November 22 2017 I No.

2472 SOUTHERN AFRICA’S TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY

TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY

TNW8435SD
INSIDE

NEWS NEWS FEATURE

VENICE DIGITAL TOOLS SHOPPING DESTINATIONS
Large cruise ships banned Essential for modern travellers Splurging on the spot beats online
Page 2 Page 4 Page 8

Agents charged with fraud

Joburg agent to face the music Durban agent in deep water
Sarah Robertson August, after which she allegedly did Tessa Reed been used. The clients said the agent,
not honour airline payments. Sue Cowan of Taking you Places, was

A
NUMBER of fraud charges have
been laid against Johannesburg-
based Fatima Joosub, director of
One for Travel Services and previously
of Ayka Travel, after she allegedly took
money from clients and did not pay it
over to suppliers.
Fatima was arrested in early October
but was then released on R5 000
bail. The court case was initially set
for October 17 but was postponed to
early November and has now been
postponed a third time, to January 17.
Fatima allegedly purchased One for
Travel Services from Ethienne Smit in
Two clients, Brian and Jessica Lee,
booked their honeymoon to Kenya
through One for Travel Services in
July for travel in December, when the
company was still owned by Ethienne.
Fatima took payment for the
outstanding portion of the couple’s
R24 000 honeymoon booking.
However, when Brian contacted One for
Travel Services in November regarding
yellow fever requirements they could
not get hold of anyone. When he
contacted the airline, there was no
record of tickets held in their names.
To page 12
AT LEAST three charges of fraud have
been laid against an independent
travel agent accused of taking clients’
money without actually issuing tickets.
TNW has spoken to two of the affected
clients and it has also emerged that
these allegations are not being made
for the first time.
The charges, two of which have been
laid at Hillcrest police station and one
at Pinetown police station, are still
under investigation.
They come after clients who had
booked air tickets were informed at
check-in that their tickets had already
using old tickets and doctoring them to
add new passenger names.
Sue used to ticket through Serendipity
Worldwide Group, but group operations
director, Dinesh Naidoo, says she
was suspended in February this year
and her membership has since been
terminated.
He says the suspension came after
two airlines, Delta and Singapore,
contacted SWG about tickets issued
by Sue. He says in both instances,
passengers were flying on two tickets,
where only one of the tickets had been
To page 2

Scramble for overrides ratchets up

Tessa Reed
DURING 2017, a number of tour
operators have scaled back their
offerings, including selling fewer
destinations and/or less product in
the destinations they sell.
But while a less diluted market
can make it easier for consortiums
Hello birdie! and groups signing preferred
agreements to reach override
targets, it leaves consultants with
Air Mauritius celebrated the arrival of its brand-new A350 900 aircraft on less choice and less ability to give
the Johannesburg route with trade partners at OR Tambo International clients requested product, while
Airport on November 14. Jo’burg is one of the first routes to receive the there is also less competition in the
flagship aircraft. Pictured here, on board for a special ‘viewing’ of the market.
new cabins, are (from left): Lidia Folli of BidTravel; Carla da Silva of Air Annemarie Lexow, sales and
Mauritius and Jackie Turnbull of The Holiday Factory. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl marketing manager of Travel Vision,
comments: “Consortiums are trying
to get their agencies to understand
that the more suppliers they use for
the same destinations, the more
they dilute their business and the
long-term effect is that they won’t
reach their target.” She adds that
with more operators scaling back
their offering, consortiums are better
able to reach the targets set out
in their preferred agreements with
suppliers.
Sailesh Parbhu, md of XL Nexus
Travel, says how the development
affects overrides really depends on
what is discontinued by the operator.
“If our non-preferred suppliers and
To page 2

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Bidvest sells Cullinan stake
Tessa Reed
IT IS business as usual for
Cullinan Holdings following the
sale of Bidvest’s shares in the
company.
Cullinan’s travel and tourism
brands include Pentravel,
Thompsons Holidays and
Thompsons Travel. Cullinan
Holdings forms part of The
Travel Corporation, which
also owns brands including
TNW6005SD
Rubes® By Leigh Rubin
TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY
www.etnw.co.za
Published by
Travel & Trade Publishing (Pty) Ltd
Printed by Juka Printing (Pty) Ltd
Phone: (011) 327-4062
Fax: (011) 327-4094
E-mail: tnw@nowmedia.co.za
Web: www.nowmedia.co.za
Address: Now Media Centre,
32 Fricker Road, Illovo Boulevard,
Illovo, Johannesburg.
PO Box 55251, Northlands,
2116, South Africa.
