Business & Finance

Tourist guides in South Africa are some of the most important people in the travel trade. They interact on a personal level daily with tourists, and a good tourist guide can make a holiday visit really memorable.  In this article, ...

The technological advancements that make modern life simple and easy are also the technological advancements that come with quite in-depth considerations to make sure things work as they should. Whether you’re booking a connecting flight, designing a simple website, or ...

Or what NOT to do Financing, when acquired and used wisely, can be a great growth and expansion tool but what are the three most common mistakes that entrepreneurs and small business owners make that makes it impossible for them ...

Value Added Tax (VAT) charged to clients in the Tourism Industry can be a minefield, especially when dealing with foreign tourists. In the tourism industry, not only does one need to look at the costs of putting together the trip, ...

If you’ve ever felt stressed or anxious about business travels, know that you are not alone. In fact, experts have come up with a new term to describe this very common phenomenon. It’s called “Permanxiety”. Coined in 2017 by global ...

Main image: Paul Miedema and Nelson Sebezela of Calabash tours. Operating a small tourism business in South Africa can be tough. Tourism Tattler asked tourism stalwart Paul Miedema of Calabash Tours for some tips and lessons learnt in operating his ...

PepsiCo’s investment of R24bn into Pioneer Foods shows why the Cape is a major springboard into the rest of Africa CAPE TOWN, 19 July 2019 – Wesgro, the Cape Town and the Western Cape Tourism, Trade & Investment Promotion Agency, ...

While reading this article concerning the German Travel Contracts Act and the relevant Consumer Protection issues, kindly note that I am not a professional Legal Beagle – my views are the result of “donkey’s years” of hands-on experience in circumventing ...

The following 10 steps are aimed at entrepreneurs who are thinking of entering the tourism industry in South Africa and would like to start a tour or tourist transport business.

Writing for WikiHow, Claire Fess provides eight steps on how to start a tourism business. Definition: Tourists are people who travel outside of their home-base environments in order to spend time visiting a different environment in either a business or ...

SOUTH AFRICA, Monday 17 September 2018 –  After the recent doom and gloom, last week finally brought some welcome relief for us Springbok supporters, and it wasn’t a bad week for the Rand either! By Bruce Burnett. These are the mid rates ...

DURBAN, South Africa, 28 August 2018 – Dushyant Savadia, the CEO and founder of Amber Group LTD, has confirmed his commitment to investment and job creation in South Africa with the opening of African operations officially headquartered in Umhlanga, Durban. “With Durban having ...

The term ‘mining’ often drums up images of dusty, dark tunnels, hefty pieces of machinery like drills and crushers and rubble filled with valuable minerals and materials. However, while these are commonly found, the industry in and of itself is ...

Selling is the lifeblood of any business but the impact of low sales volumes on Small to Micro Enterprises (SMEs) are far more severe than on large enterprises. Corporate enterprises have the necessary financial and human resources to ensure that ...

Overall, overseas tourism to South Africa continues to grow strongly but tourism enterprises should take care when analysing the statistics as the growth is not uniform across all source markets.  Arrivals from the UK and India have been subdued, while ...

The first and most critical part of any Revenue Journey is to make sure you have a good organizational foundation with the right team members. The members of the team will have to put revenue management in place and execute ...

The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has released its half-year Tourism Business Index (TBI) Report, which tracks and provides information about the level of business performance across the travel and tourism value chain, and also forecasts prospects for ...

South Africa’s domestic tourism industry has the potential to contribute significantly more to the economy if it manages to expand the industry so that it caters for everyone in the country rather than just focusing on traditional international tourists. By ...

After having taken the plunge into revenue management (see Part 1) you will need to start navigating the revenue management journey. Only very few people are gifted or talented in a certain area and most of us will need to ...

We all know that revenue management has been around for a while. When we book our airline tickets, prices change based on the time, demand, class of booking, routing and other factors. Then, about 25 years ago, hotels started to ...

According to Euromonitor International’s new data, international arrivals to Africa grew by 6.5 percent in 2017, to reach 18,550 million, up from 16,351 million in 2012. Key markets such as South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, Cameroon, Mauritius and Tanzania accounted ...

