The Naked Agent
THIS month our mystery shopper
contacted travel agents in
Bloemfontein with an enquiry
for two couples to travel to Victoria
Falls for four days over New Year.
Both couples are young, like to have
lots of fun and seek a great festive
season adventure.
Sales tip of the month
The winning agent stood out
because she shared the customer’s
holiday interests. She researched
the Victoria Falls Carnival to the
extent that she could share the
customer’s excitement. She got
to know the customer’s needs in
more detail than any of the other
agents, providing advice, showing
genuine interest and excitement.
Remember, if your service does
nothing more than an Internet
search engine, then a customer will
not book with you.
Chirese Cohn Flight Centre, Mimosa Mall, Bloemfontein
I said that we were
looking to go to the
Victoria Falls Carnival
over New Year and
was surprised that the
agent didn’t hook into
this. Her questions
remained transactional
until I mentioned that
we were considering
driving, at which point
she said it would be
a long drive for us. I
said we had planned
to make it a fun
road trip and would
share the driving. She
responded by saying she would
provide two quotes – one with
and one without flights. When she
asked if we had any hotels in mind,
I mentioned that the Kingdom Hotel
was featured on the Carnival’s
website. She encouraged us to
use this hotel and explained about
visas and yellow fever if we were
travelling into Zambia. A quote
was promised the same day. When
it didn’t arrive, I contacted the
agent again and she said she had
handed my request to a colleague
as she had gone home sick.
Further, Flight Centre was having
problems with gmail accounts,
which was why I hadn’t received
the request for further
information from the
new agent, Chirese
Cohn, who was far
more consultative and
went over our needs
again. She talked
at length about the
carnival, asking what
we knew about it and
sharing what she had
found. We had a great
conversation about
the group’s likes and
dislikes; she asked
if we liked adrenalin
thrills and chatted
about all the excursions. She
offered to send through a list of
activities that could be pre-booked,
and encouraged us to do as
many things as possible during
our visit. She then quoted by
phone and did a great job. I
advised her that the other couple
were also making enquiries with
Johannesburg-based agents. She
said this was not a problem but
that she would love to do the
booking for me. I was completely
hooked into her service. What
started as transaction from one
agent was saved by another.
Without a doubt I would book with
this agent.
STA Travel, Mimosa Mall, Bloemfontein
A friendly agent with a lovely sense of
humour took my enquiry and our basic
needs were discussed. I mentioned
the Victoria Falls Carnival and that the
website named the Kingdom Hotel.
The agent replied that this was a very
popular hotel and a good choice as it
was on the Zimbabwe side of the Falls,
so we wouldn’t need any yellow fever
vaccinations. She gave a quick recap
and promised a quote the same day. I
was disappointed that
I had mentioned
a key reason for
my visit but that it
wasn’t probed any
further. As promised,
I received a quote that
day, but there was no phone call or
selling of the holiday. No additional,
optional excursions were offered,
generating little excitement.
Sure Travel, Milner Road, Baysvillage, Bloemfontein
While the agent was extremely polite
and friendly, the consultation lasted
no longer than two minutes, with the
basic transactional questions being
asked. I was excited when she asked
if there were any specifications for the
area or the hotel and so I mentioned
the Victoria Falls Carnival. However,
she didn’t take the bait to discuss
this further and advised that she
would email a quote within 24 hours.
When I had not received anything in
the promised time
frame, I called
her. Within five
minutes I received
a quote and a further
one before the close of the business
day. Although it included an attachment
for excursions in Victoria Falls, there
was no selling or bringing to life of
the holiday. I did not experience any
genuine excitement or interest in my
holiday plans.
Take note!
The purpose of the Naked Agent in this series of ‘Sell more…’ features is to assess the
experience from only a sales skills perspective and not the effectiveness of the travel
agency. TNW believes that sales skills are increasingly important to travel agents and, in
many cases, improvement in selling skills is the easiest way to increase the prosperity of
the agency and its consultants. The Naked Agent is designed to raise awareness of the
opportunity and build awareness of the need.