2 n Wednesday November 22 2017
Trafalgar, Insight Vacations,
Luxury Gold and Contiki.
Michael Tollman, ceo of
Cullinan Holdings, told TNW
the sale, which took place
on July 7, would not affect
the operations of any of the
businesses within Cullinan’s
stable. Specifically, there would
be no restructuring of the
businesses, which all operate
as separate entities, and there
would be no rebranding. 
Susan Willam-Knill of Susan’s Travels is the lucky winner of the Avis VW Polo Vivo as well
as ClubRed Roses from the campaign that ran through July, August and September. Susan is
pictured here alongside Guy Muller, national sales manager: Travel, Monthly & Commercial at
Avis Budget Rent a Car. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl
Venice cruise ship ban
won’t affect bookings
Candice May
L
ARGE cruise ships
weighing 100 000
tonnes or more are to
be permanently banned from
the centre of Venice under
new rules to be introduced
within the next four years, but
industry players do not expect
it to affect bookings.
The ships will have to
use the industrial port of
Marghera. Venice Mayor,
Luigi Brugnaro, says the plan
answers the demands of
residents, tourism businesses
Durban agent in deep water
From page 1
issued. Since then, Sue has
not issued any tickets through
SWG.
While TNW was unable to
reach Sue this week, when
previously contacted for a
response, she said she was
never notified of a suspension.
She said she stopped ticketing
through the group of her own
Scramble for overrides ratchets up
Founding Editors: From page 1
John H Marsh (1914-1996) Leona Marsh (1923-2003) tour operators are cutting
back, then it would make it a
EDITORIAL
Editor: Tessa Reed tessar@nowmedia.co.za
bit easier for us to reach our
Features Editor: Michelle Colman michellec@nowmedia.co.za targets with our preferreds.”
Publisher: Natasha Schmidt natashas@nowmedia.co.za However, he also points out
Journalists: that if preferred partners
Dorine Reinstein Candice May scale back on popular
Sarah Robertson Hilka Birns products, it makes it harder
to reach targets.
Photographer: Shannon Van Zyl
It’s an open secret that
Production Editor: Ann Braun agencies push preferred
GROUP PUBLISHER suppliers to reach these
David Marsh davem@nowmedia.co.za targets.
TNW understands
SALES that protocols in place
Sales Director: Kate Nathan katen@nowmedia.co.za discouraging consultants
Ad Co-ordinator: Anthea Harris antheah@nowmedia.co.za from selling non-preferreds
include consultants having
PRODUCTION
to get special permission
Design Head: Dirk Voorneveld
from branch managers or
SUBSCRIPTIONS even head office should a
Circulation: tvlsubs@nowmedia.co.za client insist on purchasing
Winning with Avis!
and conservation groups
concerned about damage to
the city’s shallow lagoons and
canals.
Jane Davidson, director of
Development Promotions,
says the ban makes sense
as the lagoons and canals of
Venice suffer from the weight
of ships. “There are groups
of people devoted to the
preservation of this delicate
city who would like to maintain
the picturesque landscape of
traditional gondolas and water
taxis,” she explains.
Jackie Adami, md of
accord and preferred to book
tickets on the airline websites
as these were often cheaper.
When asked about the
clients’ claims, Sue said she
had forgotten to issue tickets
in the one case and, in the
other, booked the wrong dates.
In one instance she said she
had accidentally cancelled a
ticket when trying to check
a non-preferred. It is also
commonplace for agents
to always quote a preferred
when a non-preferred is
requested.
One operator, who asked
not to be named, says
they’re aware of agencies
passing their quotes on
to preferreds so that
the preferred operators
can undercut their rates.
Another operator said they
were not allowed to call
on some agencies with
whom they did not have a
preferred agreement and
that they were even aware
of consultants having their
commission penalised if they
sold non-preferreds.
Many operators are
unsurprisingly not happy with
QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS
Development Promotions,
doesn’t expect the ban
to affect bookings as
passengers will only need to
take a six-minute taxi ride to
the destination. “In Dubrovnik,
for example, the port is a
taxi ride away from the city,
but this isn’t a deterrent, as
passengers are visiting a city
and not a port.”
Work needs to be done
on the new route before it
is ready to take large cruise
ships, but this is expected
to be complete within four
years. 
in a client online.
Commenting on the incident,
Dinesh says this is one of
the issues that regulating
the industry could solve
because the requirement
for a certification would put
checks and balances in place.
“These days everybody with a
computer and a mobile phone
wants to be a travel agent.” 
the status quo. They argue
that customers’ interests
should supersede preferred
partnerships. This is also
stated in the Asata code of
conduct.
