Tour ops unveil St Helena packages

THREE tour operators –
African Ample Assistance
(AAA), New Frontier Tours
and Gallivanter Holidays –
have put together packages
to St Helena for the South
African market.
The St Helena Government
recently announced that SA
Airlink had been chosen
as the preferred bidder
to provide a scheduled
commercial air service to the
island.
Airlink’s inaugural flight to
St Helena, which will operate
from OR Tambo International
Airport, with a refuelling
stop in Windhoek in both
directions, will take place on
October 14 and then operate
on a weekly basis every
Saturday.
AAA has put together
four week-long packages –
family, hiking, historical and
combo packages. “We are
marketing [St Helena] as a
family-friendly, hiking, diving,
historical and photographic
destination,” says marketing
manager Sone Kuhn. She
adds that more budgetfriendly
packages with the
option of either a homestay,
self-catering or B&B
accommodation are on the
horizon.
For now, New Frontier
Tours has one set weeklong
itinerary. “We have a
dedicated guide, dive and
boat operator on the island,
which gives us access to
coastal and inland areas
that are less explored for
hiking and swimming. This
also allows us to set up
signature moments such
as sundowners in historic
buildings and picnics next
to secluded rock pools,”
explains md, Craig Smith.
“There is certainly now scope
for more affordable itineraries
for St Helena. We are working
hard with suppliers on the
island to adjust rates to
reflect a more consistent
and reliable tourism market
and volumes to which they
haven’t been accustomed.”
Gallivanter Holidays has
packaged two week-long
tours – the St Helena Island
Historic Tour and the St
Helena Island Walking Tour.
The Historic Tour visits
Napoleon Bonaparte’s
Longwood House, his tomb
in the Sane Valley and The
Briars Pavilion. “St Helena
is untouched and therefore
a wonderful destination for
clients who enjoy nature,
hikes, bird-watching,
stargazing, scuba diving and
golf,” says Gisela Oliveira,
travel expert of Gallivanter
Holidays. She says the tour
operator will launch more
packages to St Helena in the
near future.
Karin Murray, marketing
and sales manager of Airlink,
is very upbeat about the
new packages and expects
more tour operators to start
putting together packages
as the island gains more
exposure