Let’s foster a culture of travel!
FOR many South Africans, a
holiday on a coconut-palm-fringed
tropical island, surrounded
by turquoise seas, remains an
aspirational idea that belongs in TV
shows and advertisements for sunprotection
products.
Now, AfricaStay has come up with
an idea that gives South African
consumers an important ‘first step’
along the road to turning a dream into
the reality of a holiday on the island
of their dreams – Zanzibar.
Liane Venter, sales and marketing
manager of AfricaStay, says: “We
have introduced a ‘book-now-paylater’
initiative. The purpose of this
campaign is to encourage a stronger
culture of travel in the
SA market. Our vision
is to be instrumental
in enabling more South
Africans to enjoy their
hard-earned money through
the enriching experience
of travel.
“We are offering your clients the
opportunity to secure
their Zanzibar holiday
with only a R1 000 per
person, non-refundable
deposit. They then pay the
balance up to eight weeks
prior to travel. This allows them to
secure the best available price well
before their holiday.
Five great specials
AfricaStay has some great specials
on offer, all on an all-inclusive basis
(meals and selected drinks and
snacks). All include flights from OR
Tambo and transfers on the island.
Reef and Beach, from
R7 999pps for a four-night stay.
East coast, in the south.
Doubletree by Hilton,
from R14 555pps for seven nights.
Nungwi, in the north.
Diamonds Mapenzi, from
R14 875 for seven nights. East
coast.
Sea Cliff, from R15 740
for seven nights. West coast, north
of Zanzibar Town.
La Gemma dell’Est, from
R20 335 for a seven-night stay.
Nungwi, in the north.
For more great AfricaStay specials,
Getting there
Low-cost carrier, Mango, flies twice a week from OR Tambo International
to Zanzibar, and is the only airline currently offering direct flights between
the two countries. Flights depart JNB on Saturdays and Tuesdays at 07h00,
arriving in Zanzibar three-and-a-half hours later. Return flights depart at
13h00 on the same days. It’s a good idea to remind your clients to make sure
they have some rands handy for drinks and snacks on both legs, in and out,
as this is the only currency accepted by the airline. No cards are accepted.
Picured here is Nomfanelo Dlali, Mango’s Johannesburg area sales manager.
Things to do
Sun Tours and Travel is
AfricaStay’s very efficient
partner on Zanzibar, and
offers well-conducted and
exceptionally well-guided
tours.
Even for clients staying at
Nungwi in the far north, a
Stone Town tour is essential.
No one should leave Zanzibar
without seeing this ancient
city, which has a remarkable
and tragic history. It can be
made into a full-day tour, with
lunch in the shade on the
rooftop of the Maru Maru
Restaurant, plus a tour of the
Kizimkazi Spice Plantation.
Cloves are at the heart of
Zanzibar’s history and are still
an important export. Guests
will see how they are grown,
along with nutmeg, cinnamon,
peppercorns, Anatto, vanilla,
cardamom, coffee and cacao.
Zanzibar was famous for its
spice trade even in the 15th
century.
Sun Tours also offers
tours to the Jozani Forest
(a rainforest that is home
to some rare mammals,
including the endangered red
colobus monkey), a cooking
class with local foods, sunset
cruises and sea safaris on a
dhow, a trip to Mnemba Atoll
for snorkelling and a seafood
lunch, plus other options.
Slave history looms large on
the island. Zanzibar was East
Africa’s main slave-trading
port. In the 19th century,
50 000 slaves passed
through the slave market in
Zanzibar each year. David
Livingstone estimated that
another 80 000 people
died every year before even
reaching the island. In 1876
the sale of slaves was
finally prohibited due to the
efforts of abolitionists like
Livingstone. The Anglican
Church stands on the site
of the old slave market, the
location of the old whipping
post marked on the floor at
the altar. Visitors should
visit the underground
chambers, which have
been preserved in
their original state,
to understand
the inhumane
conditions in which
the slaves were kept,
in these unventilated
underground rooms prior
to the slave auctions.
Money Matters
Warn your clients that
they should take some
US dollars in cash, in
small denominations.
Cards are not always
accepted, and while SA
rands may be accepted
by some traders, they
are rejected by others.
Even the official bureau
de change at the
airport refused to take
a card.
There are several
ATMs in Zanzibar Town,
but they often appear
to be bedevilled by
malfunction.
Hotels collect a one
dollar tourism fee per
night on behalf of the
government