Both Alexis Bekker, head
of sales and marketing
for SA and Africa of LUX*
Resorts & Hotels, and Inge
Dobihal, md of Austria
Connection, point out that
the push for preferreds is
nothing new. Alexis says
while it makes sense
for consortiums to push
volumes to their preferreds,
it’s frustrating for operators
and also anti-competitive.
She suggests that the only
way this behaviour can be
curbed is if the Competition
Commission gets involved. 
TNW8013SD
NEWS
Digital essential to reach
modern travellers
Candice May
W
HEN planning
a trip, 75% of
travellers use
videos and photos posted
by friends as part of
their travel research,
82% use review sites
for researching their
trips and 86% use travel
booking sites to help them
discover new and exciting
destinations.
These are some of the
findings from a recent
Travelport survey, based
on a sample of 500
people in South Africa who
took at least one return
flight last year.
Travelport also undertook
a Global Traveler Survey
of 11 000 travellers in 19
countries that highlights
the use of digital tools
when planning, booking
and experiencing a
journey.
The South African
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4 n Wednesday November 22 2017
sample shows that when
booking a trip, 69% of
travellers believe a good
digital experience is
important when choosing
an airline, 79% choose
hotels that do not charge
for WiFi and 54% worry
“South African
travellers are digitally
confident and believe a
good digital experience
is important throughout
their journeys.”
that reviews might not be
genuine. When on the trip,
79% of travellers believe
digital boarding passes
make travelling much
easier and 86% say being
able to stay in touch is
most important to them
when travelling.
Furthermore, when at the
destination, travellers use
an average of 17 different
Celebrating 30 years
categories of apps while
travelling and 43% want to
share travel experiences
on social media.
Robyn Christie, country
manager of Travelport
South Africa, commented
on the study results: “With
20 million smartphone
users in South Africa,
the Global Traveler
Survey findings highlight
considerable opportunities
for travel companies
to engage digitally with
South African travellers,
who are digitally confident
and believe a good digital
experience is important
throughout their journeys.
“Providing relevant
and timely digital tools
and content is no longer Club Travel held the Cape Town leg of its annual
an accessory but an franchise indaba at the Italian Club to celebrate its
essential means of 30th birthday. Travel agents and suppliers enjoyed a
reaching and satisfying morning of networking followed by lunch and live
the modern traveller from entertainment. Pictured (from left) are Veronica Van
the moment they search Zyl, owner of CY Travel, and Rikke Hackner, manager
to the moment they return of Travel Deals.
from their trip.” 
QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS
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SHOPPING DESTINATIONS
While online shopping has brought the global marketplace to everyone’s fingertips,
nothing can compare with splurging on the spot, writes Candice May.
Different cities for
different goods
W
HILE every city has
places to shop,
the best shopping
destination for travellers
depends entirely on the
type of goods they are
looking to buy. This is why
it is important to ask what
clients are interested in
– is it massive shopping
malls in the US, a souk in
Marrakech, fresh produce
markets in Fiji or a bazaar
in New Delhi? Carlos Luis
Travel agents say the
following cities offer the best shopping
experiences, from unbeatable bargains
to high-end shopping.
New York for accessories
The malls in New York offer every type
of accessory – handbags, jewellery,
watches, you name it – under one roof
at reasonable prices, says Annemarie
Lexow, sales and marketing manager
of Travel Vision. She suggests that
travellers look for brochures at their
hotel for shuttles that will take them to
and from all the outlet malls.
Carlos Luis, supplier relationship
leader of Flight Centre Travel Group,
suggests Barney’s, Bloomingdale’s,
Tiffany & Co and Madison Avenue for
the most enviable accessories, or
meandering through the markets of
SoHo for a special fashion find.
Milan for clothing
Milan may be renowned for its high-end
fashion, but this doesn’t mean that it is
short of mid-range stores, says Carlos.
“There is a massive choice of designer
labels, with some of the clothes created
just for the Italian market and not
available anywhere else in the world.
While there are few bargains, the prices
in Milan are often a quarter of those in
Paris and New York,” he says.
Candice Perry, marketing, media
relations and social media co-ordinator
of Thompsons Holidays, agrees.
“Fashion is one of Milan’s biggest draw
cards. The influence it has spreads to
the world of publishing, partying and
commerce.”
Carlos adds: “Milan’s downtown
8 n Wednesday November 22 2017
haute couture ‘Golden
Quadrangle’ is formed by
Via Montenapoleone, Via
Sant’Andrea, Via Gesu
and Via Della Spiga, where
shoppers will find flagship
stores of every famous
Italian designer plus
those of foreign rivals and
creative wannabes.”
