Family holiday in Mauritius
OUR mystery shopper contacted
three agents in the Durban area
for a family holiday to Mauritius
during the school holidays. She
explained that her family had been to
Mauritius before on a disastrous selfcatering
holiday booked online. This
time they wanted to have a great time
with access to kids’ clubs, spas for
her and golf for hubby.
Our selling-orientated criteria:
10% Engage the customer by making an excellent first impression –
be interested, excited and enthusiastic.
20% Profile the customer, getting to know their needs in full,
their likes, dislikes and prior travels. Use consultative sales
techniques, not transactional questions only, and provide advice
about the destination.
10% Hook the customer, preventing their further shopping around, by
sounding like an expert.
10% Match the enquiry to the quote, providing two or three options,
ideally within the same day of enquiry.
20% Sell the holiday ideas and bring them to life. Don’t just attach a
quote.
5% Close the sale when you spot buying signals.
15% Convert the sale by creating a sense of urgency and asking for
the booking.
10% Persist if customers provide a reason why they can’t book –
attempt to overcome objections.
100% TOTAL
Agents are scored up to the maximum of the weighted percentages above.
Flight Centre
Kloof
A really friendly greeting was
followed by brilliant, highly
interested service making me
feel at every stage that Jade Box
had my best interests at heart.
She asked a few transactional
questions but used them to get
to the nitty gritty of my needs.
She knew the school holiday
dates off the top of her head
and established our flexibility
around them. She asked whether
we had been to Mauritius before
and when I told her about our
disastrous holiday she was
empathetic and asked what
we wanted from this holiday to
make it perfect. When I said I
had busy kids, she explained
what all-inclusive hotels offered,
expanding in detail about
children’s clubs and watersports.
Jade said during the school
holidays the resorts put on even
more entertainment, and hubby
and I would be able to relax
while they had fun. She sounded
like an expert throughout.
Only at the end, just at the right
time, did she clarify our budget.
She recapped and promised me
two highly competitive quotes
that would give me options. I was
hooked and felt no need to go
anywhere else. Within two hours
I received two quotes, one that
was R17 000 over budget and
one right on budget. The covering
email was disappointingly
short with just flights and
links to photos and reviews
on TripAdvisor. This was the
opportunity to sell the holiday
and while it takes a little more
effort by email, it is easily done.
It’s a shame that Jade didn’t
attempt to bring the holiday
to life, selling the two options,
making a recommendation and
asking for the booking. She
did, however, follow up very
timeously with a sincere request
for feedback together with a
commitment statement to find
me the perfect holiday.
I was very impressed despite the
lack of selling of the quote and
would probably have used this
agent.
Get sale fit
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TI Plus users.
Harvey World Travel
Kloof
The friendly agent showed genuine
interest, excitement and enthusiasm
– a great first impression. This
was followed by the standard
transactional questions: When?
Where? How long? How much? and
How many people? When she asked
if we had been to Mauritius before,
I was excited as I felt she was
going to respond well. I said we had
stayed in the north of the island and
went into details about our previous
experience. This was the perfect
opportunity for her to ask what
went wrong and what our likes and
dislikes were, but she just laughed
along nicely. She asked if I had a
hotel in mind – I told her no and that
I needed help. She then asked if
we would like a hotel or all-inclusive
but didn’t
mention
any of
our other
needs.
Sadly this really engaging agent
didn’t use any sales skills to hook
me. Three emails and quotes were
received the same day but she didn’t
attempt to sell the options offered.
A follow-up email was received within
24 working hours to which I replied
that I was shopping around and
waiting for quotes from Flight Centre.
This was a great opportunity to
further engage me, try to overcome
the hesitation and understand
whether what she had found was
suitable or what I was unsure of. No
response was received.
