Travelwires.com Interviews 2009

Table of Contents

1-on-1 with Shafeeka Anthony from Rabbit in a Hat
Communications....................................................................................7

Cape Town Tourism Answers 10 PR Industry Questions...................10

SouthAfrica.to—Tapping into Internet Income.....................................13

“MATCH is Very Hard Up” —Christiane von Ulmenstein....................17

Lake Pleasant Living B&B Answers Questions on
Responsible Tourism...........................................................................25

TheBestofZambia.com—Selling Zambian Tourism Online .................27

"80 Percent of Our Reservations are Online" —Chanters
Lodge....................................................................................................36

Meet Kate Braun, the Brains behind VisitSwazi.com........................40

Peech Hotel Founder Answers 10 Random Questions......................44

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Table of Contents
Interview: Christian Grosch, Airboat Afrika Founder..........................47

Interview with Andrew McLachlan from Rezidor.................................51

Interview: Roy Davies, General Manager, Vineyard Hotel and
Spa........................................................................................................56

Interview with Clive Hubbard, SABookOnline.com Founder ..............59

Kerry de Bruyn Photography Founder Takes Centre Stage ..............63

Interview with Bill Frohlich, GM at The Grace in Rosebank..............66

Interview with Francois Botha, quickOnline Founder .........................69

Interview with Brendan Boyle, Broad Horizons Hospitality
Solutions Founder................................................................................73

Interview with Colin Nyoni, Nyoni's Kraal Founder............................78

Interview with Fred Stow, GM at Nkomazi Game Reserve...............82

Interview: Tim Long, Tourism Radio and Hummba.com
Software Developer.............................................................................85

Interview with Damian Cook, E-Tourism Africa Founder..................90


Table of Contents
Interview: Genevieve Benjamin, Duty Manager at Holiday
Inn Express Cape Town......................................................................96

Receptionist at Zululand Trees Lodge Pleads for a Printer ...............99

Interview: Yolisa Hlongwane, Front Desk Receptionist at
Riverside Hotel & Spa.........................................................................102

Interview: Malmsey Rangaka, M’hudi Wines CEO............................105

Interview: Simone Garner, Personal Assistant to Sales &
Marketing Director at One&Only Cape Town....................................109

Interview: Abbigail Julius, Receptionist at Sandton Sun
Hotel.....................................................................................................112

Interview: Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo, General Manager of
Soweto Hotel on Freedom Square......................................................117

Mzukisi Mpetha, Front Office Duty Manager at The Grace
in Rosebank.........................................................................................121

Interview with Aslam Levy, eMarketing Co-ordinator at
Cape Town Tourism...........................................................................124


Table of Contents
Interview: Ita Wiyani, Guest Relations & Travel Consultant
(Maliba Mountain Lodge)....................................................................129

Interview with Michael Holthuysen, Cruisebrokers
Founder...............................................................................................132

Interview: Jojo Tsheola, Tsheola Dinare Tours Founder ..................137

Interview: Carika Schoeman from Shumbalala Game Lodge ...........141

Interview with Johan Knols, PlanYourSafari.com Blogger ...............144

Interview: Brent Arries, Duty Manager at The Grand Daddy
Hotel....................................................................................................149

Interview: Jenene Stein, Gondwana Game Reserve........................152

Interview with Michael Theys, Africafreak.com Blogger ....................155

Interview with Neiso Mophule, Repa Guest House MD....................162

Interview with Kennedy Khoza, Emzini Guesthouse Owner .............166

"Everyday in PR is Like Opening a Lucky Packet" — JP
Roodt...................................................................................................170

Chantal Riley Aims for the Events Division at PR Worx...................174


Table of Contents
Davina Martin Eyes Fleishman-Hillard SA’s Travel Portfolio ............177

Eastern Cape Tourism Answers 10 PR Industry Questions..............180

Bonus Offer: Create a Profitable Website/Blog with Less
Than R1,000.........................................................................................182


Introduction
This eBook is a collection of interviews published on Travelwires.com for a
weekly column in 2009 that profiles tourism communication practitioners, tourism
entrepreneurs and employees within the industry in South Africa. This offers
readers the opportunity to know the people behind the scenes who are positively
contributing to the growth of the tourism industry.


