SCENARIO: A 10-night trip
to Thailand for a couple in
mid-August. The couple are
in their late 30s, and are
looking to stay somewhere
quiet and away from the
crowds, with great beaches.
They enjoy snorkelling and
eating out. The couple are
also interested in stopping
over for a night or two on
the way in or way out.
Agencies were contacted
digitally, either via email,
or using the contact form
on each agency’s website.
An increasing number of
travellers reach out to
agents via online technology,
so this approach was used
to measure the readiness
and responsiveness when
requests are sent through
electronically
Make it personal!
Flight Centre, Midrand: Carlswald
After submitting my
booking request via the
contact form on Flight
Centre’s website, I got an
automatically generated
email stating that I
would hear back from
one of their consultants
within 24 hours. As
promised, Naledi Ngcobo
contacted me the following
afternoon, but I missed
her call, so she left a
short, friendly voicemail
message saying that
she had a few options to
suggest, and that she’d be
emailing them through to
me, which she did a few
hours later.
The tone of the email
is what really stood
out – not only was the
content informative and
comprehensive, but she
had clearly given thought
to my specific requests
and kept things upbeat
and personal. She started
off by saying: “I see
you are looking to go to
Thailand. I have never
been myself, but my
cousin was there
in December and will
not stop talking about
it – definitely on my
bucket list.”
She recommended Abu
Dhabi as our stopover
destination based on the
great specials currently
available – two nights
for the price of one.
She suggested Phuket
and chose hotels that
were “quiet and good for
couples, with water sports
available at both, including
snorkelling”. After detailing
two options, she also
offered to book any addons
such as excursions
and day tours for us.
Finally, she sent through
a booking cut-off date
of March 20 due to the
validity of the special
rates – this was a great
way to spur an indecisive
travel shopper into action.
She added that she would
follow up with a phone
call to discuss our travel
plans further.
Another great touch is
that Flight Centre includes
a box on each consultant’s
email signature detailing
their years in the industry,
number of countries
visited and favourite city
in the world.
Pentravel, Centurion
Within a few hours of
emailing the agency directly
via the details provided
on the Pentravel website, I
received a response from
the agent thanking me for
the enquiry and letting me
know that she was working
on putting together a few
options.
The consultant said she
just had a few additional
questions to ask me. She
wanted to know what kind
of hotel I had in mind, and
asked if I would be happy
with a good tourist-class
hotel that was central, clean
and affordable, or whether
I wanted something a bit
more special.
She advised us to break
up our stay and suggested
two nights in Singapore (as
our stopover), followed by
four nights in Phuket and
four nights in Krabi.
After emailing the
consultant and advising
that we would prefer a more
upmarket hotel – she got
back to me within a few
hours with a quotation.
She advised that she didn’t
choose the cheapest hotels,
but instead quoted on really
good properties either on
the beach or across the
road from the beach.
She offered to look at
alternative options if we
weren’t satisfied with the
quote. The consultant
seemed very familiar with
the destination – as well
as our stopover options
and showed that she had
taken our requirements
into consideration when
formulating the quotation.
Harvey World Travel, Midrand: Carlswald
I contacted Harvey World
Travel’s branch in Midrand,
Carlswald, via the contact
form on the Harvey World
Travel website. The contact
form only gave me the option
of sending through my name,
email and contact form, along
with a box for ‘Additional
Information or Special
Requests’. I submitted the
form, but did not get any
response from the agency
– not even an automatically
generated response after
sending through the ‘Contact
Us’ request. Perhaps there
may have been a technical
glitch and the information was
not relayed over to the branch.
Naledi’s top tips for selling Thailand
Know what your clients
are looking for when it
comes to resort styles
and locations.
Some hotels are better
suited to an adult crowd,
while others cater for
children, making for an
enjoyable holiday for all.
You don’t want to put a
family somewhere with a
lot of noise from partygoers,
nor do you want to
put a young couple in a
resort where there are
a lot of children.
It helps to emphasise
that Thailand is a yearround
destination, so
your clients can travel
there regardless of the
season. Also, it’s worth
mentioning that it is very
cost-effective for South
Africans as the rand is
stronger than the baht.
Take note!
The purpose of the Naked Agent in this series is to assess 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.
Upgrades offer better regional access
THAILAND has
announced plans to
upgrade 39 airports
throughout the country
as part of a THB36bn
(R13,38bn) project.
