APPROACH TO CONSULTANT TRAINING
– PART 1 –
PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE & TRANSPARENCY The first change in travel agents’ mindset occurred when zero commission was introduced some seven years ago and travel agents started charging consultation fees. Suddenly they were faced with a dichotomy i.e. who is actually my client – the passenger (‘pax’) or the product/service provider? Who must I favour in my final decision of product or service choice – the pax or the service/product provider that provides me with the best benefits e.g. over-rides, educationals or inspection tours? At that point travel agents were faced with the same dilemma as many other professionals e.g. doctors: who should the latter favour: the patient or the product that offers the best
If there was any doubt in the travel agent’s mind, that doubt has now been settled by the CPA! Over and above such much published issues as misleading marketing (which I will deal with in the next issue), the travel agent’s disclosure and recording keeping duties (sections 27 & 49 especially as well as corresponding regulations 9 & 10) and levels of transparency have increased in quantum leaps! Information to be disclosed includes the following: • Breakdown of price and all amounts payable to the travel agent by the pax and third parties, such as commission and/or over-rides • ‘Information which may be relevant to the consumer’ – this is a subjective test and it emphasizes the need to know your customer! There is thus a much greater requirement for inquisitive sales and selling the pax what he/she wants and not what the travel agent’s perception of his/her needs are! • ‘Information that may be relevant’ – this includes detailed product and service knowledge • Information that the travel agent is ‘reasonably expected to be aware of’, such as passport, visa and health requirements. Records to be kept (for 3 years) include the following: • The above • Advice given and ‘the basis upon which the advice was given’ e.g. why SAA and not BA, etc. Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide a brief overview of legal matters pertaining to the travel and tourism industry and is not intended as legal advice. As every situation depends on its own facts and circumstances, professional advice should be sought in each instance. © Adv Louis Nel, BENCHMARK, October 2012.
OCTOBER 2012
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MARKETING
Barter unsold bed-nights and tours for Media We all know that advertising builds brands and generates new business leads, but when marketing budgets shrink and cash-flow dries up, we need to find practical solutions to retain top-of-mind awareness. What better way to do this than to trade ones excess inventory, writes Des Langkilde. In todays economic environment, there are few travel and tourism service providers who can claim to be running at full capacity throughout the year. Unsold bed-nights, empty seats in restaurants and on tour coaches are very much like perishable products in the FMCG sector - if you don’t sell them by the expiry date, they’re gone forever. But there is a very practical solution to this age old dilemma. Barter. By barter, I don’t mean exchanging a hotel room or restaurant table with meals for its equivalent value in candles or some other product or service that you don’t need. I’m talking about currency in the form of barter dollars, that is banked in the same way as cash transactions are paid via electronic funds transfer (EFT) and spent by procuring goods and services through the barter network to offset your normal cash transactions, like buying advertising, legal services, linen, car-hire, property, travel and accommodation to name but a few. A lucrative travel channel According to the International Reciprocal Trade Association (IRTA), over $12 billion in barter trade was exchanged between 400,000 companies worldwide last year. Considering that 40 percent of this $12 billion was bartered for media and 30 percent for travel and accommodation, this is certainly an alternative travel channel that is worth tapping into. Bob Meyer, the editor of BarterNews, stated in an article published in the August edition of Tourism Tattler that “the global value of annual economic activity facilitated by some form of barter trade exceeds USD 3.7 trillion. The growth of barter and the economic activity that it facilitates is not limited by money, but inspired and propelled by a lack of money. With that said, bartering stands to grow a lot.” Tapping into the barter market The first step is to open an account with a reputable corporate barter broker to gain access to local and international clients with barter dollars to spend. TransMedia Barter has been in the barter business for 19 years and is represented in Southern Africa by yours truly, so clearly I recommend their services. There is no cost to open an account, no monthly or annual membership fee and no sellers, finders or admin fees. The way that TransMedia makes its revenue is when they help you to spend the barter dollars that you have earned by charging a 10% cash fee on the value of each barter transaction when you use funds from your barter account. This motivates the TransMedia team to provide 30