1-on-1 with
Shafeeka
Anthony from
Rabbit in a Hat
Communications

R abbit in a Hat Communications counts Cape Town Tourism and Grand
Daddy Hotel among their clients. Shafeeka Anthony is an accounts
manager with the agency. Travelwires.com chatted with her to find out
what keeps her going in her line of work.

What is your position at Rabbit in a Hat Communications?
I am an Account Manager.

How long have you been with the agency?
Ten months.

7

Rabbit in a Hat Communications

What were you doing before joining Rabbit in a Hat
Communications?
I did seven months of internship at another PR agency, which was part of my co-
operative training through the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, where I
have successfully completed my National Diploma in Public Relations.

Tell us about your typical day in the office.
Administration takes up much of my time in the mornings, and before you know
it, it’s the afternoon. I stick to to-do lists religiously and assess the priorities of
each of my clients each day. Every day holds something different, which is why I
love what I do so much. Sometimes I attend the shoots I’ve organized, and at
other times I am collating media coverage—which is just as much fun when
you’re assessing the outcome.

What have been your highlight(s) since joining Rabbit in a Hat
Communications?
I have so many—one of them would definitely be attending the premiere of Barry
Hilton’s first film, Finding Lenny. Another would be to have been present as Top
Billing shot the Airstream Park on the roof of the Grand Daddy Hotel – which also
happens to be one of our clients. Also, working on international festivals such as
Infecting the City and the Badilisha! Poetry X-Change was lifechanging. I met so
many different people from all over the world with unique stories that made a
huge impact on the way I see the world and the people who live in it.

What do you like or don’t like about your job?
I like that no day is the same as the next, and that I have my own space in which
I can comfortably grow.

8

Shafeeka Anthony

What is your long term goal within the agency?
My long term goal would definitely be to become a highly successful and
commendable account director, maybe even becoming one of Rabbit in a Hat’s
partners.

Who is your role model and why?
I have too many people in my life who positively influence various aspects of who
I am. I believe in learning from each and every one I am exposed to, whether that
is from a 3-year-old child or a 96-year-old man. Looking to a role model almost
plans your life for you, which is quite boring, I think. I design what I want to be
and which roads I travel. The one less travelled is where I’m heading.

How do you use the internet to improve your work?
I make use of the internet when keeping up-to-date with the latest events so that
when I write a pitch, it remains relevant to what’s out there.

What do you like and don’t like about industry blogs like
travelwires.com?
Directories that catalogue the burgeoning business blogosphere are almost
always a good thing; however, some are quite useless in terms of accessing
them. You get different content from various blogs, which is great, but filtering
through all the information out there is a nightmare.

Travelwires is efficient in the sense that you get all the vital information
accurately pre-packaged—which is what you need when you don’t really have
the time to check various sites.

9

Cape Town
Tourism
Answers 10 PR
Industry
Questions

N icole Moody is the PR and Communications Manager at Cape Town
Tourism.

What is your organization’s Facebook, MySpace and YouTube
page?
Cape Town Tourism has a regularly updated blog at www.capetown.travel/blog
where we have our Flickr “Pic of the Day”, World Cup 2010 Updates and
Specials running for our Winter Campaign. We also have a Facebook group
called “I love Cape Town Tourism” found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?
gid=19048492660

How important is the media to your daily duties?
Engagement with the media is an integral part of my everyday activities.

10

Nicole Moody

Are you affiliated with any PR professional body ?
No.

Say Travelwires.com introduces a virtual press office ...would your
organization use such a facility?
Most definitely.

Why are PR practitioners referred to as spin doctors?
The PR practitioner’s function revolves around the creation of good news stories,
and this often involves flipping a negative opinion or comment by finding and
highlighting the positive. It’s all about finding the positive "spin" to any story.