He suggests Malo,
Armani and Galleria Vittorio
Emanuele II, which looks
like an ornate art gallery
but is one of the world’s
oldest shopping malls, having opened
in 1865. For more market-style clothing
stores, he advises visiting shops in
Corso Buenos Aires.
Bangkok for electronics
Bangkok is the perfect shopping
destination for any electronics and
gaming aficionado, says Carlos. The
city is a slick retail destination boasting
more than 40 malls in the city centre
alone. At Siam Paragon, EmQuartier
and Central Embassy, there are multiple
floors of stores to shop at,” he says.
“And do not forget the MBK Centre!”
For shoppers who have children
accompanying them, Carlos suggests
checking out Terminal 21 and Siam
Discovery too. “They cater for young
fashionistas and there are niche outlets
aplenty. Amarin, for example, is a one-
stop shop for sportswear.”
Hong Kong for market goods
Hong Kong is one of the most
affordable places for goods of all sorts,
says Carlos. “It is alive and bustling
with sprawling shopping centres and
busy street markets where you can
buy everything from clothes and Asian
trinkets, to toys and watches.”
He suggests Temple Market, Ladies’
Market (it isn’t only for ladies), Seafood
Street Market and Stanley Market
for an exciting shopping and cultural
experience. “These markets offer great
meals and an opportunity for shoppers
to test out their bargaining skills. Just
advise them to wear comfortable shoes
because they will be doing a lot of
walking!”
New malls on KZN’s
North Coast
Dorine Reinstein
DURBAN’S North Coast is
becoming a shopper’s paradise
with the opening of one new mall
and the expansion of three others.
Owned by Investec Property, the
R1,8bn Cornubia Mall spans
65 000sqm near Mount
Edgecombe in Umhlanga. It offers
a selection of food, fashion,
lifestyle and sports attractions
integrated into an outdoor family-
oriented shopping experience.
The mall is connected by
bridges, landscaped walkways
and pavements to give shoppers
a sense of being indoors and
outdoors at the same time,
making the most of the province’s
favourable weather conditions.
Cornubia Mall introduces a
series of innovations offered for
the first time at a retail mall in
the province, including a 70km
mountain bike trail that starts and
ends at the mall and meanders
through the surrounding greater
Cornubia green belt. There’s also
a bounce trampoline park and a
Fives Futbol facility that offers
three outdoor five-a-side soccer
pitches.
Further north, Ballito saw the
opening of the Ballito Junction
Regional Mall in March.
It was named the best new
shopping centre development in
Best baggage allowances
Airline Economy-class luggage allowance
British Airways 2 bags of 32kg each
Emirates 20-30kg, depending on route
KLM 1-2 bags of 23kg each, depending on route
Qatar Airways 30kg
Turkish Airlines 2 bags of 20kg each
South Africa this year.
This regional mall is the major
expansion of an existing
10 000sqm, now increased to
an impressive 80 000sqm. It
features in excess of 200 shops,
restaurants, and services.
A highlight of the mall is the
Ballito Junction Urban Eatery with
six-metre-high feature window,
looking out to the north over the
undeveloped green parklands of
Simbithi Eco-Estate and, on a
clear day, to the Indian Ocean.
Its facilities include a Nu Metro
cinema complex and the 22 Jump
Street trampoline park.
Across the road from the Ballito
Junction, the ‘new’ Ballito Lifestyle
Centre is also taking shape. The
Centre lost a staggering number
of shops to the new regional mall,
but decided to strike back with
a massive revamp. A permanent
artisanal food market and the
introduction of more up-market
restaurants are expected to
transform it.
Finally, Gateway Theatre of
Shopping is enhancing its retail,
leisure, food and entertainment
offering. It will add and extend a
number of stores in response to
“ongoing demand from both local
and international retailers wanting
to either expand or open premises
at Gateway,” says Akash Maharaj,
portfolio manager.
Maximum size
90x75x43cm
300cm in total
158cm in total
300cm in total
No size restriction
QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS
 SHOPPING DESTINATIONS
Not-to-be-missed shopping festivals
Some of the world’s most popular shopping destinations have annual or twice-yearly
sales where shoppers can save on all sorts of goods. These are some of the best.
