eTravel hits target!

TWELVE years ago, Garth
Wolff, ceo of eTravel, set a
target of R1bn turnover for
the ITC group.
Last month, the group
achieved that target – with
one day to spare – hitting
R1,007bn. The company’s
year-to-date sales (July 2015
to June 2016) were up 8%
from R933m.
eTravel is bucking the
trend. As the market remains
depressed, the ITC group
has seen consistent growth
over the first half of the year.
In January and February, the
group saw unprecedented
growth, with sales up 19%
and 20% respectively. Sales
took a dip in March (-0,5%)
as a result of the Easter
holidays but were up again
in April (15%), May (5%) and
June (14%).
“In 2004 eTravel generated
R198m for the 12 months
Bullseye!
ending June 30, 2004, and
at that stage I believed so
strongly in the future of the
ITC model that I put my goal
down on paper and told the
group that by 2014 eTravel
would become a billion-rand
entity,” says Garth.
He attributes this success
to the years he and his staff
– particularly management
– have spent honing the ITC
model and “doing this right”.
“You cannot underestimate
the value of your intellectual
property. Through
consistency, simplicity, and
constant communication
we’ve learnt from mistakes
and fine-tuned our business
practice to ensure we offer
a professional service
specialising in what we
do best.”
This is the reason eTravel
has seen ITCs return to the
group, looking for a full suite
ITC partner rather than just
a ticketing solution, says
Garth. “Independent agents
who thought they could earn
more by partnering with a
ticketing solution provider
have realised that the
support a true ITC model
offers is critical.”
And not only in terms
of back office and
administration. For example,
when Gateway2Travel SA
hotel booking engine went
bankrupt in April, eTravel
assisted ITCs who had
been left out of pocket.
“Even though Gateway
was not a preferred partner,
we stepped in and paid
50% of our ITCs’ debt to
hotels, amounting to over
R500 000,” says Garth.
Going forward, eTravel will
continue to invest in its ITCs,
says Garth. “It’s not about
the numbers any more.
We’ve created a business
with substantial buying power
and we will continue to share
our success with our ITCs.”
To celebrate reaching its
R1bn target, eTravel will host
a ‘Billion Bash’ party in Cape
Town later this year.