Our selling-orientated criteria:
10% Engage the customer by making an excellent first impression –
be interested, excited and enthusiastic.
20%
Profile the customer, getting to know their needs in full, their likes,
dislikes and prior travels. Use consultative sales techniques,
not transactional questions only, and provide advice about the
destination.
10% Hook the customer, preventing their further shopping around, by
sounding like an expert.
10% Match the enquiry to the quote, providing two or three options,
ideally within the same day of enquiry.
20% Sell the holiday ideas and bring them to life. Don’t just attach a
quote.
5% Close the sale when you spot buying signals.
15% Convert the sale by creating a sense of urgency and asking for the
booking.
10% Persist if customers provide a reason why they can’t book –
attempt to overcome objections.
100% TOTAL
Agents are scored up to the maximum of the weighted percentages above
Tips for travellers
1 Keep it short, do it in style. Be brave and try out all the
activities. Combine it with a luxury river boat on the Zambezi or
a few nights in Chobe. Full board is a bonus as food and drink are
expensive.
Michelle De Gasperi, Travel Counsellors, Durban
2 When you visit Victoria Falls during a full moon, the light
of the moon through the spray from the Falls produces a
lunar rainbow, also called a moonbow.
Cecilia Roux, Rustenburg Travel, Rustenburg
3 To avoid disappointment and to ensure availability, book
excursions in advance, especially the elephant-back safari.
The sundowner cruise on the Zambezi is a must. If staying on the
Zimbabwe side, high tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel is a memorable
experience. Pack a raincoat and comfortable walking shoes. In
Zambia credit cards are not always widely accepted and high
commissions are charged, thus it is advisable to travel with US
dollars in cash. In Zimbabwe, cash is king so make sure you can
cover your costs during your visit as withdrawing cash from an ATM
or bank is not something you can rely on. Traveller’s cheques and
credit/debit cards are not widely accepted and often incur hefty fees.
Bring small denomination notes – small change is rarely available in
Zimbabwe.
Anne Wille, Flight Specials, Welkom
4 Definitely make effort to see the Falls from both sides or
take a microlight flight over the Falls.
Karen Hoard, Sure Giltedge Travel, Bishops College
5 Try the new red hop-on, hop-off bus. It is quite an experience
with an amazing guide.
Reena Lalloo, Fast Link Travel, Johannesburg
6 Take old clothes and shoes to trade for curios. Often
traders would rather take amenities and clothing over
money, as some items are either very expensive to buy in
Victoria Falls, or hard to get. Lunch at the Victoria Falls Hotel
is always an awesome experience. The gorge swing on the
Zimbabwean side is definitely better than the one on the
Zambian side. A good open-jaw routing is to fly into Kasane and
out of Vic Falls (or vice versa) and combine these two awesome
destinations. Sunset cruises on the Chobe River, which teems
with wildlife, is an unforgettable experience. Also, if flights into
Vic Falls are full, look at flying into Kasane and transferring to
Vic Falls.
Gareth Tiedt, Tourvest Travel Services, Rivonia
7 Be prepared for border control formalities – ensure that you
have the correct inoculations. Check that your passport is in fact
yours once you have completed immigration.
Anonymo
8 The Falls offers a great experience from both sides.
Zambia offers the rainforest type of walk down to the Falls
and down to the boiling pot with the walk over the bridge. The
Zimbabwean side offers a wide open view. Both are not to be
missed. Personal tips include remembering a plastic bag for
your camera, especially in full flood months and a peaked cap
to keep the ‘rain’ off your glasses.
Doris Glasspool, Bedrock Africa Birding, Lusaka
9 Know the difference between the official and unofficial exchange
rates.
Sharleen Ramcharan, Uniglobe Travel Pursuit, Greenstone Hill
10 Malaria precautions – consult your doctor, pharmacist or
travel clinic. Make sure you have adequate travel insurance.
