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NewsAirline, hotel and other travel news from Africa and beyond ASATA ColumnThe latest from Chief Executive Officer Otto de Vries Amadeus Column A word from Amadeus Vice-President for Af

ISSUE 110: December 2016 www.businesstravellerafrica.co.za

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Contents

FEATURES

22

43 42

REGULARS

Message from the TeamWhat’s the editor ranting about now?

NewsAirline, hotel and other travel news from Africa and beyond

ASATA ColumnThe latest from Chief Executive Officer Otto de Vries

Amadeus Column

A word from Amadeus Vice-President for Africa Paul de Villiers

W Hospitality ColumnManaging Director Trevor Ward gives

us his take on the West African hotel industry

04

36

06 16

Tried and Tested

• Tshipi Alexander – Amex

• Neil Bald – ahaPeople on the Move The movers and shakers – what they’re up to nowBite with the EditorRichard Branson – Virgin Atlantic

17 19

44 46 48 42

48

Leisure Travel

The times have changed travellers and

their attitude towards travel, with a host

of different needs now dominating the

landscape and determining travel plans

Dylan Rogers investigates who the

modern day traveller is, what’s important

to them, and what they want from service

providers in the travel space

Airbnb

The sharing economy is starting to play a

bigger role in the business travel space,

with the likes of Airbnb and Uber already

eating into hotel and car rental market

share, respectively Jenny Southan

takes a closer look at what Airbnb is

doing in this space

Gautrain

Gautrain is an 80-kilometre mass rapid transit railway

system in South Africa, which links Johannesburg,

Pretoria, Ekhuruleni and O R Tambo International

Airport It was built to relieve the traffic congestion in

the Johannesburg–Pretoria traffic corridor and offer

commuters a viable alternative to road transport The

project was completed with the opening in June 2010,

and there are big plans to extend the Gautrain service to

other parts of the province over the next 20 years or so

22

36

20

4 | DECEMBER2016 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za

There’s an interesting piece in this issue

on Airbnb (see page 36) and what they are doing in the business travel space,

courtesy of our stable mates at Business Traveller

UK But you’ll also find them popping up in the

leisure feature, as well as, obviously, this page

The reason for this is that sharing economy players such as Airbnb and Uber are touching a number

of points along the travel spectrum and have already become important participants in both the business and leisure travel markets There’s no doubt that their influence and role in the overall travel experience appears to be growing, and it’s also apparent that they are not content to sit on their laurels and continue to roll out the initial offering

Airbnb has now launched ‘Trips’, which it believes

is “the most significant development in its eight year history” In this way, Airbnb is moving beyond providing just accommodation and instead is looking

at the overall travel ‘experience’ In fact, it describes Trips as “a people-powered platform designed to make travel both easy and magical Trips has three key areas – Experiences, Places and Homes, with Flights and Services to be added in the future.”

That last point – Flights and Services – is an interesting one, as the addition of this to the Airbnb platform will move it significantly closer

to ‘full service’ status and allow Airbnb to pick

up customers all along the travel value chain

Further to this, their timing couldn’t be better, as the world’s newest entrants to the travel market – Millennials and Centennials – have shown a propensity for and interest in a more ‘meaningful’

travel experience, that takes the form of something more than just getting from A to B and either successfully negotiating a corporate travel trip or ticking a bunch of tourist attractions off a list

These groups of travellers have a desire for something more substantial and meaningful, and Airbnb looks primed to take advantage of this

Once again, a reminder that the sharing economy

is here to stay, and those who fight it or refuse to find a way to work it into their policies – yes, you in the corporate travel space – may just find themselves left behind, as the world moves towards services that meet the needs of the modern day traveller