Cannes Shopping Festival – December 26 to January 28, 2018
Cannes Shopping Festival
should be on the bucket
list of every shopper who
loves runway fashion,
haute couture and
The Korea Grand Sale –
Shoppers who brave the
winter weather can take
advantage of nationwide
The Great Singapore Sale –
The Great Singapore
Sale has been a major
shopping festival for 21
years and offers heavily
discounted goods, with up
Hong Kong Shopping Festival –
Hong Kong is named the best
shopping destination in the
Asia-Pacific region by the Globe
Shopper Index, a ranking of
European and Asia Pacific
shopping cities. Shoppers
should visit the city during
this festival, which is part
of the Hong Kong Summer
Spectacular. It brings savvy
savings on handbags, fashion
accessories, traditional wares,
fabrics, home décor and
electronics.
Istanbul Shopping Festival –
The flamboyant Istanbul
Shopping Festival offers
deals on high-quality
textiles, organic cottons,
fashion, silk scarves,
To the point
Advise clients to take advantage of tourist discounts. Most big shopping malls around the world
offer tourist discounts. Some malls even offer shopping cards that provide tourists with discounted
and duty-free prices.
TNW8462SD
QUICK READ FOR BUSIEST PEOPLE
designer labels. It takes
place at the Palais de
Festivals with numerous
catwalks, fashion parades
and theme nights.
January 20 to February 28, 2018
discounts in the shopping
malls, markets, department
stores and boutiques during
June to August 2018 (TBA)
to 70% off, within shopping
malls and precincts
across the city centre and
suburban areas. Shoppers
can enjoy savings and tax-
June 1 to August 31, 2018
Visitors can save on a broad range of items.
June or July 2018 (TBA)
fabrics, linen, jewellery,
arts, antiques, handmade
shoes, furniture and
ceramics at high-end
shopping malls and
Shoppers can even
consider taking luxury to
a new level by hiring the
services of a personal
shopper.
the Korea Grand Sale. The
sale takes in a wide range
of covetable goods.
free shopping on beauty
and wellness products,
watches, apparel, toys,
electronics, food and
beverages.
famous shopping streets
across the city. There are
also fashion shows, music
concerts, performances
and street shows.
There are bargains galore across the emirate.
Dubai Shopping Festival –
December 26 to January 28, 2018
The Dubai Shopping Festival electronics. Shoppers can
is the original shopping save up to 70% on items at
festival. The glamorous over 6 000 shops and 70
event is a Mecca for big malls across the emirate.
bargains on everything – The event also packs in a
fashion, jewellery, perfumes, full house of entertainment,
cosmetics, textiles and events and attractions galore.
10%
macy’s shopping
voucher
from
Travel Vision
NYC
Take a Bite of the BIG Apple - 5N
10 Jan - 11 Mar 2018 from R33 063 pps
 Return flights + taxes ex. JNB  5N Accommodation
in 3* Hotel  Return Shuttle Apt/Htl transfers  2 Day All
Loop Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus  Ticket to Broadway Show
Dubai
Dubai City Shopping Festival! - 3N
3 - 16 January 2018 from R19 215 pps
 Return flights + taxes ex. JNB  3* Citymax Hotel Al Barsha
Dubai (near Mall of Emirates)  3N accommodation in a 3* Hotel
 Breakfast daily  Return private transfers  Visa  Shared
evening Dhow Cruise Dinner with return transfers from/to hotel
London
London Calling - 3N
22 Nov 2017 - 31 Mar 2018 from R16 099 pps
 Return flights + taxes ex. JNB  3N accommodation in
3* Hotels in Central London  Daily breakfast  City sightseeing
Hop-on-Hop-off Tour  London Eye Fast Track Experience Ticket
Contact us for your
next holiday experience
Tel: (011) 408 8000
086 001 8020
Email: reservations@travelvision.co.za
TNW7856
Wednesday November 22 2017 n 9
 SHOPPING DESTINATIONS
How to avoid
common pitfalls
BETWEEN aggressive salespeople,
buyer’s remorse and a small (or
big) problem with overspending, a
shopping trip can sometimes feel
more like a chore than a treat. It
is no wonder that some shoppers
prefer to shop from their computer
screens.
However, the advantages of viewing
goods up close and being able to
experiment with styles and trends
without having to commit, cannot be
achieved online in quite the same
way as on a shopping trip.
While there are many problems
with brick-and-mortar shopping that
shoppers cannot control, the good
news is that there are remedies for
the more common shopping gripes.
Travel agents share advice on how
to deal with the most annoying of
them.
Communicate clearly with
tour guides and taxi drivers:
In some countries, such as
Singapore, some day tours visit the
same jewellery store at the end of
the excursion.
