As 2011 draws to a close, let’s celebrate the end of what has been a challenging year for many of us. GHASA would especially like to thank everybody for their continued support and we take this opportunity wish you all a Blessed, Peaceful & Safe Festive Season.
The good news is that reports indicate an improvement in tourism activity – the proverbial light is shining dimly at the end of that tunnel, with occupancy levels looking somewhat better than last year.
In the meantime, GHASA continues to work hard to give you “bang for your buck”. Currently, we’re tweaking our website & looking at preferred suppliers. Look out for:
· Guest Reviews: You’ll find this feature beneath your property’s name on our website. Reviews will go to you & to GHASA, so we’ll be able to scrutinise comments before uploading them onto your page. We urge you to encourage guests to use this new feedback platform!
· Tourism Information: We’ll complete this section shortly, so if you have any interesting titbits regarding your area, please let us know – it’ll be good for travellers as well as improve our SEO endeavours.
· Supplier CD: We’re compiling a list of national & provincial suppliers & every member will receive this CD. Please let us know if you have a special relationship with any suppliers from whom your fellow members can benefit.
Housekeeping Issues
· Consumer Protection Act compliance: Please check your page on our website. Make sure rates, contact details, information & photos are up to date.
· Public Liability Insurance: Three reasons why GHASA requires you to have a liability policy:
1. To protect your guests
2. To protect your business
3. To protect GHASA’s reputation.
If you have any doubts about your policy, let us know - we’d like to help you.
· GHASA Certificate: Ensure it is up to date & display it with pride!
· Promotion of Access to Information Act: The moratorium for private entities expires on 31 December, whereby businesses are expected to compile & submit a manual. For more information, please go to www.sahrc.org.za & click on PAIA. GHASA has not received any updates regarding PAIA, but we quote from the SAHRC website: “The Commission will issue an advisory on the status of the moratorium once this is provided by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.”
Tourism Stats & Facts
· TU News: Travel spend still high in 2011, says Visa study: International Visa cardholders spent 23% more in 2010 than they did in 2009, up from US$1,8bn to $2,2bn. What's more, this trend continued into the first half of this year with spending levels from January to June remaining close to the figures seen in the first half of 2010, significantly higher than the same period in 2009.
This is according to a study released by Visa, entitled Tourism Outlook: South Africa, which has shown that the majority of Visa cardholders spending in SA in 2010 came from the UK ($535m), followed by the US ($325m) and Germany ($95,8m). Of the top 10 inbound source countries, four were surrounding African countries, including Botswana ($83,6m), Mozambique($78,6m), Namibia ($66,2m) and Angola ($53,6m), however these figures include all spend, not just travel spend. The biggest growth in total spend came from Zimbabwe, Angola, Brazil and China.
While tourism spending was on the rise in 2010, cardholders spent less on airline-related purchases by seven percent, but increased spending on car rental by 23%, as well as fuel purchases, which suggests that cardholders opted to self-drive rather than fly from destination to destination.
While the FIFA World Cup played a significant role in the growth experience in June and July of 2010, tourist arrivals increased throughout the year, as spending levels by international Visa cardholders in December 2010 ($220m) and January 2011 ($220m) rivaled the June and July World Cup months.
· TU News: SA holiday costs drop in UK report
South Africa has been ranked the sixth most cost-effective long-haul destination for British travellers, according to Post Office Travel Money's 2011 Long Haul Holiday Report. In addition, SA costs have fallen 27% since last year's report was produced.
The Holiday Costs Barometer compares the cost of a basket of 10 items, including a bottle of beer, a cup of coffee, sun cream, and a three-course meal for two with wine, across 28 destinations. The total cost for the basket of goods in SA was just under £58 (R713)
South Africa fared particularly well in its pricing of the three-course meal, ranking in third place with only Sri Lanka and Mexico offering a cheaper meal.
The 10 most cost-effective long-haul destinations for UK travellers were:
1. Sri Lanka, Bentota
2. Thailand, Phuket
3. Vietnam, Hanoi
4. Mexico, Cancun
5. Malaysia, Penang
6. South Africa, Cape Town
7. Indonesia, Bali
8. Argentina, Buenos Aires
9. Dominican Republic, Punta Cana
10. Kenya, Mombasa
· TU News: Arrival stats validity probed – TBCSA: THE validity of South Africa's tourism arrival statistics is currently being investigated in a joint project by the TBCSA and SA Tourism.
TBCSA chairman Tommy Edmond told attendees at one of this week's TOMSA road shows that the coordinated effort with the Department of Home Affairs was aimed at verifying how the numbers are collected.
"We've concluded the first stage of the investigation and have raised three queries on the validity of the surveys that are run. We have never been able to get to how the statistics are collected and processed by Statistics South Africa," he said.
SA Tourism chief marketing office Roshene Singh acknowledged that there seemed to be a discrepancy between the arrival statistics indicating growth that are released and the perception among tourism product owners that tourism demand from key source markets is soft.
"Nobody knows for sure why the statistics aren't the same, but we do know for example that there are changes in travel behavior for instance with travellers staying in non-traditional areas or using different types of accommodation.
"We are working with the Department of Home Affairs to assess things like tourist spend and length of stay."
SA Tourism, which is the recipient of the TOMSA levy, gave a presentation on its marketing efforts over the past year. In addition to product briefings and speed marketing initiatives, a post World Cup campaign filming couples from key markets experiencing the highlights of South Africa has been distributed through media.
"We are planning to open a new office in Brazil by 2012 and an office will also be opened in Nigeria by the end of the year," said Singh highlighting the organisation's new hub strategy.
A new country manager has been appointed for the United Kingdom and offices are also planned in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Edmond bemoaned the lack of attendance at the countrywide TOMSA road shows saying it was an opportunity for levy collectors to find out how the levy is spent by SA Tourism. "We need better support for this function. This show is pathetic. A huge amount of effort has been made to ensure stakeholders attend and it's an opportunity for collectors to comment on what SA Tourism has done with the levy."
Since its inception in 1999, the TOMSA levy has raised some R600m for SA Tourism marketing efforts. From Jan to Jul 2011, R54m has already been raised. SA Tourism applies 100% of these levies towards marketing and promotional activities.
TBCSA ceo Mmatsatsi Marobe says the organisation is negotiating with SA Tourism for additional benefits for TOMSA levy collectors. These would include discounts at Indaba, discounts for Tourism Grading assessments and membeship, preferential profiling on the SA Tourism sites and using collectors for fam trips.
Marobe added that there are products that collect the levy, but don't pay it over and also highlighted that there had been talk of an introduction of provincial taxes and local tourism levies which could affect the tourism sector. There was also a possibility that TOMSA could be extended to other areas of the tourism and travel sector, including travel agents.
"TOMSA is a private sector initiative aimed at providing additional funding for the marketing of destination South Africa. It's a distressed time and this is the time to be out there, plugging SA."
Supplier Information
· Agoda (www.agoda.com) is Asia's leading and fastest growing online hotel reservation service, focused on securing and providing the lowest available hotel prices in every destination worldwide. As part of Priceline.com, our connections are global, allowing us to offer the competitive prices at 160,000 hotels worldwide. Available in 44 different languages, Agoda has serviced millions of travelers in its 10-year history and shares the reviews and experiences of hundreds of thousands on its website.
There is NO COST to join Agoda. To get started, please click onto https://ycs.agoda.com/connect/en-us/ApplicationDetail.aspx. Complete the required process and we will approve your partnership within 48 hours.
For a limited time only, as a valued added bonus for signing up with Agoda , we are pleased to announce BE3.
BE3 is a FREE booking engine designed for selected Agoda partners. Once you’ve installed BE3, customers who visit your hotel’s website can click on a booking button and view the rooms in your hotel and make a booking.
· Better Earth Natural Cleaning Products are happy to announce that any new members of GHASA receive a discount of 15% for their first orders of cleaning products. They are also bringing out their laundry gel with a built in freshener in October. If you would like more information on products or prices please contact Kerry: info@betterearth.co.za or visit www.betterearth.co.za
· NOAH Soap- The Unique Story of Environmental Sustainability and Social Upliftment
NOAH Soap was started by NOAH (Neighbourhood Old Age Homes) in 2010 as a community project to assist the elderly in Khayelitsha to generate much-needed additional income. The opportunity arose to combine a unique, environmentally friendly, recycling initiative with a worthwhile social upliftment scheme, and so the NOAH Soap Project was born.