Don’t drink the water – buy bottled water.
Sonia Van Niekerk, Travel to Live (in association with eTravel), Port
Elizabeth
Two sides to selling the Falls
A SURVEY on selling Victoria Falls
to South Africans conducted by
eTNW among retail travel agents and
wholesale tour operators, revealed
differences in selling features of the
destination from both the Zambian
and Zimbabwean side, as well as
a wide opportunity to sell more by
combining it with other destinations.
The survey was completed by 360
travel agents and tour operators in
Southern Africa.
We asked respondents to choose
the top five attributes of the Falls
from both the Zimbabwean and
Zambian sides. In both cases,
‘range of activities’, ‘range of
accommodation’ and ‘adventure
destination’ ranked in the top five
attributes.
Seventy per cent of respondents
ranked Zimbabwe as having the
best view of the Falls and 54% rated
it as being good value for money.
Zambia’s strength was indicated
in the holidaymakers’ experience
of luxury, with 62% listing it as an
attribute. In addition, the opportunity
for game experiences in Zambia was
ranked higher than in Zimbabwe.
‘Night life’ and ‘food (restaurants
nearby)’ were the lowest ranked
attributes in both places. ‘Security’
appeared in the lowest ratings for
Zimbabwe, while ‘shopping’ emerged
as a small drawcard for Zambia.
The research indicates that very
few clients cross over to see the
Falls from the other side (not the
side they are staying on). Only 18%
of respondents said that more
than 50% of their clients took this
opportunity, and 18% of respondents
were unsure how many of their
clients did. This raises the question
of how many clients are actually
aware that they can. Cost may be a
determining factor, however there is
only a charge on the Zimbabwean
side. There is no additional charge
to see the Falls from the Zambian
side.
Two sides to selling the Falls cont
Reference Guide
Tour operators
Sun International Dreams:
y All Dreams consultants have visited
the properties in Livingstone and can
give a first-hand account and advice.
y All guests staying at the Royal
Livingstone or Zambezi Sun have
free, unlimited access to the Victoria
Falls.
yDreams pays commission to agents
for activities they have pre-booked
and pre-paid for their clients.
Holiday Tours:
yOffers live availability at selected
properties with special SADC rates.
The system lets agents quote,
confirm and pay for a booking online
without keeping clients waiting.
yHoliday Tours staff have a
comprehensive understanding of the
destination and its offerings.
y Victoria Falls is an ‘adventure
capital’. As such, Holiday Tours has
a wide offering of activities to suit all
tastes.
Thompsons Holidays:
y Thompsons Holidays has a satellite
office in Victoria Falls.
y In case of emergencies, the 24/7
traveller’s care line offers clients
peace of mind while travelling.
y As a leading SA provider of
quality holidays at competitive
prices, Thompsons Holidays has
knowledgeable and professional
travel specialists to assist with
bookings.
Airlines:
SAA:
ySAA offers seamless connections
with its international, regional and
domestic networks. SAA is the
only airline operating to Victoria
Falls that allows passengers to
check their baggage though to all
SAA connections, the Star Alliance
network and interline carriers.
Air Zimbabwe:
yDaily flights to Victoria Falls from
Harare; three flights a week
linking Harare-Kariba-Victoria
Falls return; flies JNB-VFA direct
on Sundays, Wednesdays and
Fridays; flies Bulawayo-Victoria Falls
every Saturday and Victoria FallsBulawayo
(Saturdays and Sundays).
yOperates the first flight from VFA
to JNB and last in from JNB on
Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
yGenerous baggage allowances of
40kg in economy class and 50kg in
business class.
yOffices at Victoria Falls airport and
in town.
y24-hour contact line.
Flyafrica:
y Flyafrica.com is the only low-fare
airline operating to Victoria Falls,
operating four weekly flights
between Johannesburg and Victoria
Falls.
yOffers the lowest fares in the
market – from R399 (one way).
There are no fuel surcharges.
Airport charges of around US$50
(R550) are not included in the fare.