JOURNALIST

Kate Kennedy

CONTRIBUTORS

Kate Kennedy, Gillian McLaren, Jenny Southan

MEDIA SOLUTIONS CONSULTANT

Pierre Grobler+27 82 900 4026pierre@thefuture.co.za

DESIGN AND LAYOUT

Nadette Voogd

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND PRODUCTION

Mabel Ramafoko mabel@thefuture.co.za

SOUTH AFRICAN OFFICE

Postal Address:

PO Box 1746, Saxonwold, 2132Physical Address:

247 Jan Smuts Avenue, RandburgTelephone: +27 11 327 6107

NIGERIAN OFFICE

3rd Floor, EuniBrown House195,Ikorodu Road, Palmgrove,Lagos, NigeriaTel: +234 1 740 3236

Mobile: +234 803 963 0155

PUBLISHER – NORTH & WEST AFRICA

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10021520JB/E

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For more news, visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za

6 | DECEMBER2016

Air France Increases Capacity to Cape Town

Air France will serve Cape Town throughout the 2017 summer season from Paris-Charles de Gaulle with three weekly flights operated by an Airbus A330 (208 seats) and a Boeing 777 (312 seats), offering business, premium economy and economy class From 26 March to 2 May and from 7 to 27 October 2017, additional flights will operate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays Flight AF864 will leave Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 10h10 and arrive in Cape Town at 21h30 Return flight AF871 will leave Cape Town at 23h35 and land at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 11h15 Between 3 May and 6 October, flight times will change slightly Flight AF864 will leave Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 09h40 and arrive in Cape Town at 21h20, while flight AF871 will leave Cape Town at 23h20 and arrive at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 11h20

Lufthansa to Welcome First A350 in December

The Lufthansa Group will receive its first A350-900 next month, with the aircraft’s first flight set to take off for Delhi

(India) in February Once Lufthansa has taken ownership of the aircraft, the A350 will be transferred to Munich during the week leading up to Christmas Lufthansa Technik in Munich will then install the cabin interior including the new premium economy class as well as other features “We have made further improvements to key components of the A350’s cabin interior These include a newly designed self-service area in business class, new seats with ergonomically designed cushions in

economy class, larger screens in all classes and improved broadband internet services”, says Thomas Winkelmann, CEO of the Munich Hub From February onwards, Lufthansa will station the first 10 A350s in Munich The first flight destinations are Delhi and Boston (USA) The aircraft will have space for 293 passengers – 48 in business class, 21 in premium economy and 224 in the regular economy class section The airline has also incorporated virtual reality into its new summer campaign Guesstinations is a 360 degree app for travel agents that takes them around the world by combining the use of virtual reality and Google Street View to show users the possible locations within the Lufthansa Group network

Graceland Completes Refurb

Peermont’s Graceland Hotel, Casino and Country Club in Mpumalanga (South Africa) has undergone a $4.5 million

refurbishment programme over the past two years Graceland has modernised and opened many new facilities to cater for changing customer demand, including a newly-styled main casino and the new Rockefeller’s Privé There is now VIP parking and rooms at the four-star Peermont Walmont hotel have been upgraded, as have the gym facilities and golf

course The Blue Bayou received a soft refurbishment as well as new stacker doors that open the restaurant on to the

pool terrace A new addition to the food and beverage offering is Moo Bar, where patrons can enjoy a drink in a relaxing atmosphere The Gary Player-designed 18-hole inland links golf course received an upgraded irrigation system and the bunkers have been restored to the original Gary Player specification The current cart paths have been upgraded and the practice and chipping areas have been rebuilt to tournament standards

For more news, visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za DECEMBER2016 | 7

Swiss International Air Lines

With daily flights from Johannesburg

to Zurich, Swiss International Air

Lines (SWISS) offers convenient

connections to more than 100

destinations worldwide Zurich

Airport is the largest international

airport in Switzerland and the

principal hub of SWISS.