HVS, the global hospitality consulting firm and host of the THINC Africa conference, launched their 2017 African Hotel Valuation Index (HVI) at the conference. This year sees the fourth edition of the African HVI, which includes more markets and increasing ...

International tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 6% in January-April of 2017 compared to the same period last year, with business confidence reaching its highest levels in a decade. Sustained growth in most major destinations and a steady rebound in others ...

An Independent report has revealed a seven-figure economic boost to destinations that have hosted the Africa Hotel Investment Forum over a six year period. By Martin Jansen van Vuuren. The significant economic benefits to host countries of the influential Africa Hotel ...

Perceptions of Africa as a business destination have changed vastly in recent times. The ICCA 2016 rankings reveal that Africa is growing in popularity as a destination for business tourism. By Zandre Campos. It has been perceived that doing business or ...

Bucking the trend of gloomy economic forecasts for South Africa, Lalibela Game Reserves’s positive impact on the Eastern Cape tourism economy over the past year provides ample cause for celebration. This article explores the impressive achievements that have contributed to ...

Following the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) held in Geneva, Switzerland in January 2017, an in-depth report has been published on tourism for transformative and Inclusive growth in Africa. Here are a few of the startling findings ...

The third edition of the HVS/STR African Hotel Valuation Index offers critical information on 21 African hotel markets and the countries, including hotel value changes and projections through 2016 and intelligence on market dynamics. Numerous factors influence the value of ...

With global demand for exclusive use vacation rentals on the rise, Lalibela Game Reserve is seizing the opportunity by providing a solution for large family and corporate sole-use enquiries who want a Big-5 safari experience with exclusivity and privacy. By Des ...

Room rates for South African hotels and lodges increased dramatically between 2016 to 2017, specifically in the 4-star and 5-star markets. Despite the rand having strengthened over the past 12 months, some properties are posting even higher rate increases for ...

Car hire has long been the go-to-ground transport solution for travellers. But with ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft becoming ubiquitous, it’s time we started rethinking the ways in which travellers are getting to and from airports, and the ways ...

Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) have a unique historical opportunity to help lead the shift from an old and obsolete way of doing tourism to one that is regenerative rather than extractive. By Anna Pollock. After interviewing dozens of destination marketing leaders, ...

Data from the latest South African tourism stats indicates the slowdown in domestic tourism with either low growth or a decline in passengers arriving on Domestic Flights.  The decline is supported by the stagnation of occupancies of hotels. Recent political ...

During the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 09 February, President Jacob Zuma set in motion a snowball discourse on the moving of the Parliament to Pretoria away from Cape Town, to reduce costs. The suggested cost for moving ...

Health Tourism can potentially provide a lucrative niche market to grow tourist numbers into Africa. However, reliable information and statistics on this sector from a local perspective are impossible to find. But this sad state of affairs is going to change ...

While South Africa’s 12.8% increase in the number of overnight tourists recorded during 2016 compared to those recorded during 2015 is laudable, further analysis of the data reveals there’s still significant work to be done to ensure long-term, sustainable and ...

Research suggests that travellers are changing their safari booking habits by making reservations directly on booking aggregators or directly via the safari lodge or game reserve’s website. So where does this trend leave Tour Operators? Is the traditional travel distribution ...

Despite the tough operating environment, the South African travel and tourism industry experienced slightly better than normal business performance in the last quarter of 2016. By Kagiso Mosue. Against a normal performance score of 100, the industry recorded an index ...

A Big Five safari is all about the sightings and experiences. Sharing the thrill of these experiences with friends and family on social media is what travellers do. But internet connectivity at game reserves can be sporadic, if available at ...

Valerie Bowden, the author of ‘Backpacking Africa for Beginners’, has an inspiring story to tell. And it’s not about her book. By Des Langkilde. It’s about a snack made from Teff and a business that she plans to use as ...

Prof. Jumanne Abdallah Maghembe, the current Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism for the United Republic of Tanzania, met industry representatives over government demands of a $2,000 licence fee, irrespective of the size of the company in question, and for ...