Thai media reports
have said that the
improvement project
will be divided into two
phases, with the first
spanning 2017 to 2021
and requiring a budget of
THB24bn (R8,91bn). This
will include the upgrading
of Krabi, Nakhon Si
Thammarat (southern Thailand), Khon
Kaen and Trang airports. The second
phase will run from 2022 to 2026
and will require a budget of THB12bn
(R4,45bn).
Ebrahim Vadachia, director of Avoca
Travels, says 2016 saw a record
32,6 million foreign tourists visiting
Thailand, with an expected total of
24 million-plus projected for 2017.
“This airport development is
necessary given the increase in
tourists to Thailand.”
He expects that, once complete,
the expansion will impact all arrivals
positively. “This will
help clients gain easier
access to the hubs
and small cities and
support a better tourist
experience.”
Better access
Indeed, it is anticipated
that one of the most
positive developments
that will come out of the
airport enhancement
project is that tourists
will have better access
to the mid-sized regional
hubs and small city airports.
Annemarie Lexow, sales manager of
Travel Vision, says it has been
part of the Tourism Authority of
Thailand’s plans to promote other
parts of the country rather than
just the ever-popular destinations
like Bangkok, Phuket and Krabi.
She says this will only be possible
if infrastructure and airports
are improved in these smaller
destinations as, at this stage, most
groundhandlers only offer road
transfers, which can be very time
consuming.
Four great specials
Travel Vision is offering a sevennight
Phuket and Krabi package
from R13 488pps. The package
includes return airfare from
Johannesburg to Phuket (including
taxes), four nights in Phuket at
the four-star Kata Palm Resort,
free Phuket orientation tour, three
nights in Krabi at the four-star
Krabi Thai Village Resort, daily
breakfast and all land transfers.
Valid from May 1 to June 30.
Kulula holidays is offering a ninenight
package to Phuket and Phi
Phi Island with rates starting
from R11 189pps. The package
includes seven nights at the threestar
Nipa Resort in Phuket, two
nights at the three-star Phi Phi
Bayview Resort, breakfast daily,
return flights from Johannesburg
to Phuket on Singapore Airlines, all
pre-payable airport taxes and fuel
levies, return airport transfers
and return ferry transfers to
Phi Phi Island. Valid for travel
from May 2 to June 17 and
July 16 to October 31.
Travel Vision is offering a
seven-night Phuket and Phi Phi
Island package with rates from
R13 080pps. The package
includes return flights from
Johannesburg to Phuket (including
taxes), four nights in Phuket at the
three-star Sunset Beach Resort,
three nights on Phi Phi Island at
the three-star Bay View Resort,
daily breakfast and all transfers.
Valid from April 15 to June 30.
Thompsons Holidays is offering
discounted seven-night holidays to
Phuket from R8 699pps including
return flights from Johannesburg,
transfers, accommodation and
breakfast.
Club Travel in Thailand
Expectations:
We have both been to Thailand
before. Carla has been to
Bangkok, Phuket and Phi Phi
Island, while Lucinda has been
to Bangkok, Pattay and Phuket.
Based on the itinerary
received prior to departure, we
expected to be extremely busy,
but at the same time we were
very excited to visit places
that were ‘out of the norm’ –
and were looking forward to
experiencing these places firsthand.
We were also looking
forward to travelling on a new
route via Qatar into Krabi, and
spending a little time out in
nature with elephants.
Trip highlights:
Visiting Elephant Camp
was a definite highlight.
We loved interacting with
the elephants in nature
– watching them swim,
washing them and feeding
them.
Rainforest Camp was
an unexpected treat. It
is completely off the grid
and everything is run on
solar power. There are no
plug points, no cellphone
coverage and only a
backpack is allowed. This
meant we could really enjoy
the beauty and the silence,
with only the jungle noises of
the birds, monkeys and other
wildlife – absolute bliss!
We think that inland
experiences like the Elephant
Camp and Rainforest Camp
should be included in an
itinerary – there is nothing
else like it and it provides a
truly memorable experience.
Travellers get a much better
feel of what Thailand is
about, which is more than
shopping and beaches. The
countryside is beautiful and
Thailand has so much more
to offer.
Khao Lak was a lovely
experience as well. It
reminded us of a sleepy
coastal village – a bit like
Langebaan in the older days
– quiet and very laid back
with beautiful beaches, off
the beaten track from the
hustle and bustle of Phuket.
It’s a great option for families
with small children.