Below is a list of destinations to which travellers can fly to from Zurich Airport, within and outside

of Europe:

EUROPE

Zurich – AlicanteZurich – AmsterdamZurich – AthensZurich – BarcelonaZurich – BariZurich – BelgradeZurich – BerlinZurich – BilbaoZurich – Birmingham Zurich – BrindisiZurich – Brussels Zurich – BucharestZurich – Budapest

Have a smooth flight

Zurich – Copenhagen Zurich – DresdenZurich – DublinZurich – DusseldorfZurich – FlorenceZurich – FrankfurtZurich – GenevaZurich – GothenburgZurich – GrazZurich – HamburgZurich – HannoverZurich – IstanbulZurich – IzmirZurich – KrakowZurich – LeipzigZurich – LisbonZurich – MaltaZurich – ManchesterZurich – Milan MalpensaZurich – MoscowZurich – MunichZurich – NaplesZurich – NiceZurich – NurembergZurich – OsloZurich – PalermoZurich – Palma de MallorcaZurich – Paris

Zurich – PortoZurich – PragueZurich – RomeZurich – Santiago de CompostelaZurich – Sarajevo

Zurich – SofiaZurich – StockholmZurich – St PetersbergZurich – StuttgartZurich – ThessalonikiZurich – Valencia Zurich – Venice Zurich – ViennaZurich – WarsawZurich – Zagreb

INTERCONTINENTAL

Zurich – JohannesburgZurich – Los AngelesZurich – MiamiZurich – Montreal Zurich – Mumbai Zurich – MuscatZurich – NairobiZurich – New DelhiZurich – New York, JKF Zurich – New York, NewarkZurich – San FranciscoZurich – Sao Paulo Zurich – Shanghai Zurich – Singapore Zurich – Tel Aviv Zurich – TokyoADVERTORIAL

For more news, visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za

8 | DECEMBER2016

Air Seychelles Expands European Operations

Air Seychelles has announced a major fleet and network expansion that will see the airline introduce a second Airbus A330 aircraft, commence non-stop services to Düsseldorf (Germany) and Durban (South Africa), and significantly strengthen its existing regional network in early 2017 The airline plans to establish the air bridge between Seychelles and Germany

on 30 March by launching two weekly services to Düsseldorf The airline will also upgrade its Paris service from three to four flights per week, with effect from 28 March Effective 30 March, Air Seychelles will commence a twice-weekly service

to Durban, complementing its existing five weekly services to Johannesburg The airline’s second Airbus A330 aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in the last week of March and will have a two cabin configuration with 18 business class and 236 economy class seats To maximise aircraft utilisation, Air Seychelles will deploy an A330 on an additional fourth weekly frequency to Paris, which combined with Düsseldorf will provide 3,048 return seats between Seychelles and Europe each week In addition to flying to Europe, the Airbus A330 will be used to increase capacity on the airline’s regional services to Johannesburg, Mauritius and Mumbai, which are currently operated on a narrow-body A320, freeing up an Airbus A320 to launch flights to Durban

Swiss International

Opens Upscale Hotel in KenyaSwiss International Lenana Nairobi is opening its doors in the heart of the capital city of Kenya (Nairobi) The newly built hotel is an upscale property with

133 rooms and suites located on Ralph Bunche Road, which is known for its close proximity to the CBD, a number of government offices and embassies The Swiss International Lenana Nairobi will feature an Inspirations pool and gym, a Swiss Select Lounge, and a number of Eventives meetings and events venues The hotel has 11 floors and an underground parking lot (Source: Breaking Travel News)

