Royal Orchid Holidays, a division of Thai Airways International, has relaunched in the South African market through a new partnership between Bangkok-based destination management company, IAsia Thailand, and Simply Nexus.
Under this strategic partnership, IAsia Thailand will supply Royal Orchid Holidays South Africa with its full suite of travel services, including hotels, tours, activities, packages, and ground transfers, which will be distributed by Simply Nexus. The first website for tours is now live.
Exclusive distribution
The distribution is exclusive to Simply Nexus, which will handle both direct consumer sales and agent bookings.
“Agents will be offered nett rates and will apply their own mark-up, while direct client rates will already include a margin,” said Christopher Simonsen, Head of IT, Leisure, Online, and Supplier Relations for Simply Nexus. “We can provide agents with a code to obtain discounted rates for fast track, transfers and tours booked on the website.”
The portfolio has been designed specifically with South African travellers in mind, although the full global range of Royal Orchid Holidays products will eventually be accessible online.
Exclusive inclusions would set the offering apart, said Simonsen. “Travellers can expect added-value experiences such as fast-track immigration at all airports, luxury transfers, fine-dining reservations at top restaurants, and first-to-market opportunities – like the new Jurassic World attraction in Bangkok.”
Service and support
First-line support will be managed locally in South Africa through Simply Nexus, with second-level assistance provided by iAsia Thailand’s on-the-ground teams.
Although no fam trips or training sessions are planned for the near future, Simply Nexus has indicated these are not off the table in future as the partnership develops. “We’re not a tour operator, but we’re not against evolving into one if the market calls for it,” Simonsen added.
The long-term goal is to increase tourism numbers from South Africa to Thailand, while also adding loyalty value. “Royal Orchid Holidays will allow us to go beyond packages – we will also assist Royal Orchid members to redeem their points for discounts through a dedicated website,” said Simonsen.