Avoca Travel
Durban
I was put on hold three times and
when I was finally put through,
the agent seemed ready to get to
know my needs. However, the first
unfavourable impression deteriorated
further when she showed no interest,
excitement or enthusiasm about
my requests. The questions were
transactional throughout. I explained
about our previous
visit to Mauritius then
asked if she could give me some
advice. My request was practically
ignored and she just said she
would mail me some quotes. I was
extremely disappointed and after
three working days no quotes or
communication had been received.
Sell your holiday ideas, bring them to life
Selling is not just about
producing one or two quotes and
hoping that the customer will
choose one.
You are a travel professional,
you need to sell the quotes.
Bring the holiday to life, get
excited, get clients excited,
provide them with reviews. You
need to generate trust and
confidence in your selections
and you can only do this if you
have understood the customer’s
needs and if you mirror their
requirements in the products you
select for them.
Without these actions you will
rarely convert a booking and you
will continue to churn and burn
enquiries.
An easy upsell
IN A snap survey on selling Mauritius
conducted among retail travel agents
and wholesale tour operators,
respondents revealed the importance
of price in selling Mauritius as well as
the generally receptive response clients
have to upselling of the destination.
The survey, posted on eTNW for a day,
aimed to explore holiday patterns to
Mauritius, and highlight opportunities
to upgrade packages sold. 187 readers
responded to the survey.
Ask yourself these questions
1. Would you buy a holiday from you?
2. Do you provide expert advice?
3. Is your service on a par with or better than this month’s winner?
An easy upsell
IN A snap survey on selling Mauritius
conducted among retail travel agents
and wholesale tour operators,
respondents revealed the importance
of price in selling Mauritius as well as
the generally receptive response clients
have to upselling of the destination.
The survey, posted on eTNW for a day,
aimed to explore holiday patterns to
Mauritius, and highlight opportunities
to upgrade packages sold. 187 readers
responded to the survey.
Family holidays rules
Family holidays emerged as the
highest proportion of Mauritius
sales by far (almost 60%), with
romantic getaways second at
just over 30%. The popularity of
family holidays suggests that
agents and tour operators can
capitalise on this by selling more
child-friendly excursions and
facilities. The fact that group
vacations and singles trips came
out as the lowest contributors to
Mauritius sales could indicate two
largely untapped markets. Some
respondents who listed ‘other’ in
their answers, however, mentioned
that incentives contributed to
Mauritius sales.
Encourage exploration
The majority of holidaymakers
in Mauritius do not venture
beyond their resort.
According to the survey, 69%
of respondents said fewer
than half of their customers
left the resort during their
stay. In addition, 75% of
respondents said their
customers only took one to
two excursions on average,
while 22% of respondents
said their clients took three
to four excursions. Only 3%
of respondents said their
customers took five or more
excursions on average. Thus
the opportunity to upsell
by offering excursions and
encouraging customers
to explore the island is
significant. A reason for
clients not doing more of
this may stem from their lack
of awareness of everything
Mauritius has to offer.
Weather affects sales
There is a direct correlation
between weather/climate
in Mauritius and the
popularity of the island as
a destination choice. The
worst periods of the year to
travel in terms of seasonal
issues are the first and
third quarters of every year.
Kathryn Garton of Black
Martini Travel, explains
that January to December
is one of the worst times
for travel to Mauritius
because it is cyclone
season. Temperatures are
exceptionally high during
this period and there can
be anti-cyclones with heavy
winds and rainfall. From
July to September, the
east coast of the island
can also be exceptionally
windy. People may avoid
travelling during this period
because of the cooler
weather. Respondents also
answered that sales were
lowest at these times of
the year. Clients may not be
aware of different weather
patterns on different parts
of the island and this may
once again provide agents
and tour operators with
an opportunity to increase
sales during off-peak
seasons.