These days, travellers do not vote only with their feet when dissatisfied with the quality of service they receive. They also vote with their fingers, sharing stories of their experience with friends and posting messages on social media. By Brett ...

The data continues to indicate the recovery of international arrivals from 2015 as reflected in the growth in Stats SA foreign arrival data, growth in the rates of 5-star hotels and growth in the arrivals on international and regional flights. ...

Running a business is a big challenge. Even the most modest enterprise takes hard work and dedication to thrive. If you own your own business, approaching it with the right frame of mind is vital to your long-term success. Here’s ...

South African Tourism has partnered with the Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) on a brand-new market access partnership to develop the Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) tourism sector whilst contributing towards transformation. By Hannelie du Toit. Based on the ...

The Tourism Business Index for the third quarter of 2016 shows improved business performance, buoyed by a positive showing in South Africa’s accommodation sector. By Kagiso Mosue. The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) represents businesses operating in South ...

For the first time the data from Stats SA, STR and ACSA all reflect the same period. The data indicates the recovery of international arrivals from 2015 as reflected in the growth in Stats SA data, growth in the rates ...

Destinations around the world welcomed 956 million international tourists between January and September 2016. According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, this is 34 million (4%) more than the same 2015 period. By Rut Gomez Sobrino. Demand for international ...

According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 4% between January and June 2016 compared to the same period last year. Destinations worldwide received 561 million international tourists (overnight visitors), 21 million more than ...

Some African countries are getting stricter in terms of their visa requirements. They often require not only a letter of invitation and an itinerary, but also proof of company registration, bank-account statements, tax-clearance certificates and a minimum bank balance. By Raylene ...

Africa is increasingly moving towards achieving part of its African Union Agenda 2063, which envisions the abolishment of visa requirements for African citizens by 2018. By Josephine Wawira. The recent launch of the Pan-African Passport is a big milestone towards ...

As the ancient oaks put on a fresh coat of green leaves and the southeaster begins to blow away winter’s cobwebs, it can only mean one thing: spring has arrived at Spier! It’s fitting that during this season of fresh ...

The data from Stats SA reflects the continued recovery in international arrivals.  The stabilisation of the Rand in recent weeks will slow growth slightly but is not expected to have a major negative impact.  By Martin Jansen van Vuuren of ...

Persisting tough trading conditions affecting tourism in Q2 2016. The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) reports that the persisting tough trading conditions in the South African economy are affecting businesses in the sector and have led to below ...

The tourism industry is one of the most demanding industries in the world. Basically you are doing everything you can to satisfy people’s expectations; people who have paid a lot of money and expect the best.  By Ben Coley. For ...

The South African Tourism Statistics & SATSA Market Intelligence Report for July 2016 as indicated below was extracted from data available as at 27 June 2016. By Martin Jansen van Vuuren of Grant Thornton. WHAT THIS DATA MEANS FOR YOUR ...

The Finders Keepers promotional campaign that aims to promote domestic tourism in South Africa was launched on Sunday 10 July. Read our pre-launch feature story on page 18 to 19 of the Tourism Tattler June edition here. Launched nationally in ...

2015 was possibly the year when the tourism industry got the most public attention after the implementation of the visa regulations. It became a major talking point and because tourism in South Africa has a class character, the class nature ...

The South African Tourism Statistics & SATSA Market Intelligence Report for June 2016 as indicated below was extracted from data available as at 24 May 2016. By Martin Jansen van Vuuren of Grant Thornton. WHAT THIS DATA MEANS FOR YOUR ...

Launching on Sunday 26 June 2016, Finders Keepers is a new Tourism Marketing South Africa (TOMSA) promotional campaign that aims to promote domestic tourism in the country by showcasing the products of existing tourism levy contributors, and to raise industry-wide ...

Minimum wage increases will come into effect for the South African hospitality industry on the 01st July and will be applicable until the 30th June 2017. This was disclosed at the World Travel Market, part of Africa Travel Week, which ...

The Key to Hotel Pricing. By Craig Macdonald of IDeaS. Revenue managers across the globe spend large portions of their days managing rates. They are constantly lowering, raising, and analysing their hotel’s pricing. With the hotel’s bottom line depending heavily on ...

Data from Statistics South Africa indicate the impact of the devaluation of the Rand as foreign arrivals recovered. By Martin Janse van Vuuren of Grant Thornton, South Africa. Tourism enterprises should utilise this windfall to recover previous losses but should ...

Steady Travel and Tourism Business Performance Results For Q1 2016 Notwithstanding the rising inflation and slow economic growth, overall business performance levels in South Africa’s travel and tourism sector have remained steady in the first quarter of 2016. This is ...

The number of planned hotel chain rooms in Africa has soared to 64,000 in 365 hotels, up almost 30% on the previous year, according to new figures from the annual W Hospitality Group Hotel Chain Development Pipeline Survey. The increase ...

The following statistics on foreign tourist arrivals, hotel occupancy & room rates, airport flight arrivals, and car rental data for South Africa has been extracted from data available as at 29 March 2016, and compiled by Grant Thornton SA for, ...

South Africa’s 2016 budget speech demonstrated that Government is beginning to fully appreciate the meaningful role that the travel and tourism sector plays in the economy, writes Kagiso Mosue. In his 2016 budget speech delivered on Wednesday 24 February, the ...

Analyses of Statistics South Africa data shows that foreign arrivals declined in 2015 and were at similar levels to 2013, writes Martin Jansen van Vuuren of Grant Thornton South Africa. A ray of hope is that foreign arrivals did start ...

Last month we examined some of the challenges facing the tourism industry in 2016 – see Part 1 here.  This month we examine related challenges with which tourism leaders may have to contend in 2016, writes Dr. Peter E. Tarlow. ...

The Tourism Safety Initiative (“TSI”) is rapidly gaining momentum as the South African travel and tourism industry’s primary platform for the coordination, promotion and provision of safety support to tourists, writes Kagiso Mosue. TSI is a travel and tourism private ...

Access to tourism-related information has become a lot easier since the launch of South Africa’s home-grown Wikitourism online portal two years ago. All content is publicly available with copyright permission, which means that anyone can freely use the information. By ...

An innovative online product aims to assist tour operators in sourcing new, emerging and community-based tourism businesses and experiences for their tours and itineraries, writes Claire Allison. Local non-profit organisation Open Africa in partnership with Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale ...

Strong Domestic Leisure Demand Lifts Q4 2015 Business Performance Strong domestic leisure demand has helped to lift South Africa’s travel and tourism business performance in the last quarter of 2015, writes Kagiso Mosue. The Tourism Business Index (TBI) report for ...

The global travel and tourism industry is far from static as evidenced by the number of travel trade challenges that have become constant problems for the industry, writes Dr. Peter E. Tarlow. The recent stock market ups and downs are ...

Foreign tourism continues to decline (see Statistics South Africa data) while domestic tourism remains positive (see passengers arriving on domestic flights). It is hoped that the changes to the visa regulations will be implemented soon in order for foreign tourism ...

A recent study by New World Wealth titled ‘Millionaire Tourism in Africa’, says that around 43,000 multi-millionaires visited Africa in the 12 months to September 2015. South Africa was the most popular African destination for the super-rich, with roughly 11,000 ...

SATSA and KLT have taken steps to reduce inappropriate fines levied against tourists and tour operators by traffic officers in the South African province of Mpumalanga, writes Anne Briggs. Last year, the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) Mpumalanga Chapter ...

South Africa hosted the African Union Summit in Sandton in Johannesburg from 07 June 2015 to the 15 June 2015. The AU want all member countries to impose a US$2 hospitality levy per hotel stay and a US$10 airfare levy ...

Tour operators play a major role in influencing responsible travel through the holiday packages they design and offer to clients. Your business can support responsible travel in Africa by promoting Fair Trade Tourism certified tourism products and by packaging and ...

The acts of statue vandalism that have beset South Africa this year highlight the need for the country to protect its cultural heritage for tourism growth, writes Unathi Sonwabile Henama. The statue of Afrikaner hero Paul Kruger, located at the ...

Every company’s ultimate goal is financial success (a.k.a. profitability) but many find it difficult to maintain, especially when their product or service has a lengthy sales cycle, writes Jennifer Nagy. Here are three ways that a B2B business can shorten ...

