GTASA broadens horizons

THE Global Travel Alliance
SA – a membership-based
wholesale travel seller –
has broadened its footprint,
launching operations in
Namibia.
The venture has already
signed up over 1 200
members in Namibia,
says Ken Tweedie,
GTASA’s senior manager
of membership services.
The company is also
considering establishing
a base in Botswana in
the near future and is in
the process of acquiring a
trading permit and business
licence.
GTASA came under fire
in 2011 after consumers
took to social media and
hellopeter.com to complain
that they had been
“hustled” out of thousands
of rands (TNW June 22,
2011).
“I will be the first to
admit that shortly after
I was appointed in April
2012 I faced a mammoth
task sorting out legacy
problems and historical
shortcomings, all of
which were the result of
maladministration, poor
management and the lack
of accountability,” Ken says.
The company has since
undergone an extensive
process of restructuring,
including an overhaul of
management and the
development of more
robust, end-to-end systems,
he says. “Any problems
that are detected are now
addressed immediately by a
dedicated client care team.
Recently, we had clients
travelling to Namibia who,
on arrival, discovered the
establishment had closed
its doors. GTASA organised
alternative accommodation
for the members as soon
as the company was
alerted to the problem,
though we were under no
legal obligation to do so.
GTASA also refunded the
full deposits, ensuring that
the members were not out
of pocket.”