How to upsell
The survey revealed that
there was good potential for
upselling to Mauritius and
that the majority of clients
were receptive. Respondents
indicated that only 5% of
clients were not at all receptive
to upselling. This poses the
question – what are the best
methods of upselling the
destination? According to the
survey, travel agents and tour
operators employ these tactics:
Encouraging clients to
upgrade their entire package
clearly emerged as the
most common upselling
strategy. Joanne Visagie,
sales and marketing
manager at Beachcomber
Tours, believes that the
most important aspect of
upselling is how the agent
or tour operator presents
the opportunity to the
client. She says: “This skill
requires solid and clear
consultation; knowing your
clients and their needs, way
of life, priorities and values,
and being confident with the
resort you are offering. A
suggestion is to give a client
what he or she asks for
and then offer your upsell.
It is important that a client
knows you listened to the
initial request. A client will
never want to spend more
unless you sell the ‘more’
to them. A lot of clients
don’t have an idea what
things cost and unless you
propose an upsell to them
they don’t know. Validate
the upsell with reasons,
be smart and savvy,
confident, professional and
knowledgeable.”
Tips from sellers...
I encourage clients to stay
longer. I always tell them
that they only really start
relaxing after the fourth
or fifth day of holiday. The
fare and taxes are already
paid for and staying for a
few additional days does
not work out to be too
expensive, so it makes
sense to stay longer.
Michelle Minaar –
Harvey World Travel
(Plettenberg Bay)
Product knowledge and
awareness need to be
passed on to clients so that
they realise that Mauritius is
not just about the beach – it
has far more to offer.
Chantelle Browne –
Holiday Tours (Randburg)
A good resort must
meet all of the sensory
requirements: sights
(outstanding scenery and
beautiful decor), sounds
(peace and tranquillity),
touch (spas and pools),
aroma (incense, sand and
sea) and taste (delicious
food).
Susan Le Marquand –
Travelwise (Rondebosch)
I try to include as many
excursions as possible. All
are pre-booked and pre-paid
for in South Africa, and
commissionable.
Jashika Komal –
A2Z Travel (Durban)
I try to sell items like
forex and travel insurance,
additional extras the client
may not initially ask for.
Salomi Joerdens –
XL Boland Travel (Paarl)
If they have been to
Mauritius before, I try to
upsell products on their
second trip as they are more
willing to leave the resort
and try different activities.
Sarah Bolton –
Zenojet Travel (Edenvale)
Quick Reference Guide: Resorts’ unique selling points
Beachcomber Tours
Le Canonnier:
A four-star property with a prime
beachfront location, two scenic
beaches, three restaurants and
a unique wellness centre in the
branches of a banyan tree.
A wide choice of room types,
superb kids’ facilities and a baby
care room.
An interchangeable, all-inclusive
package with Le Mauricia is
optional, enabling guests to dine
at either hotel.
Le Mauricia:
A four-star property with a
beachfront setting in trendy
Grand Baie. Offers a wide choice
of room types.
Features two swimming pools
on the beach, two restaurants, a
wellness centre and night club.
An interchangeable, all-inclusive
package with Le Canonnier is
optional, enabling guests to dine
at either hotel.
Le Victoria:
Located on the beachfront of
the protected north-west coast,
halfway between Grand Baie and
Port Louis, Le Victoria is rated
four-star superior.
An excellent property for groups
and families, with spacious
accommodation in a wide
range of categories.
The resort has three restaurants
and a new wellness centre.
An optional Beachcomber allinclusive
package includes
imported alcohol brands and
spirits.
Shandrani:
A five-star fully inclusive resort
including all meals, drinks,
leisure facilities and more.
Features two swimming pools,
three beaches, a Spa by Clarins,
a wellness centre and five
restaurants.
Ten minutes from the airport and
a good choice for action-filled
holidays, families, groups and
nature lovers.
Paradis:
The five-star superior Paradis has
an idyllic location with 7km of
beach and is nearby the iconic
Le Morne mountain.
There is an 18-hole
championship golf course, four
restaurants shared with four
more at sister hotel Dinarobin
and an optional full-board-plus
package.
Features a Spa by Clarins, eight
categories of rooms and villas
and is a paradise for sports
enthusiasts.