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solutions to your procurement needs as they only get paid when you have something to buy and not when you have something to sell. The second step is to determine how much of your excess inventory you want to make available on barter trade. For example if you own a 10-room guesthouse, are running at 60% occupancy and charge R1,000 per room, per night (incl VAT), on a bed and breakfast basis you may want to make 10 percent of your excess inventory available. This would equate to 146 room nights or R146,000 per annum. Be sure to include VAT as barter trades must be accounted for. The third step is to covert this allocation to coupons or vouchers. TransMedia will buy these vouchers and sell them on to other international barter agents to sell to their clients. Your barter trade account (just like any bank account) will be credited with the full value of the transaction (17,627.65 USD at the prevailing exchange rate while writing this article). So not only have you just sold 10% of your hitherto lost bed-nights and increased your occupancy rate overnight, you’ve also been paid upfront and have the means to reduce your cash procurement expenditure immediately. The fourth and final step is to brief TransMedia on your media buying strategy (or any other procurement needs that you may want). TransMedia has a media planning and booking department and if we, or our network of global barter agents, don’t have the radio or TV station, cinema, magazine, website or outdoor signage media in the country that you want, we’ll get them onboard. And the best part is that only 10% of the transaction will impact your cash flow. But that’s not all - what you’ve really done is to convert those empty, and never to be recovered, rooms and seats into a cash saving solution that will generate new cash business, because the prospects that respond to your advertising exposure aren’t barter clients. So what’s holding you back? Are you really going to miss this opportunity of tapping into an existing, lucrative travel channel worth billions of dollars because you’ve never done barter the way that it should be done before? Or are you going to take action now and turn your occupancy rates around? For hospitality and media barter trading opportunities in Southern Africa contact +27(0)87 727 8631, email des@transmediabarter. com or visit: http://www.transmediabarter.com/
MARKETING
Market Intelligence Report The information below was extracted from available data as at 20 September 2012, writes Martin Jansen van Vuuren.
ARRIVALS The latest available data from Statistics South Africa is for January to May 2012: Current period
Change over same period last year
193 553
4.7%
UK Germany
109 390
13.1%
USA
124 116
19.2%
India
43 285
24.7%
China
50 963
73.0%
Overseas Arrivals (excl same day visitors)
1 008 013
18.0%
African Arrivals
2 743 755
8.3%
Total Foreign Arrivals
3 762 687
10.8%
Note that African Arrivals plus Overseas Arrivals do not add to Total Foreign Arrivals due to the exclusion of unspecified arrivals, which could not be allocated to either African or Overseas.
HOTEL STATS The latest available data from STR Global is for January to July 2012: Current period
Average Room Occupancy (ARO)
Average Room Rate (ARR)
Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR)
All Hotels in SA
57.7%
R 878.62
R 507.36
All 5-star hotels in SA
56.3%
R 1 564.49
R 881.39
All 4-star hotels in SA
57.7%
R 845.30
R 488.04
All 3-star hotels in SA
57.7%
R 703.38
R 405.76
Change over same period last year All Hotels in SA
7.3%
3.4%
10.9%
All 5-star hotels in SA
11.5%
1.0%
12.6%
All 4-star hotels in SA
8.1%
3.5%
11.9%
All 3-star hotels in SA
5.4%
4.2%
9.8%
ACSA DATA The latest available data from ACSA is for January to July 2012: Change of same period last year
Passengers arriving on International Flights
Passengers arriving on Regional Flights
Passengers arriving on Domestic Flights
OR Tambo
1.4%
-0.6%
-1.8%
Cape Town International
7.6%
19.7%
1.9%
King Shaka International
15.4%
N/A
-4.8%
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR MY BUSINESS Much has been written in the media recently regarding tourism statistics and the validity of the numbers. In recent MIR’s details have been given on how the numbers are compiled and accordingly it will not be repeated again. The fact of the matter is that the national tourism statistics are just that...national tourism statistics. It is not market intelligence for a tourism enterprise, be it located in Johannesburg or Pofadder. The best way to gain market intelligence is for tourism enterprises (including accommodation, attractions, restaurants, tour operators, etc) in a specific geographic area to share information. This is, of course, not easy as tourism enterprises are worried that they will somehow provide their competitors with an advantage if they share information. The truth of the matter is that tourism enterprises can increase their business by sharing information and pooling their resources rather than trying to battle ahead on their own. It requires a change in mindset of many existing tourism enterprises, but it is what is required to generate real market intelligence in a specific area. Once market intelligence is being generated on a local level, the national tourism statistics will be like hearing that Bill Gates has made another billion dollars... it is nice for him but it does not affect my day to day life. For more information contact Martin at Grant Thornton on +27 (0)21 417 8838 or visit: http://www.gt.co.za OCTOBER 2012
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MARKETING