Chobe National Park
The findings also show that it is very
rare for clients to combine their trip
to Victoria Falls with a visit to Chobe
or Hwange. Only 2% of respondents
said more than 50% visited Hwange
in combination with the Falls. Chobe
emerged as the more popular choice
for a combination holiday, with 19%
of respondents indicating that over
50% of their clients added it on to a
Falls trip. However, the results support
the idea that the majority of clients
visit the Falls only. This would imply
that there is large scope for agents to
market combination trips in the area. It
is possible that the majority of clients
aren’t aware or do not think about
opportunities beyond seeing the Falls.
Accommodation
African Sun
yOwns three properties in Victoria
Falls – The Victoria Falls Hotel,
Elephant Hills Resort and The
Kingdom at Victoria Falls.
y The Victoria Falls Hotel, popularly
known as ‘the grand old lady’, is
a member of exclusive Leading
Hotels of the World and is one
of three 1S0-accredited hotels in
Zimbabwe.
y A combination holiday with Hwange
National Park is a possibility, with
Hwange Safari Lodge an hour’s
drive from the Falls.
Cresta Hotels and Resorts
yCresta Sprayview – Victoria Falls is
1,4km from the Victoria Falls Rain
Forest entrance and 20 minutes
from the airport.
ySet on three hectares, it has 60
standard rooms, three suites and
two family rooms. Alfresco dining
and the large swimming pool make
the hotel a relaxing retreat for
families.
y Amenities such as satellite TV,
room service, conference facilities,
a business centre and WiFi in
public areas are available.
Be part of the fun at the Vic Falls Carnival
THOMPSONS Holidays, the only
tour operator in Johannesburg
working with the organisers of
Victoria Falls Carnival, is offering a
special package for travellers.
Priced from R38 103, the
package includes return flights to
Livingstone from Johannesburg on
British Airways; return airport-hotel
transfers; four nights at the threestar
The Kingdom or Elephant Hills
at Victoria Falls with breakfast
daily.
Also included is a two-day pass
to the Jameson Vic Falls Carnival,
including after parties on December
30 and New Year’s Festival on
December 31.
The offer is valid for travel from
December 28 to January 1.
New airport will boost tourism
TRAVEL to Victoria Falls is
on an upswing, say local tour
operators and suppliers, and
the investment in developing
the country’s tourism offering
is going to help.
According to Air
Zimbabwe’s pr manager,
Shingai Dhliwayo, Victoria
Falls Airport Terminal project
is expected to be complete
by July, and will result in
VFA taking a central role
in tourism in the region.
“The airport will be able
to cater for wide-bodied
aircraft and will offer 24-hour
operations.”
She adds that Victoria
Falls offers tourists a rich
itinerary, including not
just the Falls but also the
opportunity to get close to
the Big Five.
Tlali Tlali, spokesperson
for SAA, says the new
terminal at Victoria Falls
airport will be used for
international flights from
December. With the
expansion, which was
initiated by the Civil Aviation
Authority of Zimbabwe in
February 2013, the airport
will be able to handle some
1,5m passengers a year in
five years’ time.
“SAA and other airlines
will now be able to increase
capacity to Victoria Falls
as the airport will be able
to accommodate aircraft
such as Airbus A340s,
Boeing 777s and Boeing
747s. The next few years
will confirm Victoria Falls
as the hub of regional
tourism, with remarkable
tourism experiences and
locations surrounding it.
The new airport will also
create many jobs and will do
so further as arrivals grow,
hotel occupancies increase
and the local and national
economies benefit,”
says Tlali.
According to Zahedah
Bhorat, product manager at
Holiday Tours, Victoria Falls
has changed over the years.
“From being a hot spot to
resembling a ghost town
within a decade, things are
looking up again. Bookings
are coming in and the
destination is reverting to its
old glory,” she adds.
Zahedah predicts that the
destination will continue
to get busier as it caters
for any budget, taste and
adrenaline level. She adds
that people living in the
area are optimistic and their
friendliness and eagerness
for tourists will ensure the
growth in the long term.