For this reason, travellers must
communicate with tour guides and
TNW8469SD
10 n Wednesday November 22 2017
On-board shopping:
Is it really worth it?
taxi drivers that they would only TRAVELLERS in
like to visit desired destinations, designated foreign
says Carlos Luis of Flight Centre trade zones such as
Travel Group. an aircraft cruising
“They must communicate this at 35 000 feet are
unless a surprise stop at a local offered premium
shopping spot is up their alley.” goods such as
designer watches,
Don’t be afraid to visit street scarves, belts, ties,
markets: In Asian countries, it pens, handbags
is typical of taxi drivers to only and headphones
suggest shops with which they with most or all of
have commission agreements, says the taxes removed
Annemarie Lexow of Travel Vision. from the prices.
To avoid falling prey to this, she The question is – is
suggests visiting street markets on-board shopping Annemarie Lexow
instead. While taxi drivers will often really worthwhile?
tell travellers that street markets Many times, there are bargains
are not safe, this is not necessarily to be found on selected items in
so, particularly if travellers are on-board shopping catalogues.
accompanied by tour guides. But there are also situations in
which bargains are fleeting. “It
Excursions that are inflexible: all depends what you are looking
A big consideration is that some for and what the refund policy
touring companies plan shopping is,” says Annemarie Lexow of
trip excursions ahead of time, based Travel Vision. She adds that
on the location of the traveller’s clothing and electronics are
accommodation, says Carlos. the riskiest items to buy on
Therefore, tour guides may be board. For this reason, it is a
inflexible about the shops they are good idea for passengers to
willing to visit due to their schedule.
stick to items they
are knowledgeable
about.
Some assume
that every on-board
price represents a
bargain because it
is tax free, but the
starting price may
not be favourable.
“On-board shopping
can be worthwhile
as the products are
duty-free and may
be cheaper than
you would find in a
general store, but
be aware of the price you would
expect to pay normally or at
home before boarding,” suggests
Carlos Luis of Flight Centre
Travel Group.
Some passengers buy goods
on board on impulse, believing
it is a last-chance opportunity.
Carlos believes that on-board
shopping is a good way to
indulge in a last-minute spoil
or for spending left-over foreign
currency. 
QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS
COMMUNITYNEWS
Births, deaths, marriages, promotions – we want to know! Please fax or e-mail TNW’s Candice May, at candicem@nowmedia.co.za or (011) 214 7330.
A taste of Italy
Tee-off time
This year the Delta Air Lines TIGC Golf Day was held at Randpark Golf Club. Pictured ready to
tee off (from left) are Ricky Da Silva, director of XL Novo Mundo Travel; Luis Ferreira, md of
Night Shift Security; Riccardo Loreggian, md of Micro Engineering; and Eva Loreggian.
Buzz night
Appointment
 Airports Company South
Africa ce, Bongani Maseko,
has been appointed for
a two-year term as chair
of the world governing
boards of Airports Council
International, the trade
representative of the world’s
airports. Bongani has 24
years of experience in
airport management, having
QUICK READ FOR BUSIEST PEOPLE
Out and about?
Want to be seen
in the pages
Pick of the week
of TNW? Share
your photos on
social media
with the hashtag
#TNWTravelJunkie.
Pictured here
(from left) are
TNW’s Candice
May, Shannon
Van Zyl, Tessa
Reed and Sarah
Robertson.
Launching its 2018
brochures, Insight
Vacations hosted agents
at Jamie’s Italian in
Melrose Arch, where they
were treated to a demo
of the preparation of
the restaurant’s famous
planks. Pictured here are
Jolene Campbell, regional
manager at Pentravel, and
Pieter Beyers, gm South
Africa of Insight Vacations.
Photo: Tessa Reed
Beachcomber Tours hosted a Flight
Centre Travel Group buzz night
themed ‘Life’s a beach’. Dressed up
ready to hit the beach are (from left):
Ettienne Walters, sales executive
of Beachcomber Tours; Valeska
Armbruster, manager of Flight
Centre Gardens; Paolo Ferreira,
manager of Flight Centre Hout Bay;
and Shelley Daniels, sales executive
of Beachcomber Tours.
Retirement
first joined the industry at  Anna Nzomo, commercial
San Francisco Airport. He director of Airkenya, is retiring
has a degree in Aviation after being with the airline
Business Administration for over 30 years. Anna has
from Embry-Riddle been a household name at
Aeronautical University, and the airline, having served in
Airport Systems Planning various capacities. Before
and Design and Airport being appointed commercial
Ground Transportation director, she was well known
Planning from the University as the operations manager
of California. for many years.
brought to you by
M.I.C.E. Senior Project
Manager – Pretoria
Superior Choices
Events, incentives, conferences,
min 5 years’ experience. Well
-travelled locally, internationally,
creative in fresh concepts,
accurate excel costing’s,
recons, power point
presentations, professional
peoples person. Email:
maricka@superiorchoices.com
Senior Travel Consultant –
Bloemfontein & Nelspruit
Professional Career Services
Minimum 10 years’ experience.