What involvement do you have with your organization’s website ?
I, along with other Cape Town Tourism team members, love sending posts to the
blog and then commenting on the variety of stories and articles on the blog. I am
looking forward to the next phase of our website when we will load a full directory
of visitor attractions and general enquiry listings onto the website. We will also
look to strengthen our e-marketing strategy by developing tactical strategies for
search, conversion and web analytics. In this way, we can offer a complete CRM
service by staying in contact with our locals and visitors, and engaging others
with relevant and interesting communications.

What do you know about www.wiwih.com and
www.travelblogexchange.com?
Though I have not used the sites as extensively as I wish to, I commend
websites that look to developing web platforms that support communication

11

Cape Town Tourism

within the tourism and travel industry. Social networks, along with social media,
have become the new word of mouth and the most trusted form of marketing in
this Digital Age. At Cape Town Tourism we have embraced the shift to online
travel communities and have incorporated these features into our website and
integrally in upcoming websites. An example of this are the Fan groups and
Pages on our soon-to-be-launched World Cup Website found at
www.capetown.travel/2010. Subscribe and take a look for yourself.

Do you use www.prweb.com or www.mediaweb.co.za?
Not currently, but we are in the process of researching valuable PR sites to utilize
and will certainly be looking into these.

Skype or Twitter for you and why?
Cape Town Tourism knows that the strength of any technology is utilizing it for its
core strength. With that in mind, we use both Skype and Twitter. Skype is used
as a contact centre tool to answer Cape Town-related questions. Our username
is “capetown.ctt”. Skype is also used as an internal communication tool; at Cape
Town Tourism we have 18 Visitor Information Centres across the metropole, and
Skype is an easy way to send short messages between staff. We have been
using Twitter as a marketing tool for the last few months and try to tweet updates
specific to this new niche market. Follow us at
http://twitter.com/CapeTownTourism

What are your top three daily industry newsletters in your inbox ?
Travelwires; eTurboNews; Southafrica.info

12

SouthAfrica.to
Tapping into
Internet
Income

A ffiliate marketing is the selling of third party products and services for
a commission online. Locally NetFlorist allows web publishers to add
affiliate links on their websites; whenever a purchase is generated
through an affiliate website, that website owner gets a commission on that
transaction.

Affiliate marketing is a huge business internationally, especially with bloggers
who earn a decent living from selling products and services from third parties.
Professional bloggers like John Chow earn around $40,000 per month from
running a self-branded blog www.johnchow.com, which is big on affiliate
marketing.

I’m also involved with affiliate marketing through www.accommodate.co.za where
I sell lodging, air tickets and car rentals for a commission. The beauty about it all
is that everything on the website is automated; my only role is promoting the
portal and getting paid for bookings it generates.

South African companies are still way behind in terms of offering affiliate
marketing opportunities for web publishers to contribute to the bottom line by
driving new clients in to purchase their products and services. Today I’m chatting
with Robert Baker, a local entrepreneur engaged in affiliate marketing within the

13

SouthAfrica.to

tourism industry through www.southafrica.to, and he explains his business
model….

Tell us about yourself...when were you born, and where are you
based?
SouthAfrica.TO is an online business, so it’s not as important where we are
based; we could manage the core of our business from anywhere in South
Africa. Whilst our offices are in Cape Town, we spend a lot of time travelling to
review hotels, game lodges, car rentals, and airlines to get a personal feel for the
places our clients are visiting.

What is your business all about, and what inspired it?
SouthAfrica.TO was born out of our love for travel, our computer abilities and the
fact that we are suckers for a good deal (and like sharing it with others). In fact,
when the website was set up in 2006, there was no commercial intent and no
planning. For example, the publication of our “Kruger Park photos” was about
sharing those clicks with a wider audience. As interest in our website grew, we
started to see the commercial potential. In 2007 we linked up with TrafficSynergy
and started marketing flights through TravelStart, and there’s been no looking
back since then. To this day we get most of our bookings through TravelStart.

How many people do you employ?
There are 3 of us involved in the business on a regular basis.

14

Robert Baker

How many domains do you own?
We own a ton of domains, but most of them are dormant. The most important of
the travel sites are www.southafrica.to and www.mrcheapflights.com.