Holiday Tours
Centara Poste Lafayette
Resort & Spa:
Sold on a half-board-plus-one
basis; in addition to breakfast,
clients can choose between lunch
or dinner daily in participating
food outlets. There’s a threehour
open bar service with the
meal.
Rooms feature modern
technology including USB,
network, printer and screen ports
for quick plug and play.
Le Meridien Ile Maurice:
The hotel has two separate wings
– the adults-only Nirvana section
and a deluxe wing. The Nirvana
wing is ideal for honeymooners
and couples seeking romance.
The resort is sea facing and
offers a wide range of room
categories.
Preskil Beach Resort & Spa:
Resort is close to the airport
with a short transfer but is not
affected by air traffic noise.
The TGIF Cocktail session
exclusive to Holiday Tours clients
is held every Friday from 18h00-
18h30. Each guest is entitled
to three free cocktails or nonalcoholic
mocktails.
Tropical Attitude:
Property has small-hotel charm
ideal for those seeking a
more private experience.
Free boat trips run to Ile aux Cerf
daily with a complimentary picnic
basket as part of the all-inclusive
package.
Outrigger Mauritius Resort
& Spa:
This resort offers a dine-around
concept on half board. Fresh fish
supplied daily from the jetty is
prepared at the Crab Shack.
Two-bedroom family rooms can
accommodate two adults and up
to three children aged 17 and
under. Children stay free in these
room types on half board.
Island Light Holidays
LUX* Belle Mare:
Recently upgraded, offering five-star
luxury.
Homemade ice cream offered free
on the beach daily.
Offers fine dining in a selection of
restaurants.
Tamassa:
The all-inclusive rate includes drinks
on the property.
Features four pools and a spa.
Many water sports on offer and a
kids’ club.
LUX* Belle Mare pool. Photo: LUX*
Belle Mare
Thompsons Holidays
Astroea:
A small boutique hotel on
the east coast.
An adults-only hotel, it is
ideal for romantic couples
and offers personalised
service and fine dining.
Crystals:
Under new management,
meticulous attention to
service is assured.
Free upgrades to higher
room categories.
Access to a spectacular
beach.
Preskil:
A charming Creole-style
hotel on a private island.
Offers access to four
superb beaches within a
pristine marine reserve.
Guests enjoy seasonal
unlimited draught beer.
Villas Caroline:
Villas Caroline is located
on an expansive beach
on the west coast, within
walking distance of Flic
en Flac.
Features a FunClub with
all-day entertainment and
activities for all ages.
Free beer, wine and ice
cream on tap.
Self-catering:
A wide selection of
apartments is available,
from basic to luxury. The
apartments feature fully
equipped kitchens, airconditioning
and DStv and
can sleep up to 10 people.
Most of the apartments
are in walking distance of
the beach and local shops.
World Leisure Holidays
Ambre Hotel:
Situated on the east
coast, this four-star hotel
is only for travellers aged
16 years and older who
are looking for peace and
tranquillity, away from
kids.
It is a popular choice
for families with older
children, singles, couples
as well as the gay
market.
It offers good value
in terms of the
food, beverages and
entertainment.
La Pirogue:
A four-star family hotel
on the west coast, also
catering for couples.
During school holidays
families fill up the hotel
while during school terms
most guests are couples.
A quaint and romantic
hotel that offers great
value and has all the
facilities to suit families.
Le Touessrok:
A five-star resort with its
own 18-hole golf course.
Three private villas are
available on the property
for those seeking a
more private holiday.
The resort is considered
great for families in
terms of affordability and
is also well frequented by
individuals.
Long Beach:
A five-star Mediterraneanstyle
hotel in the form of
a village.
Suited to active
travellers, and offering
facilities such as a
running track and
climbing walls. Also
popular with families.
There are numerous
restaurants and
entertainment options in
the square of the village.
Sugar Beach:
A five-star resort, yet
affordable for family
holidays. It sees
significant repeat
business.
It has a South African
feel about it; the gm is
an ex-South African and
South African travellers
make up its highest
occupancy.