Amadeus. BSP is an
advantage. Arranging all
travel related queries.
Afterhours & weekend shift.
Email: nonocv@pcs-sa.co.za
Travel Consultant –
CPT, S/Subs
Flight Centre Travel Group
Sell travel experiences – from
adventures to Thailand to city
breaks in London. Provide
outstanding customer service
and manage every aspect of the
trip. Email: jobs@fctg.co.za
Groups Reservations
Consultant – CPT
Quantex Recruitment Group
Dynamic consultant with 5+
years’ inbound experience &
fantastic Southern & South Africa
knowledge wanted by large,
successful tour operator.
Email: bridget@quantex.co.za
In-House VIP Consultant –
JNB, North
Equity Connections cc
Top senior needed for leading
organisation. Handle all
travel arrangements for
top management. Minimum
six years’ at senior level/
Galileo essential.
Email: equitycon@mweb.co.za
Travel Consultant – CPT,
Tygervalley
Flightsite
Senior leisure consultant
needed to assist clients from a
captured market. Minimum
5 years’ leisure consulting
experience. Excellent services
skills and sales focused.
Amadeus advantageous.
Email: careers@clubtravel.co.za
These adverts were selected from the vacancy
section of www.travelinfo.co.za
For more details contact jobs@travelinfo.co.za
Wednesday November 22 2017 n 11
JOBS
Reservations Manager –
JNB, North
Professional Career Services
Inbound tour operator seeks
candidate with min 3 years’
reservations management
experience and good product
knowledge of Southern Africa.
Tourplan essential.
Email: jeancv@pcs-sa.co.za
Cruise Consultant – Gauteng
Flight Centre Travel Group
Plan itineraries, book flights,
accommodation, car hire
and everything in between.
Incentivised targets.
Email: jobs@fctg.co.za
Product Manager – CPT
Quantex Recruitment Group
5+ years’ product related
experience, a travel/tourism
diploma, as well as CMS &
CRM experience is vital for this
fantastic opportunity! Email:
bridget@quantex.co.za
Group Financial Accountant –
JNB, North
Equity Connections cc
Career opportunity for
experienced, qualified financial
accountant. Run full functions
including financial statements/
fixed assets/audit preparation/
forex float etc.
Email: equitycon@mweb.co.za
Business Development
Executive – Rosebank
Club Travel
Passionate about sales
and new business, join our
corporate team. Be involved
in direct marketing and sales.
Previous corporate business
development experience
in a TMC essential.
Email: careers@clubtravel.co.za
Call Centre Agent –
CPT, Tygervalley
Flightsite
Online division is recruiting
experienced leisure consultant
for their call centre division.
Minimum 2 years’ leisure
consulting experience
with strong sales focus.
Amadeus advantageous.
TNW7860
Email: careers@clubtravel.co.za
 TNW NEWS
Airlink looks at more SAA routes
Darise Foster policy to facilitate travel for on new routes, some of which
passengers who may have had may have been previously

A
IRLINK has applied for
the rights to fly to more
destinations currently
operated by SAA, including
the Johannesburg-Abuja route,
which SAA suspended earlier
this year.
SAA suspended flights to
Abuja on March 6 due to
repair work being done at the
Nnamdi Azikiwe International
Airport, but flights never
resumed due to “operational
Summer with Peermont! reasons”. Asked when the
route would be reinstated, SAA
spokesperson, Tlali Tlali, told
Peermont is running a summer special offering hotel stays TNW: “The situation has not
from R545 per person sharing at properties including changed – that means, the
Emperors Palace in Johannesburg, Mmbatho Palms in route remains suspended. SAA
North West, Thaba Moshate in Limpopo and Graceland in will apply its re-accommodation
Mpumalanga. Soaking up the sun is Jean Hanekom, hotel
operations manager at Emperors Palace. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl
Another GDS enters deal
with BA, Iberia
brought to you by eTNW and TRAVELINFO
Candice May and Tessa Reed
brought to you by eTNW and TRAVELINFO
A NEW deal between Sabre
and British Airways as well
as Iberia could see agents
negotiate better content and
pricing with the two airlines.
This follows the introduction
Clients must pay the surcharge of a new £8 (R150) surcharge
How do GDS surcharges affect you? per sector on bookings for the
airlines on the GDS.