Which other sectors of the tourism industry do you feel could do
better with booking engines?
Did you know that not a single South African airline has a standard affiliate
marketing agreement? South Africa’s airlines are way behind international
competitors like Emirates, KLM, BA, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and Virgin. I also
think there’s a gap in the car rental market for a TravelStart-like competitor to
enter the fray.

Given an opportunity to start all over again, what would you do
differently in launching your business and why?
I quite like the way SouthAfrica.TO came into being. A labour of love isn’t labour.

What do you like and dislike about your industry?
Travel is one of the most enjoyable things in life, and it’s a pleasure to be
involved in the industry doing something I love. I would love it if the various
domestic airlines would see the benefits to them in opening up affiliate marketing
arrangements.

How do you unwind after a busy day in the office?
I unwind by doing my job! I love the game. But I enjoy spending time with my
family.

15

SouthAfrica.to

Is your family involved in the business?
Yes, my family helps out.

Do you use www.wiwih.com?
First I’ve heard of it.

What are your short and long-term business plans?
Short-term plans are to keep on developing the South African travel business,
and provide more reviews of hotels, game lodges, car rentals and flights. In the
longer run I’d like to further develop the www.mrcheapflights.com business.

Is your business affected by the current economic climate ?
We haven’t been immune to the economic climate, however we are lucky to have
this plethora of events (like the Fifa World Cup, Confederations Cup, IPL cricket,
Trinations, British & Irish Lions rugby) taking place in South Africa, which
together with a weak rand has partially shielded us from the economic downturn.

You’re quite active with comments on www.travelwires .com ; does it
work in getting your website traffic?
I just had a look at the stats—I’m afraid to say only 5 people visited
www.southafrica.to over the last month via travelwires…however, it’s not all
about generating traffic for me—I just love taking part in the travel debate. Muzi,
may I take this opportunity to thank you for setting up travelwires—a great site for
us involved in the industry to debate issues and keep up with the news.

16

“MATCH is Very
Hard Up” —
Christiane von
Ulmenstein

C hristiane von Ulmenstein, owner of Whale Cottage-branded portfolio of
guest houses, is known to be politically incorrect about Match
Hospitality on their policy when enlisting lodging facilities, and as a
result resolved not to add her properties with the agency. Today we find out how
she launched her unique brand of guest houses….

When were you born, and where are you based?
I was born in Germany in 1952, and immigrated to Cape Town with my parents
three months later. My first year was spent living in the Winchester Mansions in
Sea Point. I now live in Fresnaye, just above Sea Point.

17

Whale Cottage

Can you educate us about Whale Cottage Portfolio? What exactly
inspired the businesses?
We started the first Whale Cottage in Hermanus in 1996, just as B&B’s were
starting to be established. I had a holiday house in the area and felt obliged to
visit it every weekend, as I had a bond on it. I thought that it would make far more
sense if I had a guest house in Hermanus, as I could then choose when I wanted
to stay, and the guests would effectively pay the bond. The name came from
Hermanus' offering the best land-based whale watching in the world, and our first
building being a Victorian cottage. The guest house was so successful that we
opened a Whale Cottage in Camps Bay two years later, followed by Whale
Cottage Bakoven in 2000, Whale Cottage Franschhoek in 2004 and Whale
Cottage Plettenberg Bay in 2007. In this way, a unique Whale Cottage-branded
portfolio of guest houses was established, unique for our small accommodation
industry, which is characterized by large numbers of establishments poorly
differentiated from each other. What started as a sideline business became a full-
time occupation.