Top tips
Travel times on this trip
varied from one-and-a-half
to three hours, depending
on the condition of the
roads and traffic. In an
itinerary such as ours,
there was a lot more driving
than expected, especially
between The Elephant Camp
and Rainforest Camp. This
was a three-hour journey,
plus the boat ride, which
makes for a long day with
lots of travelling. We would
recommend an extra night at
either of the two camps – as
two nights felt quite rushed.
The food was out of this
world, and we didn’t tire of
it at all. Whether it was a
hosted lunch at a hotel, or
in a local restaurant, the
food was always excellent.
Meals in local restaurants
are affordable and good value
for money at around THB150-
300 (R55-R120) depending
on what you eat. A beer is
between THB60 and THB80
(R22-R30), while a bottle of
water is THB7 (R3) and a soft
drink is THB40 (R15). The
food at Elephant Camp and
Rainforest Camp is included
in the accommodation price,
but we found the drinks there
to be a little more expensive,
but not much more – which is
impressive considering where
we were.
The best markets...
Ebrahim Vadachia of Avoca
Travels, says Chatuchak in
Bangkok is his favourite Thai
market. “It’s Bangkok’s biggest
and best and you can buy
everything from antiques and
souvenirs to clothing. And you
can stave off thirst and hunger
pangs brought on by too much
shopping, at the many Thaistyle
food stalls.”
Lesley Simpson of Lesley
Simpson Communications,
which represents TAT in South
Africa, also named Chatuchak
in Bangkok as her favourite
market due to the diversity on
offer. “It is the largest open-air
market in South East Asia,
covering 11 hectares and has
15 000 booths – so one needs
to spend a whole day exploring.
It only operates on a Saturday
and Sunday, and I generally
always try and plan my visit to
Bangkok accordingly.”
Annemarie Lexow of Travel
Vision, says, based on her
travels to Thailand, in her
opinion Bangkok’s markets
are the most diverse and offer
higher quality items. “I found
silk clothing in Bangkok but
couldn’t find it in Phuket, Krabi
or Khao Lak. It was also at
Bangkok’s market where I saw
the food vendors frying rats,
scorpions and tiny chicks still in
the shell! Probably not ideal for
the faint-hearted.”
John Ridler, pr and media
manager of Thompsons
Holidays, says Wang Lak
in Bangkok is a great food
market. “Half the fun is getting
there, by water taxi across the
busy Chao Phraya River after
taking a taxi from the centrally
located Grand Palace.” He
says visitors should expect
a “sensory explosion” and
recommends that they buy
plenty of small taster portions
in jiffy bags, or try the unusual
fruit juices. “Or you can have
a meal in a small eatery with
gaudy décor.” He says night
markets are also a ‘must do’
and can be found in every town
or village.
Take a ‘Thai-Licious Journey’
FOR many travellers,
sampling local cuisine is
no longer one of the perks
of travel – it is the reason
to travel – and with worldfamous
street food and
restaurants, Thailand is one
of the most popular foodie
destinations.
At the recent ITB trade
expo in Berlin, TAT launched
a new tourism marketing
campaign, ‘Thai-Licious
Journey’.
Speaking at the launch at
ITB, Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT
governor said: “Thai cuisine
has successfully captured
the attention of consumers
globally. Realising that
‘foodie tourism’ works as
a catalyst to command
attention, TAT has launched
the campaign to motivate
foodies to taste signature
dishes in renowned venues
across Thailand as the way
to explore
‘Thainess’ through food’.”
The campaign comprises
three key elements: Travel
and Eat like Locals; Food
That Comes with a Story;
and Delightful Taste. Lesley
Simpson of Lesley Simpson
PR, says a number of foodbased
tours have been
developed to showcase this
offering.
“We get a lot of enquiries
from small groups of women
who explore Thailand by
way of interactive cooking
courses. For example, they
start in the south in Phuket,
include Bangkok for the
best shopping and then
continue to the north where
food and culture can be
combined.”
John Ridler, of Thompsons
Holidays, says food has
always been a big drawcard
for travellers to Thailand.
“Street food has become
popular and is a great way
to buy local delicacies at
ridiculously low prices, while
food markets with both fresh
and cooked food on offer are
popular as are the floating
markets – a unique way of
purveying food.”
Book it!
Avoca Travels is offering a seven-day culinary training and cooking tour in its Bangkok package. Travellers will
get the opportunity to train in a professional Thai culinary school and learn how to prepare between 25 and
30 different Thai dishes. The itinerary includes a tour of a Thai vegetable market, five cooking classes, six
nights’ accommodation, daily lunches and dinners, a basic Thai cooking diploma, ingredients and return airport
transfers. Rates are from R11 897pps, excluding flights.