 I pass the cost of the surcharge on to clients “Sabre has signed a new
 I offsell airlines that levy a surcharge distribution agreement
with BA and IB,” an email
 I absorb the cost of the surcharge
to agents states. “In this
 I book the relevant airlines on other channels new model, BA/IB and the
60% agency negotiate the content
commitments. Agencies
entering into a private channel
agreement will have access
to presumably better BA/IB
content than if they did not
25% enter into such agreement.
“We recognise that some
8% 7% agencies will not sign a
private channel agreement.
advance bookings.”
Airlink md and ceo,
Rodger Foster, confirmed
that Airlink had applied to
fly the Johannesburg-Abuja
route, but he would not say
whether it planned to take
over the operating of the
route as part of SAA’s ‘route
rationalisation’ strategy. “It
is common knowledge that
SAA has elected to rationalise
routes from its network and,
as such, has withdrawn from
some destinations and is in
the process of discontinuing
services in some instances.
“Once fully compliant with
all regulatory requirements,
Airlink will commence services
Agencies that do not sign a
private channel agreement
can continue to book BA/
IB content in Sabre. These
agencies may have access to
less content and be subject to
the BA/IB surcharge, however
the content for these agencies
that is available through
Sabre will be no less than the
content available through other
GDSs.”
Sabre did not elaborate
further when asked for
comment.
Recently Flight Centre Travel
Group, Amex and HRG have
entered into an agreement
with IAG (International
Airlines Group), which owns
British Airways and Iberia,
that exempts them from the
airline’s surcharge for bookings
made on the GDS (TNW
November 8). These agencies
all book on Amadeus.
served by SAA,” said Rodger.
Johannesburg-Libreville,
Johannesburg-Douala and
Cape Town-Luanda are other
routes Airlink has applied for
the rights to operate. “We
have received decision letters
from the International Air
Services Council [in regard
to these routes],” he said.
However, he remained mum on
what the decision was.
Airlink has also applied for
the rights to fly to Brazzaville,
Moroni, Mayotte and Cotonou,
and awaits confirmation in
regard to these applications.
“We also have applications
pending for additional routes in
Africa,” Rodger added. 
HRG coo, Bill Brindle,
commented on the Amadeus
deal in The Beat: “Effectively,
that’s British Airways reaching
a relationship with Amadeus.”
He added that HRG “worked
with Amadeus on that as well,
and so I have a relationship
with British Airways; British
Airways has a relationship with
Amadeus; I have a relationship
with Amadeus; and we have a
different structure.”
Andrew Stark, md MEA of
Flight Centre Travel Group,
says while agents will have
the same experience booking
BA and IB on Amadeus, the
GDS has a compliance level
that accommodates the NDC.
“An agent will not know the
difference. It is the mechanism
behind the scenes, the back
end to tracking and making the
reservation that has changed,”
he says. 

Joburg agent to face the music

eTravel is the ITC market leader in South Africa and assists senior Travel
Consultants and Travel business owners to realise their dreams. If you have
eTravel is the ITC market leader in South Africa and assists senior Travel
ever dreamt of owning your own travel business or would like to cut costs
Consultants and Travel business owners to realise their dreams. If you have
by doing away with your IATA license and improve your current business
ever dreamt of owning your own travel business or would like to cut costs From page 1 fraud against Fatima, which against Fatima. The client says
efficiencies then you should call eTravel. We run the back office for over
by doing away with your IATA license and improve your current business
200 Independent Travel Companies and specialise Brian then tracked down has been linked to other she had been approached
efficiencies then you should call eTravel. We run the back office for over Fatima and she denied owning similar cases against her. by 10-15 other clients who
in making your travel business a success by offering
200 Independent Travel Companies and specialise
the best commissions, overrides & a comprehensive
in making your travel business a success by offering
the agency. However TNW has He also tracked down the have also been defrauded by
support structure. If you have a client base, 5 years
the best commissions, overrides & a comprehensive seen copies of the transfer previous owner, Ethienne, who Fatima.
travel consultant experience or already own your of ownership and share attempted to help him with his TNW tried contacting Fatima
support structure. If you have a client base, 5 years
own business but want to make more, then contact
travel consultant experience or already own your
us! You’ll be amazed at how easy it is!
certificates in Fatima and reservation. on both the business number
own business but want to make more, then contact Shameem Joosub’s (mother) An Ayka Travel client who and on her personal cellphone
Contact
us! You’llTammy on 0861eTrave1
be amazed at how easy it is!
or info@etravel.co.za
names. wished to remain anonymous for comment but she did not
Contact Tammy on 0861eTrave1 Brian has opened a case of has also opened a case answer. 
or info@etravel.co.za
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12 n Wednesday November 22 2017 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS