Make time for you clients
Sure Aquababy Travel, Durban
WHEN I walked into Sure
Aquababy Travel in Ballito,
Karen Yeoman welcomed
me with a broad smile.
I told her we were
looking for a valuefor-money
break to
Mozambique with the
kids during the upcoming
school holidays.
She asked whether we
were looking for a selfdrive
holiday or a fly-in
package and when I said
we preferred self-drive,
Karen said it was a
great choice but that we
needed to make sure to
have a 4x4 vehicle.
If we didn’t, she said
she could arrange
transfers for me.
She suggested a lovely
self-catering resort that
is popular with the local
families, as it is right on
the beach and has great
adventure activities for
families.
Drawing on her personal
experience, she said she
loved the resort, as it was
cosy and friendly but still
offered a luxurious feel.
Karen showed me some
photos of the resort and
suggested the lower-lying
chalets, as the higher
chalets required quite
a steep climb from the
beach, something that
could be a hassle with
young children.
Explaining that each
chalet could sleep up
to eight people, she
suggested travelling
with another family to
split the costs.
She volunteered
great advice on local
restaurants in the vicinity
and suggested numerous
beach activities.
Karen then reminded
me that I would need
unabridged birth
certificates for the
children and gave me
great advice on visas,
which my husband and I
would both need. Visas
could be obtained at
the border, she said,
but suggested rather
obtaining them at
the embassy prior to
departure. She also gave
me a clear breakdown of
costs to be paid for the
car at the border.
The following day, Karen
followed up by e-mail,
sending me the available
chalets and costs.
When I hadn’t
responded to her by the
next day, she followed up
by phone saying she was
always available if I had
any further questions.
iTravelsmart , Salt Rock
iTravelsmart welcomes
you with vibrant, fun
colours and a friendly
set-up.
The travel agent greeted
me and when I gave her
the details, she enquired
about the ages of the kids
as well as the reasons
why I wanted to travel to
Mozambique.
She told me that
unfortunately, she didn’t
sell Mozambique very
often as most people
opted to go to either
Mauritius or Tanzania,
something that she said
was a pity as Mozambique
was a beautiful country.
She took down my
details and said, once she
had got more information
she would get back to me
quickly with a proposal. I
prompted her a few days
later after which she
sent a quote of R64 910
for one week, including
breakfast, dinner and light
lunch. The quote was from
Johannesburg although I
live in Durban.
The quote did include a
great number of activities
such as snorkelling at the
‘Wreck’, beach games,
walks, kayaking, Gypsy
and Hobie sailing, board
games, beach bicycle
riding and coconut cutting
demonstrations.
Flight Centre, Ballito
The agent at Flight Centre
welcomed me with a smile.
She took copious notes
and asked me numerous
questions about why I was
interested in travelling
to Mozambique, what my
budget was, the ages of
the children and whether I
required an all-inclusive or a
B&B option.
She immediately took out
a Thompsons brochure and
suggested Ponta Mamoli
White Pearl Resort, although
I had indicated that I was
looking for a mid-range
value-for-money option.
She asked whether I had
time for her to phone the
tour operator to enquire
about prices and availability.
When I said, yes, she picked
up the phone and waited for
the operator to answer.
We sat in silence for a
good couple of minutes
while she was waiting for
the operator to answer,
during which she didn’t
engage with me, which felt
uncomfortable.
I asked whether she could
suggest any activities, but
she just nodded, and didn’t
elaborate. When the tour
operator didn’t answer, she
eventually asked me for my
contact details to send me
a quote.
The next day, I emailed
her to enquire whether she
had any more clarity. She
never answered my mail,
and I haven’t heard from her
since.
Karens top tips
Get to know your client
and their personal
preferences. Some
like flashy five-star
hotels and specific
brands, others like
more personal boutique
options – I always get
an idea by asking them
where they stayed before
and how they liked it.
I always try to match
client to property as one
size doesn't fit all.
Always make time for
the client. If they have
made time to come to
your office never rush
them, even if you are
busy. It will be worth it
as even though it could
only result in a local
ticket to Johannesburg,
if you are polite and
helpful they will come
back to you for their next
overseas trip.
Always get back to your
client within 24 hours
or at least drop them a
line to explain why it is
taking longer.
Take note!
The purpose of the Naked Agent in this series is to access the
experience from only a sales skills perspective and not the
effectiveness of the travel agency. TNW believes that sales skills
are increasingly important to travel agents and, in many cases,
improvement in selling skills is the easiest way to increase the
prosperity of the agency and its consultants. The Naked Agent
is designed to raise awareness of the opportunity and build
awareness of the need.
Is air travel about to become more affordable?
ALTHOUGH Mozambique
has all the attributes
of a popular getaway,
the destination is struggling
to attract South Africans
because of high airfares.
“Vilanculos is becoming
more and more popular,
especially within the
Archipelago region, as this
area provides the perfect
island-style getaway close to
South Africa,” says Natalie
Tenzer-Silva, director of Dana
Tours.
However, the steep airfares
are a major deterrent for
some potential South African
travellers. Rina Cilliers,
gm sales, marketing and
reservations for Legend
Lodges, says currently,
there are only limited flight
options, and these flights are
expensive.
She says a wide variety
of South Africans visit
Mozambique – from
honeymooners to solo
travellers, self-drivers and
families. However, she says
most of the fly-in travel is
limited to luxury travellers who
can afford the steep airfares.
Rina says she hopes,
though, that a new service by
local start-up airline, Fly Blue
Crane, could help make fly-in
packages more affordable for
a wider group of travellers.
Theunis Potgieter, Fly Blue
Crane md, told TNW that the
airline was currently in the
final stages of receiving its
foreign operators permit from
Mozambique. “We will be able
to make an announcement
in the next few weeks on the
start date,” he said.
Although Theunis revealed
that both the schedule and
fares for Mozambique had
been finalised, he remained
tightlipped and said the
information would only be
revealed when the airline
announced the start date for
its flights, which would, in all
likelihood, be in two to three
months.
Whether the new route
will increase travel to
Mozambique will depend on
the affordability of the fares.
“It’s not the capacity on the
route that’s the problem, it’s
the price,” says Natalie. “If
the new flights will be at low
rates, then yes. If it’s merely
adding capacity, we don’t
need it.”
A new flight could give selfdrive
travellers the option of
flying, however, Rina points
out that self-drivers normally
enjoy driving, and may still
choose this option.
Natalie agrees that the
self-drive market will probably
not be affected, however, she
says there is a huge potential
market for weekend breaks
from Johannesburg. “Once
we have a low-cost option,
we would push the singles
market, as well as bachelor
and bachelorette parties.”
What's new in the hotel industry
THE number of planned
hotel rooms in Africa has
soared to 64 000 across
365 hotels in 2016,
up almost 30% on the
previous year, according
to new figures from the
annual W Hospitality
Group Hotel Chain
Development Pipeline
Survey.
In Mozambique the
hotel industry has been
booming.
TNW rounds up
some of the new
developments.
Eco-luxury
Travessia Beach Lodge
opened in September
last year. This four-room
eco-lodge is an hour and
a half from Inhambane
airport and is all about
understated barefoot
luxury.
The lodge is solarpowered
and is built
among the dunes on the
beach, between bush
and palm trees.
The rooms have been
carefully positioned
to maximise privacy
and seaviews while
maintaining proximity to
the lounge, restaurant
and beach.
The buildings are
constructed on elevated
wooden decks with
timber and roll-up canvas
walls under a thatched
roof.
Wooden walkways lead
from the rooms to the
lodge’s reception area
and restaurant, with a
lounge and a spacious
deck overlooking the
palm grove and sea.
Beach safari
Anvil Bay is a private
and exclusive barefoot
beach camp on an
untouched stretch of
coastal wilderness in
Mozambique’s most
southern national park.
Created with the
smallest possible
footprint to preserve the
wilderness, the camp
is set up on the beach
under canvas and thatch.
The accommodations,
called casinhas (little
home), are nestled in the
canopy of the coastal
forest just a few steps
from the secluded whitesand
beach.
Built on wooden
decks, each of the nine
casinhas has its own
stretch of beachfront.
Maputo studios
The only global hotel
brand currently operating
in Mozambique,
Radisson Blu has
recently taken over the
management of 117
serviced apartments in
Torres Rani, adjacent to
the 154-room Radisson
Blu Maputo on Avenida
Marginal.
The residences include
64 studios and 53 onebedroom
apartments,
including a universal
access apartment.
The first 33 apartments
have been completed
and the remainder will
be operational before the
end of the year.
The complex also
offers meeting and
events facilities, two
restaurants, a bar, a
poolside bar and a gym.
City Lodge plans
Announcing its results
for the year ended June
30, 2016, the City
Lodge Group said final
approvals were still
being sought for the
development of the 148-
room City Lodge Hotel
Maputo in Mozambique.
It is hoped that
construction will begin
in the current quarter for
completion in the first
quarter of 2018.