For Tour Operators, it always comes down to cost; but investing in tools that will improve productivity, manage workflow, reduce errors and give your travellers a professional look and feel are an absolute must. By Linday de Heer. Embrace the ...

South Africa’s current economic volatility offers opportunities for tourism growth and job creation, but government must pave the way by removing obstacles that inhibit growth and the country’s competitiveness as a destination, writes Unathi Sonwabile Henama. Charles Dickens in his ...

Rail tourism has potential for growth in South Africa, but Is government an asset or liability to this sector, asks Prof Melville Saayman. I had the wonderful opportunity to experience one of South Africa’s luxury trains, the Blue Train, and ...

According experts gathered at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum, the hotel and tourism industry in Africa is set for a period of sustained growth, writes Anja Eckervogt of Tarsh Consulting. The hotel and tourism industry in Africa is beginning a ...

The Tourism Enterprise Partnership (TEP) has entrenched its reputation as the forerunner in tourism small business development with the launch of its unique Enterprise and Supplier Development Solutions (ESDS) programme to assist corporates in this sector meet the new amended ...

Fair Trade Tourism is a leading South African non-profit organisation promoting responsible tourism development. It grows awareness about responsible tourism to travellers, assists tourism businesses to operate more sustainably and facilitates a globally recognised certification programme, the first in Africa, ...

Data from Stats South Africa confirms that international tourism has declined significantly, while data from ACSA shows resilience in the domestic tourism market that is helping hotels to maintain occupancy levels, while increasing rates. *Note that African Arrivals plus Overseas ...

It’s no longer acceptable for tour package quotations to take hours or days to compile. It’s time for tour operators to automate their business processes in order to survive in this technology driven era of tourism. By Linday de Heer. ...

In this first part of an ongoing series of articles on office automation for Tour Operators, Linday de Heer provides useful advice and tips to help find your way when changing office procedures. “Change is the heartbeat of Growth” (Scottie ...

A panel of experts have reviewed how South African Tourism is responding to the dynamics of the national and international tourism sector and has made recommendations to guide its future strategic direction, writes Des Langkilde. The SA Tourism Review Committee ...

Did you know that South African registered businesses can get a portion of their Skills Development Levy (SDL) back each year? Charmaine Pratt explains how. What is Skills Development Levy (SDL)? SDL is a levy imposed by the South African ...

This market intelligence report information below was extracted from South African source data available as at 01 AUGUST 2015. By Martin Jansen van Vuuren of Grant Thornton. The data from Statistics South Africa shows the continued decline in foreign tourist ...

The South African government’s ‘Unfriendly approach’ to the Visa regime is negatively impacting African and Overseas tourist arrivals to South Africa, and the tourism industry, reports Grant Thornton. South Africa’s Tourism sector is entering its first serious crisis stage as ...

The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) is concerned over the increase in card fraud. The banking industry’s gross fraud losses due to South African issued credit card fraud increased by 23% from R366m in 2013 to R453.9m during ...

The tourism industry is a popular target for credit card fraud, according to a leading payment services provider – but there are ways to manage the risk, writes Elzaan Rohde. “Accommodation establishments like hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs are especially vulnerable ...

Tourism Tattler met with Kuoni subsidiary Private Safaris CEO Frank Glettenberg for an interview during the 2015 Indaba Trade Show in Durban, writes Des Langkilde. Following my interview with Matthias Leisinger, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Kuoni Travel Holdings ...

SATIB is set to provide businesses and employees in the tourism and hospitality industry with a holistic, financial services offering ranging from short-term insurance for tourism operators to employee benefits, writes Neesa Moodley. With a solid 25 years’ experience in ...

If you want your tourism product to be taken seriously, and considered for inclusion by one of the world’s largest B2B wholesalers and online providers of hotel accommodation and land services, you’d better take Responsible Tourism seriously, writes Des Langkilde. ...

Indications are that business tourism is growing. STR Global data indicate that hotel occupancies are stabilising while average room rates are continuing to improve. Business travellers are more likely to pay higher rates that leisure travellers. ACSA data is showing ...