Slick mobile lessons from a small, design and boutique hotel Understanding your customer inside out, taking lessons from others who have done it well, knowing how much you have to spend, and getting the right technology partner on board are all key to a good design strategy, writes Philipp A.L. Patzel. Most hoteliers should now understand the importance of reviews. But would they go as far as building a function into their mobile website so that guests can load entirely independent snaps or reviews of the room, restaurant, or facilities to the company’s own website in real-time? It certainly sounds like a risky strategy, but this is exactly what Viennese design and boutique hotel, Hollmann Beletage, has done. You have to be really confident in your product and service, but you also need to know your customer. When it comes to heading down the mobile strategy, I cannot stress enough how important it is to understand and analyze your target market, know what you are hoping to achieve, and what you can afford. When developing a mobile strategy, the first and most important thing you need to do is understand your market inside out. If you have a highly-loyal returning customer base, for example, then a state-of-the-art app might just deliver a return on investment. If you’re a predominantly leisure outfit, a mobile booking engine probably isn’t so important, but if you’re a business hotel, it definitely is. Numbers from the big online travel agencies (OTAs), like Priceline and Expedia, find that 60% to 80% of bookings made on mobile are for the same day and are made within 25 kilometers of the hotel. For this reason, users searching for hotels on a particular day won’t have to enter time and location. This suggests they may be business travellers, or perhaps backpackers looking for a last-minute deal. In this case, how your mobile site deals with the considerations of time, immediacy, and proximity of location is crucial. Many of the big OTAs will only deliver nearby hotels in search results of somebody looking for a hotel on a mobile. But it is important to remember that people are also using their mobiles to research travel and they then go on and complete the purchase on a desktop. A results driven approach There are four phases in the mobile purchasing process: 1. Inspiration and engagement: Remember when a person is using the mobile in the research phase, they may well be in a place where there are lots of distractions such as on a train or bus. So the site should create, engage, and encourage discovery and maintain focus. This means lots of pictures, or it could mean a game. Hollmann Beletage has developed a memory game, which allows potential guests to discover parts of the hotel. 2. Evaluation and information: Offer the user appropriate information in a very functional easy way - where is the location, 32
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how much does it cost, what does a standard/deluxe room look like, and so on. 3. Purchase: It is very important to ensure that the mobile website also switches to a mobile version of a booking engine. This is mainly down to ease of use; entering numbers into a normal booking engine can be very frustrating and you could lose customers. In many hotels, the mobile website still switches to a normal booking engine. The fact that many consumers are not yet sure about spending big amounts via mobile is another reason to ensure that this function is as simple as possible. 4. After sales: At this point you need to engage customer loyalty. This could be encouraging them to connect Facebook to become a friend, clicking into a hotel newsletter, and so on. If you have these four steps in place, then you are well on your way to having a functional mobile website. Many firms are, however, not there yet so what are the mistakes to avoid? Don’t • Replicate the desktop. It should be seamless and simple, offering a functional user experience, or you probably won’t get that customer coming back; 80% of users quit the mobile website immediately if they have a bad experience. • Offer too much information, which may diminish the user experience. Time and functionality is of the essence, so avoid large data and flash tools. Do • Make it easy for the customer to book in any way s/he wants. • Understand that speed really does matter. Pages need to load quickly, so be aware of photo resolution. • Always give users an option to switch to the desktop site if they want more information. • Look closely at the mobile sites of some of big OTAs, which have got simplicity and functionality well. So what to spend and how to spend it? When it comes to the mobile website, you can spend a little or go for a “Rolls Royce” solution. It is crucial to be online and on the smartphone, but you do not need all the bells and whistles. It comes down to understanding your market. For those firms on a budget, there are ways of being mobile without having a mobile app or mobile website. You can get away with your desktop site on the mobile if it is well-designed with no flash applications. You can claim your own location-based services, like Yelp and Foursquare, and name your Google+ place. And, of course, there is Facebook. So whatever your budget, there really is no excuse. Mobile is here and you need it. Philipp A.L. Patzel is the General Managerat the Viennese Austrian Design & Boutique Hotel. Hollmann Beletage will be sharing more insights at EyeforTravel’s Online Marketing, Mobile & Social Media in Travel, Europe 2012 on the 3rd and 4th of October. For more information visit: http:// events.eyefortravel.com/online-marketing-and-social-media/index. php?utm_s...
