In November, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed due to Covid (16%)
0-19% (13%)
20-39% (7%)
40-59% (18%)
60-79% (10%)
80-99% (8%)
100% (28%)
When non-clients phone in asking for information about travelling during Covid-19, do you:
give them the info they want, free, over the phone (57%)
refuse to give them info unless you are doing the booking and charging a service fee (25%)
make them pay a service fee and then give them the info (18%)
In September, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed, due to Covid (15%)
0-19% (14%)
20-39% (9%)
40-59% (19%)
60-79% (13%)
80-99% (9%)
100% (20%)
Are you ready for the anticipated influx of travel bookings when South Africa is dropped from Red Lists worldwide?
Yes, our organisational structure has remained the same. (54%)
No, we now have fewer staff and will have to take on more consultants. (23%)
Our consultants are all ITCs now - we can allocate work as it comes in. (23%)
In August, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed, due to Covid (13%)
0-19% (25%)
20-39% (11%)
40-59% (18%)
60-79% (11%)
80-99% (8%)
100% (14%)
Are sales in your agency improving?
Yes (51%)
No (49%)
In July, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed, due to Covid (18%)
0-19% (24%)
20-39% (12%)
40-59% (15%)
60-79% (13%)
80-99% (7%)
100% (11%)
In June, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed, due to Covid (18%)
0-19% (20%)
20-39% (7%)
40-59% (17%)
60-79% (14%)
80-99% (9%)
100% (14%)
Can SAA become the industry's favourite again?
Yes - we still love our flag-carrier, no matter what. (4%)
Yes, but we want efficiency, fair pricing, great service and an airline we can be proud of. (24%)
Yes, but SAA must incentivise agents in order to regain marketshare. (3%)
No, there are better airlines already in play. (14%)
No, after all the tales of corruption, how can we trust SAA again? (55%)
In May, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed, due to Covid (17%)
0-19% (19%)
20-39% (11%)
40-59% (15%)
60-79% (11%)
80-99% (6%)
100% (20%)
What are the greatest obstacles to sales of forward bookings to foreign countries for the second half of 2021?
No access (red lists)/no flights/quarantine on arrival for SAs at most-desired destinations. (61%)
Poor service to agents, skeleton staff in reservations. (0%)
Clients fear airline/operator/agency collapsing. (4%)
Clients fear cancellation, then no refunds, only vouchers. (7%)
Slow vaccination programme - travellers need vax. (11%)
Clients fear virus flare ups, lockdowns, new border closures while in destination. (14%)
Fear of +ve test on return boarding, then mandatory quarantine. (3%)
In April, what % of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed due to Covid (14%)
0-19% (27%)
20-39% (9%)
40-59% (20%)
60-79% (13%)
80-99% (5%)
100% (11%)
In March, what % of your salary were you paid?
0-19% (38%)
20-39% (13%)
40-59% (24%)
60-79% (8%)
80-99% (5%)
100% (12%)
Agents only: Over the past 18 months, have you booked NDC fares?
I have booked lots of NDC fares (3%)
I have booked about 50/50 of both (5%)
I used GDS fares only (91%)
When hotels give clients refunds for Covid-related cancellations, do they protect travel agents' commissions?
Yes (13%)
No (87%)
In February, what % of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed due to Covid (21%)
0-19% (22%)
20-39% (10%)
40-59% (17%)
60-79% (12%)
80-99% (5%)
100% (13%)
Should proof of vaccination be mandatory for those boarding international flights?
Yes (60%)
No (40%)
This is what I like most about being an ITC
The flexibility (58%)
The money (4%)
Being my own boss (37%)
In January, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
100% (14%)
80 to 99% (4%)
60 to 79% (12%)
40 to 59% (18%)
20 to 39% (10%)
0 to 19% (24%)
Unemployed as a result of COVID (19%)
Do you have clients who want to travel overseas within the next 3 months?
I have lots of clients keen on foreign travel, as soon as possible. (39%)
Clients want local only, I have only few clients wanting overseas travel now. (15%)
Nobody wants to travel locally or overseas right now! They are waiting for vaccination. (46%)
Is a Covid-19 vaccination certificate going to be a necessity for international travel from 2021 onwards?
Yes (85%)
No (15%)
After all the lockdowns are over globally, and people start to travel, will consumers demand a kinder, greener, more sustainable, more socially-aware, LEISURE travel experience?
Yes, regardless of the expense, there will be a new age of travel after Covid-19. (13%)
Yes, but only if it bears a very small increase in prices. (20%)
No, they will always go for the cheapest. (35%)
No they just want what they want, sustainable or not. (32%)
Which holidays show the highest demand for South Africans’ Xmas holidays?
KZN (25%)
Western Cape (37%)
Gauteng (2%)
Bush safaris in SA (14%)
Holidays outside SA, but in Africa (5%)
Zanzibar (10%)
Seychelles (3%)
Mozambique (3%)
Europe (1%)
US (0%)
Now that our borders have (sort of) opened, how’s business? Compared with October 2019, how much business do you expect to write during the month of October 2020?
Only 10-30% of October 2019’s figures (85%)
Only 30-60% of October 2019’s figures (10%)
Only 60-90% of October 2019’s figures (2%)
Roughly the same as October 2019’s figures (2%)
10-30% more than October 2019’s figures (1%)
30-60% more than October 2019’s figures (0%)
60-100% more than October 2019’s figures (1%)
In your opinion, which of the following will put travellers off international travel?
Fear of catching Covid on flight or in airport transport (10%)
Fear of having to be hospitalised for Covid in foreign country (7%)
Fear of having inadequate travel insurance to cover hospitalisation (3%)
Fear of having to unexpectedly quarantine on arrival at a destination (36%)
Fear of getting caught in a lockdown in a foreign country (28%)
Fear of not being able to come home because of a lockdown in SA (16%)
Comair (BA Comair and kulula.com) should soon start flying (December 1) after spending five months on the tarmac. They are still in business rescue until March 31 2021. Will you and your clients book on these two carriers once they start flying again?
Yes (85%)
No (15%)
About the Phase II COVID-19 Loan Guarantee Scheme… If you applied for this, was your application successful?
Yes (8%)
No (92%)
Agents only - if regional borders were to open and travel "bubbles" created before 1 November, between SA and Mauritius, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania (Zanzibar) would it keep you in business until 2021?
Yes, that's what we need (66%)
No, it's too late, people will already have made bookings for local Xmas holidays (24%)
No, regional bookings are done direct, online (10%)
Are you marketing to locals for domestic leisure travel?
Yes, temporarily until int’l restarts (25%)
Yes, I've always marketed local travel to locals (24%)
Yes, this is going to be a new permanent focus for my business (8%)
No, I have no marketing budget (4%)
No, the revenues and commission are not worth it (13%)