Airlink Extends Lodge Link Network

Regional South African airline Airlink has extended its Lowveld ‘Lodge Link’ safari lodge network in partnership with andBeyond The network will provide daily connections between andBeyond’s Ngala Safari Lodge and Ngala Tented Camp in the Timbavati, Kirkman’s Kamp in the Sabi Sand and the six lodges in andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve The lodge network will also provide direct connections with Airlink’s regional services from Nelspruit to Vilanculos (Mozambique), the gateway to andBeyond Benguerra Island, and Livingstone (Zambia), which provides access to andBeyond Matetsi Private Game Reserve Connections can be made from Cape Town and Johannesburg on Airlink to Nelspruit KMIA or Skukuza Airport, with

a short apron transfer connecting guests onwards to Airlink’s Lodge Link service direct to their safari destination, thereby minimizing lengthy road transfers Airlink’s Lodge Link flights are operated with brand new twin pilot Cessna Grand Caravan 208BEX 12 seater turbo-prop aircraft, which are equipped with advanced avionics essential to achieving reliable performance during the low cloud weather for which the Lowveld is renowned

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za DECEMBER2016 | 9

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ORTIA Implements Smart

Security Checkpoint

O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg has

become the first African airport to implement the Smart

Security checkpoint that will digitise the security check

process, speed up passenger progress through security,

and further enhance security through use of

state-of-the-art scanners The pilot implementation of the

Smart Security system went live on 8 November at the

international departures security point at ORTIA Security

turnstiles have been installed, where boarding passes will

be verified electronically before passengers are allowed

to proceed to the scanning area There will also be less

frequent requirements for laptops to be removed from bags

and switched on The new system is expected to drastically

reduce the need for physical pat-downs of passengers who

set off security alarms, because the scanning technology

is much better at detecting objects that should not be

carried on or around anyone intending to fly The pilot

of the Smart Security checkpoint will run until the end

of January 2017, when its effectiveness will be assessed

and possible improvements identified Airports Company

South Africa believes that over time it should be feasible

to introduce the system across all the airports it operates

Island Carrier

Air Seychelles has launched new business and economy class

amenity kits in collaboration with Galileo Products The new

business class kits contain a dental pack, eye mask, socks,

earplugs and premium skincare items from Scaramouche

+ Fandango, an exclusive British brand which was chosen

for its luxurious range of amenities, specifically developed

for inflight use The skincare items include a rich honey lip

balm and moisturising hydrator that are high in natural

ingredients and which are presented in a versatile neoprene

bag that doubles as an iPad mini case A new economy class

kit, comprising earplugs, an eye mask, dental kit and socks,

has also been introduced and is presented in a soft red

drawstring bag that can be re-used for storing sunglasses

Not forgetting younger travellers, the newly-designed kids’

packs feature an Air Seychelles mascot in a book filled with

fun games and activities, as well as wax crayons and a puzzle

They are packed in a large, water-resistant drawstring bag

Ethiopian Airlines will increase its flight frequency to Cape Town to 10 times per

week from 1 December Flight ET0847 will leave Addis Ababa at 08h30 on Mondays,

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and land in Cape Town

at 14h15 The return flight, ET0846, will depart Cape Town at 15h05 and arrive in

Ethiopia at 22h30 On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, flight ET0849 will

take off from Addis at 23h30 and stop over in Johannesburg between 03h55 and 04h55,

before landing in Cape Town at 07h15 Returning on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays

and Sundays, flight ET0848 will leave Cape Town at 20h45 and stop at O.R Tambo

International Airport between 22h35 and 23h35 The second leg of the flight will

arrive in Addis Ababa at 06h00 The airline also recently began three weekly one-stop

services to Moroni (Comoros) via Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) on Tuesdays, Thursdays

and Saturdays

Two More Airlines Ban The Note 7

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has now been banned by two more South African airlines Airlink and kulula have both changed their policies regarding the unpredictable cell phone The device is prohibited completely and may not be carried by travellers on their persons, in carry-

on baggage, in checked-in baggage

or as cargo Subsequent to the announcement by the manufacture

to recall the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, regulators in various countries have announced a ban on the device in respect of air transportation