MARKETING
A Few Thoughts on B2B Marketing. The Buzzword:
Relationship
Relationship is formally defined as a connection between people — emotional or otherwise. A relationship can be thought of as a dependence, affinity, or kinship, writes Ardath Albee. What I find the most interesting in relation to marketing is the word “connection.” This seems to be the missing link for many marketers whether they’re referring to potential or existing customers. Let’s first take a look at what does not equate to a relationship: One white paper download. From experience, I know that I won’t remember the company or the paper when they call me to schedule a demo because I had a brief encounter with their website form. Showing up when it’s time to renew the contract. This is a case of what have you done for me lately? A relationship must have a personal or human component. It cannot be solely reliant upon my experience with the product, alone. A relationship must have some kind of human value exchange. A ReTweet, follow, like, or invitation to connect on a social network. I have a lot of followers. I follow a lot of people because I’m interested in what they’re talking about or a cause they’re passionate about. This does not mean I “know” them or that they know me. In fact, if we go back to the work “connection,” it must encompass some kind of “knowing” or recognition. This generally means there needs to be an exchange or even a longer term engagement. The problem in marketing is that we seem to paint the word “relationship” with a one-size-fits-all brush. We talk about customer relationship management as if we actually spend time with all of our customers equally. We seem to think that transitory experiences with prospects mean more to them than they would in any other context if we thought about it rationally. For example, when you think about your personal relationships, you have levels of them, right? Your hierarchy could look something like: Acquaintance - someone you’ve met a couple of times; Colleague - someone you’ve worked with and perhaps respect; Professional - someone who delivers a service (dentist, doctor, accountant); Mentor - someone you learn from; Friend - someone you like and rely upon; Spouse - someone you know intimately, love and rely upon for the long term; Family - people you love unconditionally (if all is right in the world). I’m not going to argue semantics on this one - you get the point. There’s an evolution based on how well you know them and what role they fulfil in your life.
Marketing relationships From a marketing perspective, establishing relationships with prospects must also be thought of in some kind of hierarchical fashion. This may run in parallel with buying stages and the level of engagement that can be established and earned along the way. If you flip what I said above about personal relationships to a B2B prospect’s perspective then the relationship you have with them will be determined by how well they know you and what role you may have earned the right to fulfil in relation to their needs and priorities. Their hierarchy with respect to your company could look something like this to your prospects: Nobody - I may have heard of your company, but I have no opinion or affinity; Acquainted - I may have had exposure to your content or brand in some way; Familiar - I know who you are, but I’m not yet sure you’re relevant to my needs; Known - I’ve discovered you may have insights I find valuable so I’m paying more attention; Respected - I’m following your blog or have subscribed to your newsletter because I see consistently valuable ideas; Mentor - I’m now on the lookout for your content and have shared your stuff with my network; Expert - I’m in conversations with your salespeople to see if you can really help me; Customer - I’ve decided you bring enough value to the table that I’ll invest in having you help me solve my problems. I think I can rely upon you; Advocate - You’ve proved your value and I’m so enthusiastic, I think others should have you help them — and I’m proactively sharing my praise. Do you notice the additional steps and time it takes for a worthwhile relationship to form for both of you? Yet the standard today is that we treat people who consider us “nobody” or maybe “acquainted” as if they’re bona fide prospects. This stems from our determination that anyone who could become our customer is viable whether they want to be or not. If you look like a “duck,” by gosh we’re going to make you one! Relationships are not something to be taken lightly. They take a lot of work and a lot of consistent value delivery. This is why the way you go to market is so important. Think of the hierarchy as a ladder. If you slip up, you slide down a rung or two, maybe more. Then you have to rebuild. The level of relationship marketers can build will pretty much dictate what they can accomplish with their marketing initiatives. Relationships are about credibility and trust, as much as value and relevance. This being said, prospects don’t just build relationships with one part of your organization. Marketing can only take them so far. What happens when salespeople get involved better be a seamless extension and the same when it comes to implementation teams and customer service. The challenge is in how to establish lifecycle relationships, not just an experience in a pocket of time.
Ardath Albee is CEO and B2B marketing strategist for her consulting firm Marketing Interactions, Inc. - http://www.marketinginteractions.com/ She is the author of eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale - a comprehensive guide to help marketers drive decisions to buy in their favor http://www.emarketingstrategiesbook.com/
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PHOTO GALLERY This month’s Photo Gallery features a stunning series of action shots submitted by wildlife photographer, Marie-France Grenouillet. These images titled “The Hippo is startled by the Goliath Heron and takes evasive action to protect its baby, the Heron flies on while the Hippo looks on” have been viewed over 1000 times in a single month on her website. The images were taken during a boat trip from Ruckomechi Camp Lodge on the Lower Zambezi, Zimbabwe on 13 May 2012.
