Europe – with a twist
EASTERN Europe is a
popular destination
for South Africans,
especially those who have
explored Western Europe
and are interested in
new cultural, traditional,
historical and architectural
experiences.
Top-sellers are Croatia,
Hungary and the Czech
Republic, with Poland a new
up-and-coming destination.
Theresa Szejwallo,
Trafalgar md, says there
has been an exponential
increase in interest in
Trafalgar’s Eastern Europe
trips in 2015, with people
wanting to explore more
unknown, less-visited
destinations. “Prague and
Budapest are hot favourites,
especially for the more
adventurous Trafalgar
traveller,” she says.
Croatia is the most
popular Eastern European
destination, says Inge
Dobihal, owner of Austria
Connection. She says
most South Africans spend
between seven and 14
nights in Croatia on islandhopping
cruises, self-drive
tours or combined cruise or
coach tours.
“South Africans love
island hopping off Croatia’s
coastline, visiting Split with
a day trip to the nearby
Krka National Park, and
visiting Dubrovnik with
its lovely beaches,” says
Pentravel Tyger Valley’s Landi
Groenewald. She adds that
another top seller is coach
tours starting in Vienna,
travelling through Salzburg
to Budapest, with the Czech
Republic as an add-on.
Pentravel Tyger Valley’s
Marelize van Zyl, says her
clients mainly visit Croatia
on big cruise lines but
that she also sells islandhopping
and self-drive
packages. “Sometimes my
clients combine Vienna with
either Croatia or Slovenia,
with the latter receiving
a lot of interest in recent
months.”
Rather than selling a
cruise to Croatia, the
country is better explored on
a self-drive trip starting in
Zagreb, driving to the lakes
region and then to the coast
for a few nights in Split
and Dubrovnic, she says.
“Or, if clients only want to
visit the coast, I would fly
them into Split or Dubrovnic
and they could island hop
for seven nights.” Marelize
recommends a minimum of
10 days to explore Croatia
or two weeks if clients want
to island hop as well.
Excursion add-ons
Inge says when South
Africans visit the Czech
Republic and Hungary,
they generally spend only
a few nights in Prague or
Budapest. “This is a great
pity because both countries
offer so much more, which
can easily be experienced
by self-drive, train or coach
tour.” She suggests that
travellers spend a few more
days in Prague or Budapest
going on day excursions,
which is a great up-selling
opportunity for agents. For
example, in Prague agents
could include a Grand City
Tour or a sightseeing river
cruise; an excursion to
the gothic Karlstejn Castle
outside Prague, visiting
Kutna Hora (a town that
was home to several kings
and offers a journey into the
Middle Ages); or a tour of
Jewish Prague and a visit to
Terezin concentration camp.
In Budapest there are
hop-on, hop-off city tours;
a sightseeing Danube
cruise; or an excursion to
Szentendre (a baroque town
and shopper’s paradise for
Hungarian arts, crafts and
porcelain). The Puszta Tour
includes a guided walk in
Keckemet, a performance
by the famous horsemen in
Lajosmize, a horse-drawn
carriage ride through the
Puszta, and a traditional
Hungarian meal with live
gypsy music.
Poland is another
destination that’s growing in
popularity.
Inge points out that while
Jewish interest used to be
the main reason for visiting
the country, travellers are
beginning to realise that
Poland has more to offer
than Warsaw and Krakow.
“They’re showing interest in
places like Gdansk on the
Baltic Sea, the historic city
Torun, the mountain village
of Zakopane – which boasts
the best ski resort in Poland
– and bustling Wroclaw.”
For an off-the-beatentrack
Eastern European
destination, Inge
recommends Romania.
“Historically highly
interesting, not only because
of Dracula, it’s a country of
diverse culture and beautiful
scenery. The ideal way to
tour the country is with a
private driver or guide, which
is not as expensive as one
might think.”
Traveller tips...
EASTERN Europe is very
different from Central Europe,
so agents should advise
clients to travel with an open
mind, says Theresa Szejwallo.
