The iconic Johannesburg-based agency, XL Novo Mundo Travel, still headed by 83-year-old Silverio da Silva, celebrated in style earlier this week to commemorate it 50th birthday.
Founder Member Director Da Silva first arrived in South Africa in the 1960s, “literally with the clothes I was wearing,” he explains. After a tough start, he spotted an opportunity to help members of the Portuguese community to get flights back to Portugal. He started booking tickets for friends and was soon making good commissions from carriers like TAP (then referred to humorously as Take Another Plane), Sabena, and other airlines then heading in that direction.
“In the beginning, I had the support of about 50% of the Portuguese community, but after three years that had already reached 90%. Even today, with all the competition and the Internet, we still enjoy a good 60% of our business from our Portuguese friends,” he says.
That is how XL Novo Mundo Travel – which means ‘New World’ – was born.
Today, the agency – a part of the XL Travel Group – is situated in The Portuguese House in the Johannesburg suburb of Bruma.
Click here to watch a brief video of the festivities that went on earlier this week at The Portuguese House as the team celebrated their golden jubilee.
