Love you long time, Zanzibar
ZANZIBAR announced
late last year that the
average length of stay
on the island had increased
from six to eight days in the
past five years. The island
plans to increase this further
through the promotion of
various tourism attractions,
with its current Strategic
Tourism Plan working toward
the new goal of a 10-day
average length of stay.
This was announced by
Zanzibar President, Dr Ali
Mohamed Shein, who said
that to further increase
average length of stay,
conservation of the island’s
beaches and of key historic
sites in Stone Town were
being prioritised by his
government, together with
the development of further
tourism infrastructure.
Last month, the island
launched a ‘Destination
Marketing Brand’ to
promote it as a key tourism
destination in Africa.
Mahmoud Thabit Kombo,
Zanzibar Minister for
Information, Tourism and
Heritage, told media that
tourism companies and
hotels on the island had
previously marketed their
services individually, but
said, through this initiative,
the ministry aimed to bring
tourism companies together
under one umbrella to better
promote the island.
John Ridler, PR and media
manager of Thompsons
Holidays, says its average
Zanzibar booking length
is between five and seven
nights. He says there is
plenty to keep clients busy
on the island besides
the superb beaches and
recreational activities at the
hotels. “We recommend
dhow cruises, spice tours
and trips to Jozani Forest
to see the endemic red
colobus monkey. There is
also so much history to
discover in Stone Town and
on Prison Island.”
Brenda Mitchell, head
of sales at World Leisure
Holidays, says its Zanzibar
bookings reflect average
length of stays of between
seven and 10 nights but
that many South Africans
tend to book longer stays of
between 10 and 15 nights
over the December period.
She says Zanzibar is so
affordable that it’s often
possible to stay longer for
the same price as booking
a seven-night package at a
similar standard of hotel in
Mauritius.
An attraction that World
Leisure promotes is a Safari
Blue excursion where guests
travel to uninhabited parts
of the island for snorkelling
and beach barbecues.
Swimming with dolphins
is also popular as is the
traditional dhow sunset
cruise, says Brenda.
XL International
Travels director, Marco
Tomasicchio, says
connectivity is a big
factor when it comes to
determining package length.
He says clients prefer
to fly direct to the island
and that a daily service
with Mango would allow
passengers more flexibility
over the length of their stay.
Improving infrastructure on
the island is also key to
extending length of stay, as
this would lure guests out of
the resorts to visit various
attractions on the island,
says Marco.
“While it makes sense to
stay for longer when flying
long haul, Zanzibar is only a
three-hour flight from South
Africa. Due to Mango’s flight
rotations catering for a
wide range of length of stay
options – such as three-,
four-, five- or seven-night
stays – we find that length
of stay is predominantly
driven by budget and
availability of leave. Pay for
five and stay for six or seven
nights specials also tend
to extend length of stay,”
says Jacqui Carr, product
manager of AfricaStay.
“While our average length
of stay is between five and
seven nights, we also find
that clients tend to book
seven-night packages most
frequently during December,
as allotments at this time of
year are based on week-long
stays,” adds Jacqui.
Both Marco and Wendy
Goutier, product and
contracting manager of
kulula holidays, say the
average length of stay for
South Africans in Zanzibar is
around seven nights.
More flights drive bookings
MANGO introduced a
new direct flight between
Lanseria and Zanzibar
in June, bringing its
flights to the island to
a thrice-weekly service
from ORTIA and a once
weekly service from
Lanseria.
Thompsons Holidays,
AfricaStay, World Leisure
Holidays and kulula
holidays all report that
sales to the island are
up this year as a result
of the additional seats
and affordable prices
offered during low
season.
“The pricing tends to
be seasonal, and the
latest prices are related
to a lot of increased
capacity of airline seats
with the introduction of
additional frequencies
out of Lanseria. We
expect the trend to
return to normal quite
quickly in the months
ahead as we move
into the summer
season,” says Desmond
O’Connor, head of kulula
holidays.
AfricaStay’s Jacqui
Carr says Mango’s new
Lanseria flight is proving
popular, particularly with
clients staying in the
northern and western
parts of Johannesburg.
She says the airline
is running a special to
promote the Lanseria
flight until the end of
November and that this
has been effective in
converting sales and
creating awareness
about the new flight.
She adds that agents
also have the option of
combining the ORTIA
and Lanseria flights –
flying out of ORTIA and
back to Lanseria as an
example – which gives
them more choice over
trip dates.
Don’t miss Stone Town!
A VISIT to Unesco World
Heritage Site, Stone Town,
is a must for anyone visiting
Zanzibar.