“Culturally, these countries
are not as cosmopolitan
as, for example, Italy and
France, and there may be
a language barrier as not
everyone speaks English.” It
makes things easier to have
a travel guide who speaks
both English and the local
language, she says.
Landi Groenwald agrees,
and recommends organised
tours in places such as
Prague and Budapest because
of the language barrier. “The
benefit of taking a tour is that
the tour operator arranges
access to attractions and
there’s no queuing, all
transport needs are taken
care of, there are a lot more
inclusions and it’s more cost
effective.”
She also advises agents
to carefully check visa
requirements for Eastern
European countries.
“Some visas can only
be applied for in person in
Johannesburg, which can
present a challenge for those
living outside Gauteng. In
some instances, clients
visiting two countries in a
region may have to apply
for two different visas, so
they need to be applied for
timeously.”
Marelize van Zyl says
agents should be aware that
in some places in Croatia, only
the local currency, the kuna, is
accepted and not euros.
Inge Dobihal advises
travellers in Prague to be
aware of taxi drivers who
invariably like to take the
long route to the destination.
“Travellers should have some
basic knowledge of how far
their destination is and ask
the driver upfront what the
approximate fare would be.”
In Poland, says Inge, there
are often many unlicensed
taxis without meters lined up
in front of hotels and airports.
“Travellers should never take
just any taxi outside a hotel.
They should always ask the
hotel reception to order a taxi
for them, and at the airport
look for the official taxi rank.”
“Lastly, in Romania,
‘prost’ means ‘dumb head’,
not ‘cheers’ as it does in
German!” says Inge.
Book it!
United Europe is offering F1 hotel accommodation and ticket packages. Packages for the Austrian F1 are
R9 930pps, while packages for the Hungarian F1 are R7 790pps. Both offers include three nights at a threestar
hotel and general admission tickets, as well as breakfast and hotel/track return transfers on Saturday and
Sunday. The Austrian package is valid from June 19-22 and the Hungarian package is valid from July 24-27.
Book it!
Trafalgar’s ‘Highlights of Bohemia’ is a 15-day Cost Saver
guided holiday priced from R24 000pps, which travels
through Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and the
Czech Republic. Trafalgar’s ‘Prague, Vienna & Budapest’ is
a 10-day At Leisure trip, priced at R19 100pps. With later
starts and longer stays of three nights in each of the main
cities, this guided holiday explores Eastern Europe at a
slower pace.
Upselling tip: Agents should point out to clients that
Trafalgar’s Eastern European Cost Saver tours are 30%
cheaper than going it alone, and then encourage the client to
invest the money they have saved on an Insider Experience –
a more intense exploration of the destination that includes Be
My Guest dining, local specialists, authentic accommodation
and cultural insights.
Austria Connection’s six-day ‘Classic Romania’ tour is an
individual tour in a private car with a driver guide, which
takes in Bucharest, Cozia, Sibiel, Sibiu, Biertan, Sighisoara,
Brasov, Bran and Sinaia. Highlights include a sightseeing tour
of Bucharest, a visit to the Cozia and Sinaia monasteries,
dinner in a local farmhouse in Sibiel, and visits to the
Bruckenthal Art Gallery Museum, the medieval town of
Sighisoara, and the Black Church in Braslov. The package,
from R14 818pps, includes air-conditioned car, an Englishspeaking
guide, mostly four-star accommodation, five dinners,
all entrance fees to tourist sites and porterage.
Austria Connection’s four-day ‘Dracula – The True Story’ tour
takes in Bucharest, Curtea de Arges, Cozia, Sibiu, Medias,
Biertan, Sighisoara, Brazov, Bran and Sinaia. Highlights
include visits to various monasteries, churches, and historic
buildings where Dracula or his ancestors lived and died. The
package starts from R7 961pps and includes private car and
guide, three- and four-star accommodation with breakfast, a
farmhouse dinner and entrance fees to tourist sites.