Colonial-style architecture
with superb facilities,
specifically for sporting.
Quick Reference Guide: Airlines
SAA
Flies daily between
Johannesburg and
Mauritius and twice on
Saturdays and Sundays,
with schedules planned
to maximise travellers’
time on the island.
It is located in terminal
A at OR Tambo, with
dedicated desks for
online or self-service
check-in.
Depending on demand,
SAA deploys wide-body
aircraft on the route,
allowing customers to
experience a great level
of comfort throughout the
cabin.
Air Mauritius
Direct flights to Mauritius
from Cape Town, Durban
and Johannesburg.
The Travel Smart
programme offers a
discounted fare during
low season. Couples
get a discounted rate
and two kids under 12
travel free. Families
travelling in economy
class have access to the
business-class lounge
and increased baggage
allowance.
Discounted rate for
brides. Value-adds and
upfront discounts have
also been structured for
honeymooners.
Passengers can pay
R1 500 to upgrade
from economy to
business class at the
airport should seats be
available.
Free kids’ kits on board
with suitable content for
children up to the age of 12 years.
SAA deploys A320 to Mauritius
SAA customers travelling
to Mauritius can now also
experience the airline’s
brand-new Airbus A320
aircraft.
SAA has taken delivery
of four new A320s to date,
which form part of an order
for 20 new aircraft.
They are configured with
24 business-class and 114
economy-class seats.
Business-class offers ample
leg room and a seat pitch of
99cm. Seats are arranged in
a 2-2 configuration, offering
more seat width. In all seats
except for the first row, the
back shell has space to
stow a PC tablet, with a USB
power-point to keep the tablet
powered during flight, and PC
power points in the centre
console.
Seating in economy
class offers a 79cm seat
pitch, with shared USB
and PC power points and
an adjustable headrest.
Customers will enjoy the
greater sense of ‘living
space’ that the slim-line
seats offer.
Photocap: On the move!
Air Mauritius has launched a new mobile website with
capability for customers to purchase tickets, check-in,
access ‘Manage my Booking’ and consult the airline
timetable for updated flight information. The site is
available in both English and French and can be used
on most handheld mobile devices. Carla da Silva,
regional manager Southern Africa and Latin America
soaks up some island rays.
Mauritius for honeymooners
Beachcomber Tours has
a number of honeymoon
packages on offer for travel
between May 1 and June
29 that include a 35%
accommodation discount.
The six-night packages
start from R12 920 per
person sharing at Le
Mauricia and include flights
and taxes. Clients receive
complimentary lunch daily as
well as special honeymoon
gifts, which include a small
bottle of French Champagne,
fresh fruit on arrival and a
gift voucher per person for
the Beachcomber Boutique.
All- inclusive specials for Hollliday Tours
Centara Poste Lafayette is
offering a special all-inclusive
rate from R13 800pps for
seven nights. The package
includes return flights on
MK Travel Smart with airport
taxes, return transfers and
seven nights’ accommodation
in a deluxe ocean facing
room on all-inclusive meal
basis. It is valid for travel
from May 5 to June 20.
The Ambre for foodies
World Leisure Holidays
is offering an all-inclusive
package for Ambre Hotel
from R14 440 per person.
The package is valid from
April 28, in conjunction
with the MK Travel Smart
programme.
Travellers will have the
choice of three different
culinary experiences at
Ambre, including the
interactive buffet at Indigo
Restaurant for breakfast,
lunch and dinner; the La
Plage beach restaurant for
lunch and dinner; and Dolce
Vita, which offers Italian à
la carte dinners. Selected
beverages are also included.
Did you know?
From July, Air Mauritius is increasing its frequencies
between Johannesburg and Mauritius. On Saturdays and
Sundays additional flights will depart Johannesburg at
09h40, arriving in Mauritius at 15h40. On Fridays and
Saturdays, flights will depart Mauritius at 17h00, arriving in
Johannesburg at 19h35.
