New report to measure travel industry

THE Association of
Southern African Travel
Agents (Asata) has
commissioned Grant
Thornton to create an
annual South African
Travel Market Index
Report to determine the
state and size of South
Africa’s travel sector.
“The exact state
and size of the travel
industry in South Africa
is currently unknown,
and there’s no one
source that pulls all
trade data together
to form an accurate
picture of the market,”
explains Otto de Vries,
Asata ceo.
“We feel that data and
market trend analysis
are integral parts of
strategic management.
A report of this nature
would provide a
baseline against which
the industry would be
able to measure growth
and track the market’s
changes over time.
“The Index will also
monitor important
statistics such as
employment numbers,
B-BBEE and market
concentration, and draw
correlations between
industry-specific
trends and the overall
economic climate.”
Among other insights,
the SA Travel Market
Index Report will include
the number of travellers
by route, sector and
value, passenger
arrivals and departures,
B-BBEE statistics and
employment statistics.
The Index will collate
and examine a range
of data sources from
TMCs and travel
agencies and third-party
stakeholders such as
GDSs, Iata and Acsa.