Emirates

Completes Lounge

Makeover

Emirates has completed a major makeover

of its business class lounge at Concourse

B of Dubai International Airport The $11

million refurbishment project took two

years to complete Emirates’ premium

customers can now look forward to an

enhanced lounge experience with three

new distinct concept areas within the

Emirates Business Class Lounge The

latest food and beverage concepts cater

to diverse tastes and include a barista

experience in partnership with Costa

Coffee, a Health hub with Voss water

featuring healthier options, and an

exclusive Moët & Chandon champagne

lounge The new offering is in addition

to the seven other locations within the

lounge with gourmet cuisine prepared

by on-site chefs and a complimentary

full bar service, which includes premium

wine, spirits and champagne All the food

and beverages offered within the lounge

are complimentary for Emirates first

and business class customers, as well as

Emirates Skywards Platinum, Gold and

Silver members – the airline’s frequent

flyer programme

For more news, visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za DECEMBER2016 | 11

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Qatar Airways Inks

Codeshare Deal With Air

Botswana

Qatar Airways has signed a codeshare agreement with

Air Botswana The partnership will provide Qatar

passengers with connections to the Botswana cities of

Gaborone, Francistown and Maun via Johannesburg

Qatar operates double-daily flights between Johannesburg

and Hamad International Airport in Doha

Hyperloop Developing in

Dubai

It’s been confirmed that the first Hyperloop will be built

in the UAE, allowing passengers to travel the 150km

between Dubai and Abu Dhabi in 12 minutes and making

it the fastest form of transportation ever built at 1,200

kilometres per hour (the max speed of a Boeing 747 is

825 kilometres per hour) Hyperloop One, the company

building the transportation system, believes it can have the

system operational by 2021 The Hyperloop would likely

be a bunch of small pods (rather than one large train),

with an on-demand schedule that will take passengers to

their desired stations The infrastructure will be made up

of large tubes that run between destinations, and the pods

will hover in these (they’d levitate rather than be on tracks)

The environment within the main tube will be controlled

so that there will only be a very small amount of air in the

environment, creating a suction of sorts, so that the pods

move from one end to the other very, very quickly – kind of

like a parcel in a postal shoot Hyperloop One is working

on plans to run them either underwater or above ground

(Source: What’s On, Dubai)

To From

Johannesburg Atlanta Daily B777-200LR

Accra New York - JFK 4 x weekly B767-300ER

Lagos Atlanta

Daily (seasonal

5 x weekly) B767-300ER

Dakar New York - JFK 2 x weekly B757-200ER

At ASATA we are often

contacted by travellers – business and leisure – who have been the victim of unscrupulous so-called travel providers

There is no better way to guard yourself against fraudsters by working with an accredited travel agency that has the stamp of credibility from the Association

of Southern African Travel Agents (ASATA), which has been championing the cause of travelling consumers for over 60 years

ASATA represents over 85% of the travel industry, including the market leaders in the travel sector, who as members have committed

to a stringent code of conduct, constitution and an ASATA Charter that guides their business practices and their dealings with customers

By working with an accredited travel agency, you can

ASATA-be assured of receiving professional service, ethical conduct and

trustworthy behaviour, and that you are working with a market leader who has signed the ASATA Charter committing to this so that you can travel with peace of mind

This ongoing commitment ensures ASATA members continue

to meet consumers’ needs of value and security by maintaining the highest level of expertise and professionalism Members who sign this charter furthermore commit to being accountable and responsible

in rectifying any violation of the ASATA Charter and to strive to prevent any recurrence

The ASATA logo is a symbol

of trust and our code of conduct, constitution and charter outline how our members conduct themselves with each other, and the consumer, requiring them to behave ethically, comply with the laws of the land and follow sound business practices

so that the consumer is protected

ASATA is an association that sets a high standard for travel

service providers to adhere to and offers companies credibility in the travel industry By booking through an ASATA accredited travel agency, consumers are provided the assurance that the company is governed, not only by their own moral principles and ethics, but by

a credible association that governs the travel industry in South Africa

self-Disclosure, confidentiality and compliance are all contained in the ASATA code of conduct All ASATA members pledge to conduct their business in a manner that promotes the highest standards

of integrity and professionalism ASATA members act with care and diligence, respect and courtesy, and comply with all applicable laws C