All images © Marie-France Grenouillet 2012. Camera: Nikon D300S with a Zoom Sigma OS APO 50-500mm F4,5-6,3
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Born in Normandy, MarieFrance spent her childhood in a village with one dream: to discover the world. If the images categorised by continent and country in her website are anything to go by she is certianly living her dream. “Pictures show what words cannot translate precisely and help us to keep an authentic memory of the past - they are a faithful witness when the souvenirs become just a sepia tone memory!” says Marie-France. Website: http://www.planetstillalive.com/ Email: denis-marie@club-internet.fr
gadgets
Safari
&gifts
gizmo’s
TECHNOLOGY
This edition’s selection has been sourced with acknowledgement to Livingstones Supply Co. Suppliers of the Finest Products to the Hospitality Industry. http://www.livingstonessupplyco.co.za
FIRST AID MEDICAL KIT Our First Aid Kits, are designed with carefully chosen products to ensure that your Establishment is prepared for almost every incident that may occur. Price: R2,047.46 ($246.35).
THE AFRICAN DIARIES
The Africa Diaries is a powerful first -person account of the Jouberts extraordinary work as wildlife researchers and conservationists. They document their odyssey through passages culled from the pages of their field journals and over 130 stunning full-colour photographs, giving readers a rare insight into their unusual lives in the African bush. An illustrated memoir of life in the bush by Dereck and Beverly Joubert Price: R233.00 ($23.03)
All prices indicated exclude VAT and are per the currency exchange rate as at 17 August 2012 (1 ZAR = 0.120322 USD).
ALUMINIUM SLATTED TABLE This Compact aluminum table is the perfect camping and outdoor cooking companion. Hot pots and pans will not damage the aluminum slat top. Accordion style frame is quick and easy to set up and takes up little space when transporting. Price: R564.85 ($67.96).
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TRADE NEWS
BOTSWANA
provide reassurance to travellers visiting the country following media reports of insecurity in the country.
New camp opens in the Linyanti Reserve Wilderness Safaris has announced the opening of the new DumaTau Camp on the Linyanti River in Botswana’s Linyanti Wildlife Reserve. The camp was completely rebuilt on a new site, a little further upstream from its original location. Situated between two elephant corridors, it offers an exclusive river and land experience to returning and new guests, in a completely sustainable manner. The camp’s ten tented units – eight twin and two family – are raised off the ground to overlook the Osprey Lagoon. In line with the Wilderness 4Cs ethos, DumaTau operates completely on solar energy, for hot water, lighting and other energy needs, and is built of FSC-standard timber. In addition, the camp has waterwise waste removal and is built with green and thermal insulating materials. For more information visit: http://www.wilderness-safaris.com/
KENYA
A regular source from the Kenyan coast reports overwhelming disappointment by industry stakeholders associated at the Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association. MCTA chairman Mohammed Hersi, gave the present performance a 6.5 out of a possible 10, a far cry from the 10 out of 10 when Kenya broke all records last year, before Islamist terrorists from the Al Shabab group in Somalia attacked tourists and resorts at a distant stretch of beach near the Somali border. Another stakeholder pointed out that now is the time to invest in product innovation, upgrades of hotels and resorts and a complete review of the way guests are entertained and looked after, to copy the methods of 5-star destinations like the Maldives or Seychelles. The upcoming COMESA Tourism Forum in Nairobi will undoubtedly be a suitable platform to discuss the various approaches and the future of tourism in the trade block. It remains to be seen what recommendations the COMESA Tourism Forum will make to the private and public sectors to move the industry ahead and anchor it firmly as one of the key engines of economic growth amongst member countries. For now though, tourism stakeholders at the Kenya coast are disgruntled and are getting angrier by the day, demanding immediate counter action by the Kenya Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism. Update on reports of insecurity in Kenya The Kenya Tourism Board issued a statement on 13 September to SATSA / RETOSA Tourism Tattler Trade Journal
The report emphasizes that Tana Delta is over 70 kilometers away from Lamu, which is known for an abundance of tourist attractions but skirmishes have not been directed to any tourists. Other parts of the country have been peaceful as a result of the tightening of security across the country. For more information visit: http://www.kenyatourism.org
Kenyan coast resort operators blame government for lack of tourists
36
“There have been clashes in Kilelengwani, Tana River District between members of two communities; the Pokomo and Orma, over land and water within the past two weeks. While competition over the resources has been there over the years, the clashes reached fever pitch in September leading to violent clashes that lead to the death of over 100 people with loss of properties and livestock as well as displacements. Resolution mechanisms instigated by government include the deployment of security personnel to the area; a disarmament exercise and an initiative led by religious leaders to ensure peaceful and harmonious coexistence” says Muriithi Ndegwa, Managing Director of the Kenya Tourism Board.