What were you doing before launching your business , and when was
it launched?
I started my career as a futures researcher at the University of Stellenbosch after
completing my B.Comm (Hons), and in 1976 we were forecasting what the year
2000 would look like. From there I moved to UNISA’s Bureau of Market
Research, and then moved to the “real world” of advertising, as Market Research
Manager of J.Walter Thompson and Young & Rubicam. I did my MBA at Wits
Business School at that time, and was lucky enough to be seconded to M-Net to
do the feasibility study of the brand new TV pay station alongside Koos Bekker. I

18

Christiane von Ulmenstein

became a lecturer in Marketing at Wits Business School and established
Relationship Marketing as a research consultancy alongside this, with M-Net as
my major client. In a mad moment, I decided to move to Cape Town in 1990, and
had to start my career from scratch, teaching Marketing at different advertising
and marketing schools, and finding new research clients in Cape Town. I slowly
moved into Public Relations, taking on the PR for Hunt Lascaris Cape Town, and
then for its client Baker Street Snacks. We did great work with the client and
soon were appointed by a number of leading food companies. I love writing, and
this is now evident in my blogging activity.

How much was invested in launching your business, and how was
that capital financed?
The money I needed was for a bond for the new house in Hermanus, and I had
to sell the holiday house. The hardest part was raising a 100% bond. I will never
forget the bank telling me that restaurants and guest houses are high risk, and
that they only offer a maximum of 50% bonds. I wanted double that. I did a
business plan, and ABSA came to the party to approve the bond. The biggest
cost in setting up a guest house after purchasing it is to renovate it and add
bathrooms en suite. I had enough cash to buy the furniture and fittings. All my
bonds since then have been 100% ones, and all are with Nedbank now, who
have seen us perform over 13 years without ever defaulting on a payment. It was
nail biting at times during the very quiet winter months, but we put money away in
the good summer months, knowing that winter was coming.

19

Whale Cottage

What planning did you engage in before launching ?
I would have just jumped in without planning if I did not have to do the business
plan for the bank. It gave me a guideline, but I was green at the business, and I
learned as I went along. What was great was the camaraderie in our industry—I
started a guest house association in Camps Bay ten years ago, and we still
actively help each other with referrals and advice.

Are there any major challenges that you had to overcome in
launching your business?
The hardest challenge was being taken seriously by the banks to obtain the
100% finance. I feel that sexism still abounds in banking, and that a female
business owner is still not taken seriously. I had a great bank manager until a
year ago, and she made the last two Whale Cottage bond applications very easy.
Lack of knowledge and experience 13 years ago was probably the other
challenge.

Why are the properties concentrated in the Western Cape ?
I am proudly Western Cape and live in the province as well. I chose the locations
in areas that I enjoy staying at, and they happened to be on the itinerary of our
tourists: Camps Bay, Hermanus, Franschhoek, and Plettenberg Bay on the
Garden Route.

Do you use booking engines for your properties?
No.

20


You’re an active blogger. Does this help your business in generating
bookings?
I have grown to love blogging, and write a post a day. It is an addictive activity
and feeds my love for writing. It also makes it easier for me to prepare my
monthly newsletter. It is hard to judge if it has affected bookings. We can see far
greater traffic attracted to our website, and it is growing every month. I rarely blog
about Whale Cottage. We get very high search engine rankings for the blog
posts, usually in the top 10!

What are your short and long-term business goals?
In the short term, the goal is financial survival. The winter months are hard for us,
and new bookings are coming in more slowly than usual, affecting our cashflow.
Long-term it is to continue building a successful company with satisfied guests
and stable staff, and to stay ahead of marketing via new social media that arrive
swiftly and require that one knows how they work.

Do you use www.wiwih.com and www.travelblogexchange.com?
We do not.

Which industry events do you exhibit your business at ?
We used to share a stand at Indaba, but found it had no effect on our business. It
is expensive to travel to Durban to meet up with Capetonians in our industry! I
also do not go to World Travel Market and ITB anymore.

21

Whale Cottage

Which sector of the South African tourism industry do you feel still
presents untapped business opportunities?
I am not sure there is such a sector. Our tourism industry is overtraded, and
every businessperson from other fields is entering tourism, thinking it to be an
easy way to make money. They soon find out that it is not so!

Name three international industry blogs that you read daily ?
I don’t! I am proudly South African and read Travelwires and Travel Hub.

Are your properties registered with Match Hospitality for 2010 and
why?
NO! My views on MATCH are well-documented. MATCH was far too greedy
initially, wanting our industry to set 2010 rates at the 2007 level + 16% minus
30% commission to MATCH. The mathematics just did not work in our favour.

