Depth of diversity lends itself to upselling
ACCORDING to a 2011
census, 145 683
Australians claimed to
be South African by birth and
108 955 by ancestry. There
were some 32 000 South
African migrants resident in
Sydney, 29 000 in Perth and
21 000 in Melbourne. When
the next Australian census
takes place in August this
year, the statistics could well
be higher.
No surprise then, that South
African travellers to Australia
are largely VFR visitors.
Kim Moore, public affairs
manager for Tourism Australia,
says consumer marketing
activity conducted in South
Africa in the past bears
this out.
For the South African travel
consultant, it would then
seem there is little in the
sale of travel to Australia
besides a return airfare. But
with Australia’s diversity,
encouraging VFR travellers
to see and do more – often
within easy distance of the
three main cities South
Africans visit – should not be
too much of a stretch.
Comments Jackie
Adami, md of Development
Promotions: “Agents could
be proactive in providing VFR
clients with interesting and
inspiring information on the
country and suggestions or
recommendations on mustsees,
activities, places of
interest, heritage and culture
to motivate and encourage the
client to book additional tours
and cruises.
“Because of the natural
diversity of the continent,
Australia offers a plethora
of unique experiences found
nowhere else on earth,” she
continues, illustrating with
examples such as feeding
wild lorikeets, watching
Aboriginal didgeridoo and
dance performers, and
tobogganing down the world’s
tallest sand dunes.
Increased knowledge and
information on the destination
equip consultants with the
ability to upsell. A means of
obtaining this knowledge is
through Tourism Australia’s
Aussie Specialist online
training programme, at
https://www.aussiespecialist.
com/splash.html. Currently,
there are nine Aussie
Specialists in SA, says Kim.
Cost-effective solutions
Cost, with the current
exchange rate, is of course, a
consideration. Jackie suggests
utilising value-for-money
products, like affordable and
flexible camper vans that offer
accommodation and transport
in one, or combining hotel
passes with self-drive.
Trafalgar, which offers
Australian and New Zealand
tour programmes, has some
good news too. “Agents
should keep top of mind that
Trafalgar’s products were
priced in 2015 so guests
are getting to travel in 2016
at last year’s prices. And
by opting for these guided
holidays now, they won’t feel
the sting of any currency
fluctuations either, which
could happen if guests
bought excursions and guided
holidays in Australia or New
Zealand once they arrive,”
says md, Theresa Szejwallo.
Short breaks and weekend
getaways are ideal for the VFR
market, enabling clients to
spend the lion’s share of their
stay with family and friends,
and keeping travel costs
down. They have, after all,
made their way to Australia,
which involved time and
distance, and they may as well
make more of the journey.
Short break suggestions
Famous for its blue-tinged
escarpment and Three
Sisters rock formation,
graceful hotels and quaint
townships, the Blue
Mountains National Park
is just a few hours from
Sydney. The mountains
are popular for walking,
climbing, mountain biking
and abseiling.
In the Hunter Valley,
travellers can indulge at
wineries, restaurants and
day spas.
The Central Coast has
good beaches and familyoriented
attractions.
Capital city, Canberra, is
only a three-hour drive
from Sydney.
From Melbourne:
World-class wines, artisan
cheeses and handmade
chocolate are on offer
in the Yarra Valley, 90
minutes’ drive east of
Melbourne. The Healesville
Sanctuary is the spot to
photograph koalas, and
the nearby Dandenong
Ranges have quaint
villages and towering
forests to explore.
Wineries and surf
beaches are found in the
Mornington Peninsula, a
90-minute drive south-east
of Melbourne.
West of the city is the
Bellarine Peninsula, known
for its historic villages,
food and wine.
Phillip Island has beaches,
good food and the nightly
Penguin Parade at sunset
is its premier attraction.
From Perth:
Rottnest Island is only
19 kilometres from Perth
and has over 60 beaches,
coral reefs to snorkel and,
shipwrecks to dive. It’s
also home to a cute little
marsupial, the quokka,
found only in Western
Australia.
The Pinnacles in Nambung
National Park, two hours
north of Perth, is one
of Western Australia’s
most well-known tourist
attractions. Most people
go up on a day tour, but
with time to spare, there’s
a lot more to do in the
area.
A drive 25 minutes northeast
of the city centre to
the Swan Valley will take
the traveller to a region of
40 vineyards. Visitors can
cycle through the vineyards
or take a river cruise,
sipping local wines.
Encounter ancient cultures
TRAFALGAR products may well
entice VFR travellers to explore
beyond their host cities.
Theresa Szejwallo highlights
some cultural and geographic
attractions.
She points out that the
country’s indigenous people,
the Aborigines, are among the
world’s oldest surviving human
cultures. “On a Trafalgar
guided holiday travellers will
get the chance to meet these
people so they can learn about
their fascinating civilisation
first hand.”
The Tjapukai Aboriginal
Cultural Park in Cairns
celebrates the history of the
inhabitants of the rainforest.
Here Trafalgar guests learn
about the medicinal uses of
‘bush tucker’ and watch a
show mixing Aboriginal dance,
fire making and storytelling. As
well as viewing Aboriginal rock
art at Ubirr and Nourlangie,
guests have the chance to
paint their own boomerang.