Otto de Vries CEO: ASATA

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From driverless cars to virtual

reality, the world is facing unprecedented technological change So, it will not come as a

big surprise that we can also expect

momentous change in the world of

travel distribution

Consumers want instant

gratification and seamless

experiences They expect mobile

virtual assistants to know their

personal preferences and highlight

restaurants and shops in their

immediate vicinity they could

potentially like

So how would this need

for personalisation impact on

distribution?

Airlines have already had to

diversify their offering to tailor

their customer experiences through

merchandising options and ancillary

services And they have turned to

global distribution systems such

as Amadeus to distribute this

increasingly complex content

Travel agencies are also turning

to the GDS for innovation and

change Consumers are expecting more inspirational and user-friendly websites and apps backed by smooth, speedy transactions They want online retailers to recall their profile, have an efficient purchasing process, provide clear delivery options and pricing, and have websites that don’t crash

GDSs are being called upon to develop new technologies that can enhance their client’s travel experience This experience may include more tailored travel packages

or greater flexibility to purchase additional services during the trip

All this in the midst of major disruptions from the online quarters

of Google, Facebook and Apple, which are expected to lead with innovations such as virtual assistants and travel booking integrated into social media and messaging

With the continued rise to power of the gatekeepers – this

is what they call these giants – traffic acquisition could become the biggest cost for any business,

according to a recent London School

of Economics report Online travel agencies are already spending millions of dollars every day to be positioned first in the top pages of these gatekeepers

Amadeus works with both the online travel agencies and the gatekeepers to increase efficiencies and provide the most complete and transparent offer for the end traveller

The simple truth is that travel distribution will change drastically over the coming decade Although

we don’t know how fast it will all change, we are sure that distribution business models will need to evolve

to encompass shared innovation,

a culture of experimentation and cross-industry alliances to grasp the opportunities fully

Amadeus is already rising to the challenge and shaping the future of travel distribution C

Paul De Villiers Amadeus CEO

Distribution is changing

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18 | DECEMBER2016 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za

Darryl Erasmus

Chief Quality Assurance

Officer: Tourism Grading

Council of South Africa

COMMENT

Does being graded by

an accredited grading assessor give you, as a tourism operator, a competitive edge over your non-graded peers? Definitely! Think of it

as a seal of approval that offers peace of mind and adds value to your brand

One of the things that makes travel so exciting is its wild unpredictability A tourist may have an inkling of what

a destination is like from the internet or TV, but tasting the mustard on a hot dog in Central Park is very different to reading

a review of the experience That unpredictability is what makes travel exciting – but when it comes to accommodation, it

is comforting for a traveller

to know exactly what they’re getting

In a word, it’s about uniformity And while that might not sound like the most exciting concept, it’s the bedrock on which an efficient and prosperous tourism industry is built Being graded

by an accredited assessor gives your establishment or venue credibility and a competitive advantage in the marketplace It means your bed is a safe bet for travellers

That’s why the work of the Tourism Grading Council

of South Africa’s (TGCSA) accredited grading assessors is crucial Think of it this way: if

a visitor fancies a little luxury

when they’re on holiday – soft gowns, in-room wi-fi and the option of a good cup of coffee from their filter machine when they wake up – they’d

be disappointed to find that the upmarket hotel they had

so carefully researched offers none of these amenities But

if the hotel carries a TGCSA star grading, they can rest assured that it will live up to its promises

TGCSA works with a team of carefully vetted individuals with extensive experience in the hospitality industry to ensure that South African accommodation and conferencing establishments’

standards are not only globally competitive, but also deliver

on their promises The grading assessors pay close attention to detail and know exactly what

to look for during the grading process

The TGCSA ensures that assessors are able to do this through ad hoc workshops and the Annual Assessor Conference, where they receive refresher training and accreditation from the TGCSA