OCTOBER 2012
NAMIBIA Germans invest in Caprivi region The German Development Cooperation recently invested millions of Namibian dollars in the Caprivi region, allowing for the development of two new Park Management Stations in the Bwabwata and Mudumu National Parks. These new stations complement the construction of the Mahango station two years ago. According to the Namibian government, the efforts of the Namibian-German co-operation to develop the parks are having a positive effect on wildlife numbers and the experience of visitors, which in turn bring considerable benefits to the region and the local communities. During the opening ceremony of the two new stations, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said: “In the Bwabwata National Park, where about six thousand people live inside the park, benefits for the community include the rights to harvest natural resources such as Devil’s Claw, which generates about N$300 000 (R300 000) a year, and trophy-hunting concessions that yield about N$4m (R4m) a year for the communities.” For more information visit: http://www.giz.de/en/
TRADE NEWS
SADC RETOSA Travel and Tourism Industry Workshop RETOSA plans to host a SA Travel Industry Workshop on Thursday, 25 October, 2012. Members of the travel and tourism private sector are invited to attend. This is the first of the many series that RETOSA plan to host across the country. The Regional Tourism Organization of Southern Africa (RETOSA) is a permanent institution of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) responsible for tourism growth and development. In part, the aims of RETOSA are to increase tourism to the region through sustainable developments and initiatives, effective destination marketing, improved regional competitiveness and to create investment awareness for tourism development in the region and ultimately, to reduce poverty in local communities. RETOSA works together with the region’s national tourism ministries, tourism boards and numerous strategic partners such as UNWTO, ICTP and ATA to achieve these. For more information contact marketing@retosa.co.za
SEYCHELLES Seychelles increases its protected and reserve area only two months after Rio pledge Following the Rio Conference held in June in Brazil, where at the Head of States side event, “Leaders Valuing Nature: A Celebration of Commitments”, Seychelles, pledged to the international community to further increase its protected area and special reserves. The government has further demonstrated its commitment in marine and terrestrial protected areas by changing the status of the D’Aros and St. Joseph atolls to that of a protected reserve. These islands are the first within the Amirantes group to be declared protected area, and law is being put in place to turn the atoll into a marine and terrestrial protected area also known as special reserves. Seychelles has already committed 50% of its terrestrial area as protected area. Currently the government has committed up to 30% of its marine territory as protected area, with 15% designated as a no-take zone. For more information visit: http://saveourseas.com/blog/the_darros_group_of_island_becomes_a_ natural_reserve_managed_by_save_our_se
SOUTH AFRICA Resignation of Roshene Singh - A big loss for tourism Roshene Singh’s imminent departure from SA Tourism is a major loss to the travel and tourism industry, said Mmatšatši Ramawela, Chief Executive Officer of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA). Responding to news of Singh’s imminent departure from her position as Chief Marketing Officer, Ramawela
said Roshene has played a critical role in profiling South Africa as a destination of choice both locally and internationally. “As administrators of TOMSA, the TBCSA has been working very closely with Roshene and her team over the years and we are sad to hear the news of her departure from SA Tourism”, Ramawela said. Throughout her tenure with SA Tourism, Singh has been at the centre of collaborative work with the private sector on a number of projects, notably SATTIC 2012, the Welcome Campaign and Shot’ Left Campaign. “On behalf of the TBCSA and TOMSA Board, our members and levy collectors and the industry at large, we wish Roshene much success in her future endeavours, as we know that she will surface somewhere in the industry or other economic sectors in the future”, Ramawela concluded. Tourism SMMEs network with leading online tourism experts A hundred small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) drawn from South African Tourism’s South African Travel Directory attended the 5th Annual E-Tourism Africa Summit at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 13 and 14 September, courtesy of South African Tourism. “It’s our way of helping emerging and small businesses in tourism get connected; meet and exchange ideas with heavyweights in social media; and fast track their digital marketing work to grow their businesses, create jobs and get into the tourism big time,” says William Price, global manager: e-marketing at South African Tourism. For more information visit: http://www.e-tourismfrontiers.com
Urban Hip Hotels includes “The Vic” in portfolio Urban Hip Hotels is proud to announce the inclusion of “The Vic”, formerly known as “Victorian Villa Guest Manor” into our hotel portfolio. This hotel consisting of a beautiful Mews of interlinked Victorian Houses is situated in the heart of Port Elizabeth, the hub of the Eastern Cape. Built at the turn of the 19th century, this property features 24 luxury en-suite bedrooms. It also has communal areas featuring a funky chill zone, a bar, coffee station, a light and breezy dining area as well as an outdoor swimming pool. Urban Hip Hotels will commence operations from the 1st October 2012. For more information visit: http://www.urbanhiphotels.com.