Large volumes of soap in hotels and guesthouses are discarded every day. Charlotte Rhys, our CSI partner, approached the hotels to which they supply soap, asking if they would donate this discarded soap to our project. A number of hotels have kindly come on board and our ladies in Khayelitsha wash and peel down the soap until they are left with its pristine core. They then turn these into fragrant and attractive bars for sale to the public and to the hospitality industry. Our website is noah@org.za Click on the Soap Project tab, then on 'Order now' to view our soaps and respective prices.
NOAH is in the process of arranging a special rate for GHASA Members.
· Jeeves Tangent M Heated Towel Rail: The elegant Tangent M heated towel rail from Jeeves is a highly practical solution to your towel storage needs. The unique design is perfect for folded and stacked towels, promoting air circulation to help keep towels as warm and dry as possible. The energy efficient Jeeves heated towel rails are widely used for a consistent supply of warm, dry towels in areas with cold, rainy or humid climates. Heated towel rails also contribute to a hygienic environment by keeping your towels damp free, preventing a breeding ground for germs and mould. Electricity and water savings are further benefits of a heated towel rail due to the reduced need for towel washing and tumble drying.
Jeeves are offering a 20% discount on the Tangent M heated towel rail to GHASA members until the end of January 2012.
Discounted Price: R2,690 ex vat
Dimensions: 520(w) x 550(h) x 330mm(d)
Finish: Mirror polished 304 stainless steel
Guarantee: 25 Years (made in South Africa)
Contact: (021) 706 2604 or info@jeeves.co.za
· Watch out for the Flying Squad!
As the weather warms up, most insects take to the wing. Some are a nuisance. Others, like flies, can pose a real threat to your business. Trust the experts to get rid of your flying squad this summer. Rentokil is running a summer promotion and offering discounted rates on our range of Luminos fly units until the end of December. Contact us on 0800 RENTOKIL (0800 73686545) or visit our web page on http://www.rentokil.co.za/commercial-customers/pest-problems/fly-control/index.html
· Hospitality Suite: Discount of 10% on all orders! Contact us regarding larger orders and we’ll quote you better prices. Free delivery on orders over R2500 ex vat. Email natasha@hospitalitysuite.co.za or phone 0214617000. Website: www.hospitalitysuite.co.za.
· African Indawo: This festive season, all your promotional printing needs at affordable prices plus “FREE DELIVERY” to any one address in South Africa on all Flyers/Leaflets & Business cards. For your detailed quotation within 4 working hours please visit http://www.africanindawo.co.za/quick-quote-litho.php this offer is valid to the end of March 2012. You’ll be surprised at the price & delivery time line.
· Lodgestaff.com: You can post your ad for free on our website and we will send it to 10% of the applicable database.
The 10% send is absolutely free even if you do place someone in the advertised position.
We will send out a job alert/e-mail notification to the 10% informing them about your job ad. Job seekers can then apply either via the job alert or directly via our website, with all applications being sent directly to you.
Should you be satisfied with the quality of the response and would like us to send it to the rest of the 90% of candidates, we will then offer you a 20% discounted rate of R279 as oppose to the current rate of R349.
Contact Fuad: fuad.bester@lodgestaff.com
Welcome New Members
Last but definitely not least, we extend a warm welcome to the following new members. We look forward to a long and happy relationship with you all:
Kla-G-Sukkel; 7A Clifton Steps; Fenton House B&B; Apartment 107 @ The Crystal; Naledzi Lodge; Fynbos Villa Guest House; Silversurf; Twin Oaks Guest Farm; African Vineyard Guesthouse; Breeth Accommodation; Goose Lodge; Beach Music; Aquamarine Guest House; 1881 Shiraz Estate Guest House; Jacaranda House; Golden Grove; Sugar Beach; El Shaddai Accommodation; Kwalucia Private Safari Retreat.
SEASON’S GREETINGS & OUR BEST WISHES TO ALL GHASA MEMBERS & LOVED ONES FOR A PROSPEROUS & HAPPY 2012!