Also, 80% of our rooms had to be allocated to MATCH. The German 2006 World
Cup experience was that large numbers of rooms were cancelled by MATCH in
the last minute, and the accommodation establishments had little cancellation
protection. MATCH is very hard up and has become extremely flexible in its
rates, room numbers accepted and its cancellation terms to attract more rooms.
We believe that we can fill our rooms ourselves in Camps Bay.

What role does a provincial tourism authority play in your business ?
To be honest, our experience is none at all! Events attract important tourism
business, and we do benefit from these. A body like Cape Town Routes
Unlimited rides event organizers’ events, but does not organize any themselves.
It would make no difference to our business if there was no CTRU.

22


What does responsible tourism mean for your business , and do you
subscribe to it in your operations?
It means that we need to be aware of the impact our operation makes on the
environment. It is hard to balance the green needs with those of our guests. We
switch off aircons left on by our guests to cool/heat their rooms while they are
out. We use energy-efficient bulbs in our lamps; we have planted indigenous
plants and replaced lawns with pebbles; we encourage our guests to reduce their
water usage and to not expect daily towel and bedding changes; we use timers
to switch on/off heated towel rails and outside lighting; we willingly take on
trainees to provide new input to the workforce of our industry; we donate what we
can to hospice; we promote our staff and give them the opportunity to grow
beyond their initial appointment as housekeepers; we get involved in community
initiatives such as the Camps Bay Neighbourhood Watch, and I chair the Camps
Bay Accommodation Association; we actively network with fellow guesthouse
owners, and pass on all overflow we cannot accommodate to our colleagues; I
write for The Franschhoek Month newspaper on a voluntary unpaid basis; and
the WhaleTales newsletter is shared with 20,000 past guests and industry
colleagues.

What does the internet mean for your business?
It means everything! I am on the computer 16 hours a day, replying to enquiries
continuously. It is also the major source of information for my newsletters and
blog posts. More than 90% of our business is generated via the internet. We are
trying to master new developments—blogging and twittering were foreign
concepts to us just a few months ago. Now they are vital communication tools.

23

Whale Cottage

Has any of your properties ever fallen victim to the cheque and
credit card fraudsters?
We are very cautious about becoming subject to credit card fraud—we do not
accept cheques. We know the credit card rules, and sometimes our staff does
not understand why we are so pedantic about getting the credit card slips signed
and an imprint made of the credit card. It is a pity that a few dishonest guests
spoil it for others when we implement tighter payment procedures to protect us
against credit card chargebacks.

Visit her website on www.whalecottage.com.

24

Lake Pleasant
Living B&B
Answers
Questions on
Responsible
Tourism

T his interview on responsible tourism spotlights Lake Pleasant Living
B&B. Roy Stedman is the general manager with Lake Pleasant Living,
and takes time to answer questions about their operations.

What happens to food leftovers from guests and the kitchen ?
Whatever is not re-usable is collected by a local pig farmer.

What recycling method is employed for your guest rooms' water
system?
This water is utilized for the water borne sewerage reticulation.

What is the lifespan of guest room linen?
Between 12 to 18 months.

25

Lake Pleasant Living B&B

How is the property empowering the local community?
Through employment, be it direct or indirect.

How do you ensure electricity in guest rooms is conserved?
Lights, geysers, and air conditioning are switched off when not in use. We also
regulate thermostats depending on the season.

What happens to old guest room linen and furniture ?
This is first offered to our workforce from the community before deciding on what
local charity to pass it on to.

What goods and services are purchased from local suppliers ?
Our local supply pool is very limited, but when we can we support them. At
present most of our food lines and outsourced companies are local.

How are staff members empowered within their career ?
Through a training program.

What power backup methods are used during electricity blackouts ?
We have a standby generator.

Why are guests offered bottled water?
Currently bottled water is only available through the Bistro.

