THE resort division of TUI,
the world’s largest travel
and tourism company,
has set its sights on the SA
market with the appointment of
PureTours to market Robinson
Club as part of an exclusive
GSA agreement in Southern
Africa.
The operator’s global network
of four- and five-star resorts
will be available for the first
time in South Africa, Namibia,
Botswana, Zimbabwe and
Mozambique from May.
The product is comparable
with competitor, Club Med,
offering an all-inclusive
experience at resorts around
the world. Claus Martin,
director of PureTours, is quick
to point out that Robinson has
unique selling points in the
form of its superior locations
around Europe, its sports
offering and focus on food.
He says as the Robinson
Club’s resorts are all English
speaking it is a significant
advantage for South Africans.
The product is exceptionally
well suited to the SA
market, offering all-inclusive
packages with excellent
sporting facilities, themed
evenings, entertainment and
“exceptionally good food”, at a
time when budgets have been
affected by travelling costs,
says Claus.
He notes that PureTours
tested the waters with
Robinson Club’s Alpine resorts
and found the feedback from
clients so positive that it was
encouraged to go ahead in
introducing the product to the
SA market.
TUI has been in business
for the past 40 years, having
operated predominantly in
Germany, where it is based in
Hanover. The operator made
a strategic decision two years
ago to grow the Robinson Club
product by adding 20 new
clubs in the next five years.
However, Claus notes that the
operator realised it could not
grow significantly through the
German market alone and
made the decision to expand
into other markets, including
Southern Africa. Robinson Club
resorts that will be available
through PureTours are located
in Spain, Portugal, Greece,
Turkey, Austria, Switzerland and
the Maldives.
Trade engagement
PureTours will roll out the
Robinson Club product to
the travel trade during a
roadshow, which will take
place next month. Launch
events will be held in
Johannesburg at The Venue in
Sandton (May 3), Cape Town
at the Daylight Studio on Bree
Street (May 5) and Durban at
Moyo Ushaka (May 4).
Thereafter, the operator has
plans to engage with the trade
through Robinson Club’s online
product, trade competitions,
educationals, as well as
giving agents access to hotel
accommodation at affordable
rates.
Agents can earn up to 10%
commission on Robinson Club
bookings. This, however, may
differ, depending on which
services have been selected,
says Claus. For example,
for a booking at Robinson
Club Schlanitzen Alm, at a
total of R37 850, the agent
would earn about R3 1 99
commission.
Agents can earn extra
commission where special
deals are concerned. Strong
supporters of the product can
also stand to earn additional
incentives, he adds.
Robinson Club has also
proved popular in traditional
markets for its meetings,
incentives, conferencing
and events offering. Claus
expects the product will also
prove popular with the local
corporate market, especially
from a budget perspective as
there are “no nasty surprises”
in the form of hidden costs,
he says. As such, PureTours
will roll out the brand to the
corporate market during a
separate road show, which will
take place about a month after
the trade launch.