Rhino Parade takes off at King Shaka International Airport On 20 September a large group of people gathered at Newscafe at King Shaka Airport for a unique rhino unveiling event, to support 2 local sports celebrities, Pat Lambie and Shaun Pollock, as they pledged their commitment to the fight against rhino poaching. OCTOBER 2012
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TRADE NEWS
Pat and Shaun were the first two celebrities to raise their hands to become involved in the Durban leg of the Wildlands’ Rhino Parade, an innovative fundraising campaign based on the internationally renowned Cow Parade concept. The initiative seeks to raise funding for the war on rhino poaching by getting South African Ambassadors to adopt and help design a ¾ life size black rhino sculpture, which is then auctioned at a high profile Gala Dinner, set to be held on the 29th of November at Durban City Hall. The 2.5m long and 1.8m high rhino sculpture that is used to tell each celebrity’s individual story is made from a water-based resin, originated by Peter Hall, and then cast following a mould-making process by Kim Goodwin of the hugely respected Goodwin Foundry in Lidgetton. For further information contact Lauren Laing at laurenl@wildlands.co.za
Global participation in this year’s Tour de Tuli 320 Cyclists from 19 different countries partook in the recent Children in the Wilderness (CITW) 2012 Fedhealth Tour de Tuli, which was held from August 2-7. Now in its eighth year, the tour is the prime fundraising event for Wilderness Safaris’ non-profit organisation Children in the Wilderness. The four-and-a-half-day multi-stage mountain bike event took riders on a 300 kilometre trek through two national parks, traversing three countries, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. During the tour a donation of US$1 500 was made by CITW to the Gwana and Beitbridge communities in Zimbabwe. Another project that was initiated during this year’s Tour was that of Maramani Village School 14, which is in desperate need of school buildings and equipment. Many cyclists expressed an interest in assisting with the development of this school, and US$3 000 was donated for this purpose, as well as a commitment to making the school a beneficiary of future Tour de Tulis. While the figures are not final yet, the contribution to Children in the Wilderness is estimated to be between R1.7 and 2 million, all of which will go to the costs of running camp programmes, eco-clubs and mentor training. For more information visit: www.tourdewilderness.com/
Embodying the Spirit of Ubuntu through Responsible Tourism Responsible tourism is a key guiding principle for development tourism, one that has given the Iliso Care Society life for almost seven years. The community-based project in Khayelitsha has received funding to the value of R71,500.00 as part of a responsible tourism initiative executed by the Cape Town-based tour operating company, Wilderness Touring and its Italian tour operating partner, Il Diamante. For more information visit: http://www.toursandtrails.com/
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Peacock leaves Granny Mouse Country House & Spa Owner of Granny Mouse Country House & Spa, Gill Bowmaker announced today that her popular and bubbly Sales Manager Tracy Peacock will be leaving Granny Mouse due to exciting changes in her personal life. Tracy says, “My husband’s decision to start his own business means he will be travelling extensively, which means that I am not able to be as mobile as I have been in the last few years and cannot focus on the Durban market for Granny Mouse”. For further information about Granny Mouse Country House & Spa contact gill@grannymouse.co.za
Tenants gearing up for opening of new-look Boardwalk Major tenants at The Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World are investing millions of rand in upgrades ahead of the completion of The Boardwalk’s own R1-billion hotel, convention centre and new casino facilities. With the majority of the fast food outlets now trading successfully in a new zone overlooking the lake, the latest outlet to upgrade is the popular News Café. “The News Café revamp has been timed to coincide with the completion of the construction of the 140-room five-star hotel, international-standard convention centre and health spa,” says Clifford Ngakane, general manager of The Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World. “More upgrades are being done to other favourite restaurants, including Dulce’s and El Greco, both of which are expanding. Their investment shows that they are confident that The Boardwalk will remain the favourite tourist and leisure destination in Nelson Mandela Bay,” he says. Tshwane Metro decision threatens Rietvlei Dam Nature Reserve The Rietvlei Dam Nature Reserve, situated to the southeast of Pretoria, is of significant ecological importance, and one of only a few remaining grassland biomes on the South African Highveld. The reserve stretches over 3800 ha, and is a popular bird-watching destination in Gauteng and home to approximately 80 endemic bird species. In May 2012, it became known that Tshwane Metro Council decided to make 100 ha of this reserve available to Supersport United for the development of a sport centre. The Council made this decision without following prescribed legal procedures to obtain the necessary approval. There was no environmental impact assessment process and the Council did not even consult its own internal department for the environment. Greater awareness among the public can help to stop the Tshwane Metro it its tracks. An online petition for Rietvlei had been created at http://www.avaaz.org/ en/petition/SAVE_RIETVLEI_NATURE_RESERVE/
TRADE NEWS
New GM to turn around the Riverside Hotel & Spa The Riverside Hotel & Spa has a new General Manager, Jerod Flaum, and positive changes are in full swing. With a new menu in the pipeline, a website launch and a few nips and tucks this Three Cities Exceptional Hotel will spark an interest with many travellers seeking to come and enjoy the Durban summer sun. Jerod’s favourite quote is “The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realist adjusts the sails” by William Arthur Ward. He enjoys setting objectives and motivating his team. A day in Jerod’s life consists of attending meetings, brainstorming sessions, assessing progress and most of all meeting the guests as he wants to be involved in making their experience at Three Cities’ Riverside Hotel & Spa one to write home about.
Kalifungwa will result in very positive growth in visitation and bring benefits to local communities in the Dinokeng Project area”, said Ms. Dawn Robertson, CEO of both the Dinokeng Project and of the Gauteng Tourism Authority. World Rhino Day celebrated by Thula Thula Exclusive Private Game Reserve On 22 September Thula Thula joined the world in celebrating all 5 rhino species and raise awareness of the threats facing their survival. On that same day, six rhinos were found dead in KwaZulu-Natal game parks. Four white rhino were found in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve, one at Ndumo and a black rhino in the Isimangaliso Wetland Park. “The killings push the province into second spot (after Limpopo) on the national rhino-kill rankings for this year. A devastating blow for rhino conservation,” said Francoise-Malby Anthony of Thula Thula Exclusive Private Game Reserve.
For more information visit: http://www.riversidehotel.co.za/
Stylish Stellenbosch at Summer Place The fine wine people of the south will share the glamour of the Stellenbosch Wine Routes with Jozi socialites when Sanlam Private Investments brings the 3rd annual Stellenbosch at Summer Place back for an unsurpassed wine, food, music and art extravaganza on 07 November. South Africa’s granddaddy of wine routes together with Sanlam Private Investments (SPI), have paired the finest winemakers and chefs from the country’s premium wine region for a sophisticated celebration of all things epicurean. Stellenbosch at Summer Place 2012 is for those who would love a taste of the Winelands’ good life and for just R395 will get exactly that. Tickets are limited and flying fast so make sure you get hold of yours today. The doors open at 18h30. Book your tickets on http://www.webtickets.co.za now. For more information on Stellenbosch at Summer Place 2012, send an email to events@wineroute. co.za or visit http://www.wineroute.co.za
Peace Ambassadors visit Dinokeng Mr. Louis D’Amore, the founder and president of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) visited South Africa in September to share his vision of a higher purpose for tourism.
Since the start of the poaching epidemic in 2008, South Africa has lost 1398 rhinos: 2008: 83; 2009: 122; 2010: 333; 2011: 448; 2012: 412 (as at 27 September). For more information visit: http://www.thulathula.com
ZIMBABWE Mana Pools under threat again Members of the tourism industry have joined forces to protest the threat of opencast mining in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park with the launch of a Facebook Community Page, ‘Save Mana Pools’. Two major mining companies, Habbard Investments and Geo Associates, have recently expressed interest in mining heavy minerals in Mana Pools. They received a prospecting licence at the end of last year. According to industry players, the proposed sand mining could have a severe impact on the tourism appeal of Mana Pools as well as on the riverine vegetation, as it would involve excavating the river to least 100m on each side of the bank. Besides the imminent mining threat, there are two tourism developments that are of concern in Mana Pools. Construction has already begun on Mana Pools Safari Camp, which is allegedly not intended to be a tourism venture but a private holiday home consisting of six double chalets and staff quarters to house no fewer than 24 staff members. The other lodge, Nyamepi Lodge, is currently undergoing an Environmental Impact Assessment. For more information visit: http://www.facebook.com/SaveMana?ref=ts
D’Amore believes that tourists should strive to become “Peace Ambassadors” and try to cultivate a meaningful relationship with people in the counties which they visit. Mr. D’Amore was accompanied on his visit by Dr. Patrick Kalifungwa, from the Livingstone International University of Tourism Excellence and Business in Zambia. Their mission was to promote positive and peaceful relationships amongst African countries and also between African countries and other parts of the world. “We are confident that the visit by Mr. D’Amore and Dr.
To be featured in the Trade News section, e-mail: editor@tourismtattler.co.za OCTOBER 2012
SATSA / RETOSA Tourism Tattler Trade Journal
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