Season's Greetings!
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
December 17/24 2014 I No. 2331 SOUTHERN AFRICA’S Travel NEWS Weekly TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY TNW6244SD NEWS NEWS FEATURE INDIAN VISAS PRICE STEERING MADAGASCAR 72-hour visas but not for SA, yet OTAs charge some clients more than others 10 reasons to visit INSIDE Page 2 Page 4 Page 10 Nico sets bar high for action plan NATASHA SCHMIDT and requires an extension of the guarantee by government. This “ OME March 24, you need includes the immediate review to call and ask me: what and reconfiguration of loss-making Croutes have you stopped routes such as Beijing, Hong Kong operating that have historically and Mumbai. The airline recently lost SAA money? What governance strengthened ties with Star Alliance interventions have you effected? partner, Air China, which – within Has an AGM been held and SAA’s the next few months – will see financial statements for the year more points through which SAA can ending 2014 been issued? Have service the Chinese market. Light it up! you managed to effect changes to With regard to an equity partner, your fleet composition? And have Nico said what the company needed The City of Ekurhuleni and Emperors Palace are once again hosting you put options on the table for your was not a purist equity partner the Garden of Lights, a festive range of colourful light displays, from shareholder in terms of a strategic but a strategic one that could not December 5 to January 4. This year, the display includes Happyland, equity partnership?” only offer a capital injection into a fun-fair featuring family rides and a Ferris wheel (R10 per person the business but also come to the per ride). Entrance to the Garden of Lights is free. There are collection “Etihad is well known to table with management skills and areas where visitors can place donated toys for the Reach for a Dream expertise to help put SAA back on charity. Feeling festive are Emperors Palace marketing manager, Lebo take minority stakes in track. Mokwena (centre), flanked by dancers Simone Kruger (left) and various entities and that “Etihad is well known to take Aobakwe Moroeng (right). Photo: Shannon Van Zyl minority stakes in various entities option would be available and that option would be available to Etihad.” to Etihad,” Nico said. He added that he, at this point, would not want Southern Africa on route map of This is from SAA’s acting ceo, to talk on Etihad’s behalf of intent Nico Bezuidenhout, who in a media expressed but that the airlines Lufthansa’s LCC briefing early this month detailed were looking to strengthen their the airline group’s 90-day “rapid commercial ties. HILKA BIRNS and short-haul ones in Europe would implementation plan” to put the Other steps in the 90-Day Action operate from Cologne, where the airline group back on track to Plan include a substantial focus LUFTHANSA’s low-cost subsidiary, New Eurowings would be based. It achieve its Long-Term Turnaround on governance failures within New Eurowings, will fly to leisure will initially use a fleet of three A330- Strategy, with critical short-term the business, a review of all destinations in Southern Africa and 200s with 310 seats, expanding to goals to realise R1,3bn in annual contractual burdens, reorganisation the Indian Ocean Islands from the seven A330-200s over the next few savings. and optimisation of assets, and end of next year, according to Axel years. The first and most critical step of improved communication. Simon, director Southern Africa of The first long-haul route will be to the rescue plan was to address the “In the past you’ve heard about Lufthansa and SWISS International Tampa, Florida, which will launch in airline’s liquidity position, on-going the many plans that SAA has had Air Lines – but he would not say October. New Eurowings’ long-haul solvency and medium-term funding over the years. This is more about which. services will operate under the air requirements, Nico said. SAA is action and delivery and less about a Speaking at a Cape Town media operator certificate of SunExpress relying on state-guaranteed loans plan and strategy,” Nico said. briefing, he said the long-haul flights To page 12 Season’s Greetings! TNW wishes all its readers a joyful festive season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year. Now Media’s offices close on December 12 and reopen on January 5, 2015. TNW7268 NEWS To the point The Tunisian embassy in Pretoria has confirmed that South African passport holders no longer require a visa to enter Tunisia for a stay of up to 90 days. Travellers were previously required to apply for a visa prior to arrival at a cost of R600. As of December 1, all that is required for entry into the country is a valid passport. Refer to Travelinfo for more details. Twice the fun! TNW6833SD Cape Town International Airport sees international airlines bring back seasonal flights in time for the peak period. For the SA summer – until April 2015 – British Airways has ® increased its daily flights between Cape Town and London Heathrow to double daily. Rubes By Leigh Rubin This is up from 10 flights in the winter season. Pictured here are Ed Frost, BA regional commercial manager East and Southern Africa and Sue Botes, BA commercial manager Southern Africa. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl India launches ‘72-hour’ e-visa DORINE REINSTEIN is valid for entry in nine the new e-visa. He said these airports: Delhi, Mumbai, decisions were in the hands of NDIA has launched an e-visa Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, the Ministry of Home Affairs. for visitors from 43 countries, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, The new visa system is Iwhich it will roll out to other Hyderabad and Goa. available for the following countries in different phases. The e-visa is aimed at passport holders: Australia, South Africa is currently tourists travelling to India for Brazil, Cambodia, Cook excluded. “recreation, sightseeing, short Islands, Djibouti, Fiji, Finland, Applications must be made duration medical treatment, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, online at least four days prior a casual business visit or Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, to departure. Travellers must casual visit to meet friends or Laos, Luxembourg, Marshall submit a photograph, a scan relatives” for only 30 days or Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, of the passport’s photo page less. Travellers can apply for Micronesia, Myanmar, and a non-refundable US$60 the e-visa only twice a year. Nauru, New Zealand, Niue (R689) visa fee. Manas Ranjan Pattanaik, Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Within 72 hours, travellers director of India Tourism in Palestine, Papua New Guinea, will be notified whether South Africa, told TNW that Philippines, Republic of Korea, their application has been the new system would be Russia, Samoa, Singapore, successful. If successful, implemented in stages and he Solomon Islands, Thailand, they will receive an ‘Electronic hoped South Africa would soon Tonga, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, Travel Authorisation’ that also be able to benefit from USA, Vanuatu and Vietnam. Founding Editors: John H Marsh (1914-1996) Leona Marsh (1923-2003) Dark days for domestic tourism EDITORIAL TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY Group Editor: Natasha Schmidt [email protected] DORINE REINSTEIN able to offer guests a full generators is incredibly Deputy Editor: Bruce Dennill [email protected] www.etnw.co.za hot breakfast. He says expensive and eats into Features Editor: Michelle Colman [email protected] Published by Contributors: DOMESTIC tourism is the electric gates at the the budget of the business. Travel & Trade Publishing (Pty) Ltd Debbie Badham Max Marx expected to be affected guesthouses are also an He adds that The Oyster Printed by Juka Printing (Pty) Ltd Hilka Birns Caro Malherbe by load shedding over the issue. Box also operates on Phone: (011) 327-4062 Dorine Reinstein December and January Donovan Muirhead, green principles. “Using a Fax: (011) 327-4094 Photographer: Shannon Van Zyl holidays, putting a big chairman of the National generator is not good for E-mail: [email protected] Production Editor: Ann Braun Web: www.nowmedia.co.za strain on hospitality Accommodation Association the carbon footprint, which PUBLISHER Address: Now Media Centre, establishments. of South Africa, says guests concerns us enormously. Kate Nathan [email protected] 32 Fricker Road, Illovo Boulevard, Smaller hospitality are further inconvenienced It’s noisy, which doesn’t Illovo, Johannesburg. GROUP PUBLISHER establishments in particular as local attractions, enhance the guest PO Box 55251, Northlands, David Marsh [email protected] 2116, South Africa. are seriously affected as restaurants and shopping experience. Also, when the ADVERTISING they don’t have access to a malls are also affected. electricity comes back on, Sales: [email protected] Advertising Co-ordinator: generator or back-up facility. Although larger the surge often causes Courtney Canham [email protected] Chris von Ulmenstein, establishments have electrical equipment and PRODUCTION owner of the Whale Cottage generators in place, appliances to blow, which Design Head: Portfolio in Cape Town, says minimising disruptions, is inconvenient and can be Dirk Voorneveld load shedding happens they are also experiencing expensive for travellers, SUBSCRIPTIONS in the morning and guest difficulties. Wayne Coetzer, who sometimes have to Circulation [email protected] houses in Camps Bay gm of The Oyster Box replace their electrical and Franschhoek aren’t in Durban, says running items.” 2 n Wednesday December 17/24 2014 QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS TNW6813SD NEWS OTAs accused of price steering DORINE REINSTEIN prices, which means the Northeastern University based on a user’s history with more inconvenient OTA tailors the order of found that Travelocity of clicks and purchases.