This ensures the consistent quality of graded establishments within the tourism industry and

of the assessors themselves

The TGCSA hosted its Annual Assessor Conference

at the Riverside Sun Hotel in Vanderbijlpark from 25 to 27 September 2016, to coincide

with Tourism Month One

of the themes at this year’s conference was Universal Accessibility (which focuses on making travelling accessible for all, including people with disabilities and the elderly),

in line with the South African Tourism and the National Department of Tourism’s

#TourismForAll campaigns.Assessors use the same principle applied by leading global brands to ensure consistency: wherever in the world you experience the brand, your experience should

be the same When applied to the South African hospitality landscape, this means your TGCSA-graded establishment offers reliable, dependable quality and guests are therefore more likely to return – and spread the word to others www.tourismgrading.co.za/get-graded/

www.tourismgrading.co.za/get-graded/whats-in-it-for-me/grading-criteria-3/ C

Darryl Erasmus Chief Quality Assurance Officer: Tourism Grading Council of South Africa

Stamp of

credibility

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za DECEMBER2016 | 19

A client recently asked me

what my crystal ball said about the future of the Nigerian hospitality industry A fair question – after all, I have spent the last 13-plus years living and working in Lagos, and adding the time I was travelling backwards and forwards from London, I have 25-plus years’

experience of this market

They say that you cannot know where you are, or where you’re going, if you don’t understand the past Well, I remember when Lagos was really just a two-horse town, with the Sheraton and the Eko taking the lion’s share of hotel demand With the return to civilian rule in 1989, GDP growth reached a high of 10% in 2009, and even 2014, with the Ebola crisis and the oil price crash, was 6.3%, well above the SSA average

of 5% Today, there are 20 branded hotels in Lagos, several high quality unbranded properties, and

a huge pipeline, some of which are under construction

Wouldn’t it be nice to look back at the previous 17 years, and input those growth figures into the crystal ball, wave the wand, and create a graph with an upward trajectory shining out from the middle of the orb?

That’s just not going to happen

That much we know With negative growth in the first two quarters of 2016, Nigeria is in recession The Naira is in free fall – two years ago it was around

160 to the US dollar, today the

‘official rate’ is around 330, and

at the Bureau de Changes, the

‘parallel rate’ is north of 400, with the probability of reaching 500 by the end of the year All of which

is somewhat academic, as there is very little, and at times no, foreign exchange to be had

Daily we hear about job losses,

in all sectors The only positivity

to come out of this is that it’s clearing out the ghost workers from the civil service

The hospitality industry is hurting, of course However, for travellers carrying dollars, Nigeria has become good value, after years of claiming the top slot as the most expensive destination globally Whilst prices have gone

up, as imports become more expensive, they haven’t gone up that much The official inflation rate is around 17%, but the squeeze on the local consumer has tempered the ability to increase prices At my local pub, a large beer is now $1.50 at the BdC exchange rate

The crystal ball is no use right now Let’s leave it under its cloth

People have differing opinions about when Nigeria will experience an upturn Some say mid-2017, others speculate two, three, or even four years There’s

an element of one-upmanship here (“I can be more negative than you!”), but to a man they are all speculating Like mine, their crystal balls are of no use

But note that no-one says never

Everyone believes that there will

be an upturn, at some time in the future

Because Nigeria is, and always will be, Nigeria We’ve been here before – remember the recession

in the early 1990s and the Abacha years from 1993 to 1998? Nigeria has a huge, young population, many of them tech-savvy, with rapid urbanisation into a growing number of large cities, and a very positive outlook on life Despite negative growth, the economy is still one of the largest in Africa, with vast natural resources and huge potential for agriculture and manufacturing