26

TheBestofZambia.com

Selling
Zambian
Tourism Online

T hrough the power of Twitter, I’ve been able to monitor Sara Brown's
retweet stories about Zambia that I publish on the blog. This in turn led
me to follow her and visit her website to figure out what it’s all about.
Though currently based in the UK, she is actively involved with
TheBestofZambia.com, which promotes tourism in Zambia.

based?
I was born in Monze, a little town in Zambia, in 1981 to Zambian dad (Joseph
Brown) and English mum (Julia Brown). I lived on a farm in Chilanga, just outside
Lusaka until I was 5 then moved to Luansobe Farming Block (in the middle of
nowhere between Ndola, Luanshya and Kapiri Mposhi) in 1986. I was home
schooled for primary school, then went to Chengelo Secondary School. I moved
to the UK in 1999 and achieved a 1st class degree in Graphic Communication

27

TheBestOfZambia.com

and Illustration from the University of Wolverhampton in 2005. Currently, I am
based in the UK, although I have just returned from a 6 week trip to Zambia.
(Concerning my four business partners, Jessica and Lily are based in Zambia,
Joseph has been in Zambia since January and Julia is about to return for another
2 months!).

The Best of Zambia is an initiative run by Papayi Graphic and Web Designing
Ltd. in Zambia, which is owned and run by our family—Joseph Brown (Dad),
Julia (Mum), Jessica (sister), Lily (cousin) and myself.

The idea for www.thebestofzambia.com was born out of a conversation between
Joseph, Jessica and cousin Lily when my dad returned to Zambia for a personal
visit. Development of the concept started in March 2008. During 2008, Julia, Joe
and myself turned it into a working business model, designed the website and did
the copywriting. In September 2008, we conducted market research. All this took
place as we continued providing graphic and web design solutions to our UK
clients. The Best of Zambia was inspired by being proudly Zambian, knowing
what Zambia could offer if only it could communicate effectively, and knowing
that we have the skills to make this happen.

The Best of Zambia is about connecting individuals, businesses and other
organizations with the services they are looking for via the web. Our initial launch
focuses specifically on the tourism industry, so its aim is to connect Zambian-
based service providers in the tourism industry (accommodation providers, travel
agents, restaurants, transport providers, etc.) with potential visitors to Zambia.
Zambia has a lot to offer potential visitors who want a destination that is still

28

Sara Brown

relatively untouched and yet has a vast amount to enjoy—like Victoria Falls,
safaris with rich animal populations, and a great cultural experience. 85% of
people use the web exclusively or in conjunction with offline resources to
schedule such things as hotel reservations, but very little of what Zambia has to
offer is actually online.

it launched?
After graduating in 2005, I worked for two companies as a Graphic Designer, in
marketing and magazine design respectively. I went freelance in 2007, offering
design-led communications solutions to start-up and small businesses. I went
into a business partnership with Joseph and Julia Brown and incorporated the
business as Sarabrown Ltd. in late 2008.

www.thebestofzambia.com launched officially in January 2009 when we set up
an office in Zambia. We began introducing the idea to Zambian service providers
to get more subscribers to our site. We also began to build awareness of the site
online, promoting it with search engines and link building through online social
networking tools.

How did you know there is a market for your business?
Online research revealed that there was not a lot of information about Zambia
online. What there was lacked quality. From personal experience, we knew that
what Zambia had to offer travellers was far more than was being presented
online. E.g. TripAdvisor.com—the largest travel community on the web, with 30
million unique visitors per minute—only lists a handful of places to stay in
Zambia, and just 3 activities around Victoria Falls. Travelocity.com—the world’s

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TheBestOfZambia.com

largest online travel company, with 21 million registered members—Zambia is
not even listed as a possible destination. Expedia.co.uk—lists 80,000 properties
worldwide; just 15 of them are in Zambia (less than 0.02%), and Zambia is not
listed as a holiday package destination.

The market research trip in September 2008 identified that Zambian service
providers were recognising they needed to market themselves online. It also
revealed that there was not really any serious competition "in the field" as yet.