No trip to Australia is
complete without a trip to
Uluru, or Ayers Rock, says
Theresa. The incredible
348m-tall sandstone rock is
a geological feature sacred to
the Aborigines.
New Zealand too, she says,
is crammed with geological
wonders. The sacred water
of Wai-O-Tapu is a thermal
wonderland south of Rotorua,
where travellers can witness
boiling mud pools, geysers and
tracts of volcanic land.
The Hole in the Rock, off
Cape Brett, showcases an
18-metre arch created by
centuries of wind and waves.
On a boat trip guests can sail
through the arch, which the
M ori call Motu K kako.
At the opposite end of New
Zealand is Milford Sound. This
fjord’s slender inlet is enclosed
by sheer rocky walls, with a
shallow entrance and deep
basin of dark, oxygen-deprived
water. The highlight is the
incredible 1 692m-high Mitre
Peak.
For some ‘out-of-thebox’
experiences, Theresa
recommends the four-day
Cairns & the Great Barrier
Reef guided holiday, in
the company of a marine
naturalist. Snorkelling
equipment is provided to view
this natural phenomenon up
close.
“On our New Zealand
Splendour, we take our guests
to visit Shenandoah for a Be
My Guest experience. The
historic villa’s owners, Simon
and Claudia, show guests
around their property, which
includes a unique private
collection of Harley-Davidson
motorcycles. And then we
enjoy afternoon tea in their
garden before taking a short
tour to see the local wildlife,”
says Theresa.
An optional Farmstay in a
country home is also offered
on this itinerary. Hosts
provide Kiwi hospitality with
a wholesome dinner and a
cooked breakfast, comfortable
accommodation and a tour
to introduce guests to their
lifestyle.
Top tips from the experts
TNW approached some
Aussie Specialists for their
recommendations on selling
Australia.
Adriaan Kruger of 2Life
Travel in Pretoria, said:
“We use the services of a
number of local operators
in Australia, but we also
endeavour to let our clients
experience their own
discoveries.” He points out
that there are many activities
cash-strapped South Africans
can experience at no, or very
little cost. These are his
basic tips:
Don’t just tick the boxes
when planning your clients’
visit to Australia. It is a
huge country. Make use of
a reputable agent who will
give you the best advice
on the areas they should
visit first, as the country
necessitates more than
one visit.
Self-drive is easy and
should be high on the
priority list.
Advise clients against being
‘just a tourist’ or photo
snapper; let them get to
know the people and their
culture.
Plan their itinerary for
international flights by
casting the net a bit
wider. Direct is not always
the best option. Add a
destination like Singapore
or Hong Kong.
Australia’s star-rating for
hotels is supposedly very
similar to South Africa’s,
but Adriaan says he would
downsize grading by half a
star.
Tracey Elliott, senior travel
consultant at Embassy Travel
in Cape Town, had a wealth
of information to impart:
Give your client a minimum
of three hours connecting
time in Sydney when
transferring from an
international flight to a
domestic flight or vice
versa. You first have to
find out where to connect,
and then you have to wait
in that area for a bus to
transfer you from one
terminal to the other. This
can be a bit nerve-racking
if your client has not left
enough time, as the bus
runs on a schedule.
Know the temperature in
all the cities your client will
be visiting. You can have
sweltering ‘Durban’ weather
in Darwin, and three days
later be in gale force winds
and rain in Melbourne.
Australia is a big continent
– it is about 50% larger
than Europe and about
33 times larger than the
UK! You need to take this
into consideration when
planning an itinerary as the
distance between major
cities and destinations is
significant.
To hire a car, clients must
be 21 years or older. There
are many toll roads in
Australia and many of them
do not take cash. Check
with car-rental companies
if the vehicle is fitted with
the relevant electronic tag
or whether your clients will
need to call the number
displayed on the toll road
to pay for the trip.
Australia has three time
zones – Western Australia
is GMT +8; Northern
Territory and South
Australia are GMT+ 9,5;
Queensland, New South
Wales, Victoria, Australian
Capital Territory and
Tasmania are GMT+10.
Stop over in Mauritius!
AIR Mauritius offers South
Africans access to Perth
from both Johannesburg and
Cape Town. Comments sales
and marketing manager,
Wouter Nel: “Not only is
Perth only six and a half
hours from Mauritius, Air
Mauritius also offers South
African travellers the best
fares and unique value
propositions.”
South Africans can enjoy
a generous 40kg luggage
allowance to Perth. In
addition, passengers have
the advantage of one free
date change as part of the
airline’s Beyond Bonanza
offer. “All-inclusive fares start
from as little as R9 999 in
economy class and only
R24 999 in business
class on our lie-flat product
from Mauritius and
Johannesburg,” says Wouter.
The carrier offers all
passengers a free STPC
(stopover) in Mauritius,
inclusive of accommodation,
transfers and selected
meals. “This voluntary
stopover has encouraged
South Africans to explore
the island en-route back
from their trip to Australia, a
perfect relaxing break,” says
Wouter.
Air Mauritius flies between
Johannesburg and Mauritius
daily, between Cape Town
and Mauritius three times a
week, and between Mauritius
and Perth twice weekly.