So instead of crystal ball gazing,

I say that we must instead make

simple assumptions, and build a case for what might happen It is,

my client and I agree, reasonable

to assume that there will be a return to growth

We then discuss when that might occur, and we pencil down 2018, giving time for the government to get its act together regarding the economy, the currency to stabilise, and for the private sector to get used to the new norm We agree that growth is likely to be in the non-oil sector, and rather slower than previous growth rates, that were driven by prices in exported commodities, not value-added activities We might be wrong, but it gives us a basis on which to work, to plan new projects which

in themselves will contribute to growth and recovery

So there you have it We are seriously in the doldrums in Nigeria right now, and could be here for some time, but we’ll pull out if it Once the currency stabilises, investors will return That’s something else we know C

For more information visit gautrain.co.za | 0800 GAUTRAIN

‘Tis the season to give and the more we give, the more you get

Terms and conditions apply Promotions run separately.

cards 4 colour.FH11 Mon May 31 10:49:41 2010 Page 1

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*Fly Mango and receive a

complimentary Gautrain Card

with compliments of the Gautrain

Lucky Mango Guests may receive

a Gautrain Card loaded with

R174 – that’s the maximum

Gautrain trip value from OR

Tambo International Airport

*Mango Guests who load value onto their complimentary Gautrain Card

by 15 January 2017 are eligible to receive a Mango flight discount voucher for the equivalent value (up to R250) Flight vouchers may be redeemed against future Mango flights Flights must be booked on www.flymango.com by

no later than 28 February 2017.

*The Gautrain-Mango promotion is valid from 15 November 2016 to 15 January 2017

**The Gautrain-Mall of Africa promotion is valid from 09 December 2016 to 09 January 2017

***The R1 per day Parking and R1 per bus trip offer is valid from 09 December 2016 to 09 January 2017

***Because we’re in the spirit of giving, we’ll even throw in R1 bus trips and R1-a-day parking when you use the Gautrain

**Ride the Gautrain to

Midrand station, where you

can collect a Mall of Africa

voucher booklet Hop on a

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Mall for just R1, activate

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22 | DECEMBER2016 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za

FEATURE – LEISURE TRAVEL

A different ball game

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za DECEMBER2016 | 23

It’s slightly stating the obvious to suggest that leisure travel is not what it used to be, but the fact remains that travellers are not who they used to be, destinations have had to re-look their offerings, and technology is having a huge say in the whole process.

24 | DECEMBER2016 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za

FEATURE – LEISURE TRAVEL

Gone are the days when a

leisure travel experience

would start with an

appointment with the local

travel agent and a few ideas

spat out across a desk littered

with brochures advertising

exotic destinations and holiday

experiences from around the world

Now, the majority of the world’s

travellers can access those same

offerings from the comfort of their

lounge or office, with the go-to

tool of choice now the internet,

either in the form of a desktop/

laptop or mobile phone

“Digital channels have

become core to the way in which

today’s leisure travellers book

accommodation and experiences,”

says Nicholas Barenblatt, Group

Marketing Manager, Protea Hotels

by Marriott & African Pride Hotels

“Leisure travellers today visit an

average of 30 websites when doing

their research before they commit

to booking a holiday They are

finding out where to go, where within a destination to stay, and which accommodation to book

They are looking at peer-to-peer sites like TripAdvisor, destination sites like Lonely Planet, hotel websites, and online booking sites such as booking.com.”

That’s not to say that the travel agent is dead Not at all The point

is, though, that the leisure travel landscape and the tools available

to the leisure traveller are now completely different to what they were say 20 years ago

Further to that, the traveller himself/herself is a completely different animal, with a host of different needs and desires that have changed the way destinations and travel experiences now market themselves

KNOWING YOUR TRAVELLER

According to the Center for Generational Kinetics, the world’s population can be broken up into

the following five categories or

‘generations’:

- Traditionalists/Silent Generation: Born 1945 and before

- Baby Boomers: Born 1946 to 1964