This fine example of a
Swahili coastal trading town
is characterised by narrow
streets winding between
tall, lime-washed buildings
distinguished by elaborately
carved Zanzibar doors. The
town has a rich history, having
served as the capital for the
Sultan of Muscat and Oman’s
empire at one stage. Female
visitors are advised to cover
up while in town, as the local
population is 99% Muslim.
The island’s famous cloves,
nutmeg, cinnamon and black
pepper can be purchased at
the Stone Town spice market.
Advise your clients to visit
the Malindi Bamnara Mosque,
the Old Fort, the birthplace
of Queen lead singer Freddy
Mercury and the Christ Church
Anglican Cathedral, which
has been built on the site of
Zanzibar’s last slave market.
Book it!
The ever popular Uroa Bay Beach Resort is undergoing a refurbishment that has added an additional
24 guest rooms due to high demand. Thompsons Holidays is offering a seven-night package to the
three-star resort from R10 139pps. It includes return flights from Johannesburg, airline levies, return
airport-hotel transfers, seven nights’ accommodation in a Garden Double Room and breakfast, lunch
and dinner daily. Bonuses include a tour of Stone Town, a welcome cocktail and daily water bottle in
room and nightly entertainment. Special is valid from October 1-December 1. T&Cs apply.
Kenya Airways ups frequencies on key routes in Africa
KENYA Airways has
announced increases in
frequencies to key African
routes, including Zanzibar
Kilimanjaro, Mombasa, Juba
and Kigali.
The airline says the
increases, which are driven
by passenger demand, are
essential to its financial
turnaround.
It now operates five
weekly flights to Zanzibar
on Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
Thursdays, Saturdays and
Sundays.
“The additional
frequencies will ensure we
serve our customers better,
more efficiently and in a
timely manner.
“This will also play an
important role in growing
our business in addition
to supporting the tourism
industry,” said Ursula
Silling, chief commercial
officer of Kenya Airways.
“One of our priority areas
is the financial turnaround
of the organisation, with
a key focus on network
expansion, customer
excellence and prudent
financial management,”
added Ursula.
Did you know?
Holiday Packages, the wholesale division of AfricaStay, offers 15% commission on all hotels in its Sugar and
Spice Portfolio (selected AfricaStay resorts). It also offers agents a R200 Takealot voucher for every booking
made to Zanzibar. Additionally, the operator is running an incentive for all agents who make 25 bookings with
Holiday Packages before November 30. Up for grabs is a four-night all-inclusive holiday to Zanzibar, including
flights, transfers, accommodation, meals, drinks and a free tour.
Zanzibar Specials
AfricaStay is offering a four-night special at the five-star
La Gemma dell’Est on an all-inclusive basis from
R14 095pps or seven nights from R18 885pps. Rate includes
accommodation in a double room, airfare ex-Johannesburg,
all taxes, return airport transfers (seat-in-coach) and all
meals and selected beverages. Valid for stays from November
1-December 21.
Rove Africa is offering a Summer September special at the
five-star Bluebay Beach Resort & Spa. It includes seven
nights’ accommodation from R17 680pps on an all-inclusive
basis. Rate is valid until September 30 and includes return
flight departing Johannesburg, all taxes and airline surcharges,
return airport-hotel transfers, accommodation in a garden
room, dinner, lunch and breakfast, snacks mid-morning or late
afternoon, selected drinks and complimentary WiFi.
Andgo.com is offering a five-night all-inclusive stay at
the four-star Diamonds Mapenzi Beach from R14 220pps.
Offer includes return flights from Johannesburg, airport taxes,
and return transfers. Valid until September 19.
#BeachWithDP is offering a stay for seven, pay for six special
from only R15 575 at the five-star Karafuu Beach Resort.
Includes return flights from Johannesburg, taxes, transfers,
accommodation on a half-board basis (upgrade to all-inclusive
for only R2 220pp). Valid for travel on specific dates between
November 1 and December 12.
World Leisure Holidays is running an all-inclusive special at
the four-star Sandies Baobab resort from R18 570pp and
from R23 080pp at the five-star Dream of Zanzibar resort. The
four-night package includes return flights from Johannesburg
to Zanzibar on Mango, return coach transfers, approximate
airport taxes, levies and surcharges. Special is valid until
December 23. T&Cs apply.
Travel Tip
Abeid Karume International Airport is 8km from Stone Town. Taxis
cost about TZS30 000 (R200). As they are generally not metered,
advise our clients to negotiate the price beforehand. Taxis can also
be booked at the airport through TaxiTender. Some hotels and tour
operators offer free airport transfers while others charge a fee. For
more travel tips, see Travelinfo Plus.