Angela Wood, gm –
marketing, Thompsons
Holidays, agrees, and says
good numbers of visitors are
travelling to Victoria Falls.
“We believe that in the
next five years Zimbabwe
tourism and the destination
will rapidly turn a corner and
become one of the positive
growth destinations in
Africa.”
The continued growth
and development expected
in the area, says Stacey
Barnett, sales and
marketing manager for Sun
International Dreams, will
continue to ensure that
Victoria Falls remains an
attractive and competitive
option for MICE, corporate
and leisure travel.
“With the opening of the
new Victoria Falls airport
next year, Zimbabwe’s
increased focus on tourism
and our low-fare model,
we will see Victoria Falls
becoming a hot destination,”
says Caren Parkinson,
marketing manager of
flyafrica.com.
New restuarant at Vic falls jump site
WILD Horizons is to open a
new restaurant at Victoria
Falls in Zimbabwe. The
Bistro On The Edge is
located at the current Wild
Horizons ‘Lookout’ jump
site, on the edge of the
Batoka Gorge, overlooking
the Victoria Falls Bridge.
The restaurant is expected
to open on December 31
and will offer breakfast,
lunch and a cocktail menu.
The Wild Horizons highwire
activities, such as the
Gorge Swing and Vic Falls
Canopy Tour, will continue
to operate from the same
location, enabling jumpers
and their travel companions
to enjoy modern,
Mediterranean cuisine and
drinks while watching the
activities.
Groups, individuals and
locals can make use of
the new restaurant and,
unlike in the past, self-drive
customers will also be
welcome and their vehicles
accommodated in the newly
built car park at the facility.
There will be free WiFi
and regular live acoustic
musicians to entertain
guests and jumpers.
Did you know?
Air Zimbabwe was recently voted
the Best Regional Airline by
Association of Zimbabwe Travel Agents (AZTA). The award comes
at a time when Air Zimbabwe is in competition with British Airways
Comair, South African Airways, South African Express and other
players who are plying regional routes
Book Dreams packages!
SUN International Dreams’ specials
for Royal Livingstone and Zambezi
Sun are only valid until November
30, so book them before they
expire.
The packages include return
flights between Johannesburg and
Livingstone; return airport transfers
to the property; four nights’
accommodation with breakfast daily;
travel insurance; Dreams travel bag;
free and unlimited access to the
Victoria Falls; park fees and more.
Royal Livingstone is on offer from
R10 765pps, and Zambezi Sun from
R8 320pps. Both prices exclude
airport taxes of around R3 195
per person.
Special offer from Holiday Tours
HOLIDAY Tours is offering a special
Victoria Falls package, valid from
now until February 28.
It includes return flights from
Johannesburg to Livingstone on
British Airways; approximate airport
taxes; return airport-hotel crossborder
transfers and three nights’
accommodation at The Kingdom or
Elephant Hills in a standard room
with breakfast daily; the package is
from R7 259 per person sharing.
Photocap: Visit the falls , bring a friend
Grab a friend and take advantage of flyafrica’s special companion fares for
travel agents. The airline is inviting the trade to experience its product first
hand while enjoying a trip to either Vic Falls or Harare. Fares for both the
traveller and their companion start from R330 one-way (excluding taxes) and
will run indefinitely. Sharing the spellbinding African scenery are flyafrica’s
Adrian Hamilton-Manns (ceo) and Nellita Scholtz (sales manager).
Discounts and gifts at Cresta Sprayview
Cresta Sprayview – Victoria Falls
is offering a 15% discount on
accommodation from now until
December 20. In addition, children
under 12 sharing with their parents
stay free, paying only for meals.
December also comes with some
gift-giving. Kids under 12 will have a
local gift surprise this December, as
will senior citizens. Members of the
travel industry can take advantage
of a complimentary bottle of wine
(remember to advise at the time of
reservation).