The facts and figures also backed our idea. A massive 43% of online purchases
are travel. Travel remains the #1 online retail category. Travel will grow to $119
billion by 2010. The luxury holiday market continues to perform well—82% of
"GenY" adventure travellers put destination before budget. “If you’re out to
experience the ‘real’ Africa, Zambia is that diamond in the rough.” —The Lonely
Planet Website. “The Victoria Falls are among the most spectacular waterfalls in
the world.” —UNESCO.org (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural)

Putting all this together, we realised that the challenge was not the product
(Zambia and what it had to offer). The challenge was communicating Zambia to
the world. We saw this challenge as an opportunity.

What is your opinion of booking engines in your business model?

One of our key selling points is that we are commission free. Our model is simply
to be a connector—putting the right information about Zambia into the hands of
people searching for adventure travel experiences in countries that offer ‘the road
less travelled’. To achieve this, we have an enquiry form for each of our clients'

30

Sara Brown

web pages on our site. We forward enquiries on to our clients for them to
respond to. And we track the business we give our clients.

Our income currently comes from Zambian service providers who pay a yearly
subscription fee to be on our site. We are also now developing sales from
advertising. Currently booking systems do not fit into our model. This could
possibly change in the future.

We did a lot of online research into what was online, assessing any direct
competition and other similar sites developed for other destinations.

We took advice from business advisors in the UK, who helped us formulate a
business plan, marketing plan and the market research trip.

Joseph went to Zambia in September/October 2008 to test out the concept on a
well thought out market research trip.

Currently just one employee in Zambia—Kudata, a wonderful administrator who
was a great find and who plays a huge part in our business.

We are currently recruiting quality sales people in Zambia.

Besides www.thebestofzambia.com, do you own any other domain(s)?
Yes! www.sarabrown.co.uk, our graphic and web design company. We have 2
other online business sites under development. We also own 9 domain names
for other African countries.

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TheBestOfZambia.com

Are tourism operators in Zambia welcoming to the idea of selling
online?
Generally when we explain the concept of www.thebestofzambia.com, the
reception is welcomed by 95% of tourism operators. Others find the concept very
new and take time to understand the benefits. There are always a small
percentage of people who say they don’t need it as they have functioned fine
without it—we believe that many of them will come on board eventually.

Originally we hoped to sell our yearly subscriptions online. Although we have that
facility, there is definitely resistance in Zambia to paying online. Many businesses
there do not have the right card for online payments. Those that do are
suspicious of paying online. Generally the sales process takes longer than we
thought originally, partly due to cultural factors—people expect a personal
meeting initially; they don’t expect to have to pay immediately, etc.

We would not do much differently except possibly continue to remain focused on
our other design business. It takes time to build a business, especially in Zambia,
which has a slower pace, and especially when the team needs to be split over
two continents.

What do you like and dislike about the tourism industry?
I like the fact that I’m involved in something I love—travel. I like the fact that
potentially we are helping to make a positive shift in the way that tourism is
developed in Zambia. I like the fact that the tourism industry, particularly in Africa,

32

Sara Brown

is a growth industry and therefore constantly offering new marketing
opportunities.

I don’t like the fact that we have to educate everyone about our online marketing
opportunity (even people who should know better). Although this could be seen
as a positive because we are playing such a crucial role! Although it’s nice that
people want to meet you, it would be more cost effective for everyone if tourism
operators would be willing to do business over the phone and via the web and
email! But there is an element of distrust, and people want to see you and
assess you before they will do business with you. But this makes our job that
much more challenging because Zambia is a very big country!

How do you unwind after a busy day in the office?
When you are setting up a business, taking time off can be challenging! But we
believe in what we do and that there will be a pay off when we can all relax a
little.

However, in answer to your question, I can only speak for myself. I love to spend
time outdoors, reading and spending time with family round a table packed with
great food (except we often talk about our business plans)! I also enjoy travelling,
even if it’s just a weekend away.

How do you market your portal?
We have seized opportunities to partner with tourism agents in Zambia and are
very pleased to be involved in the first Zambia Tourism Awards. The awards
website is hosted on the Best of Zambia website. Those wanting to find out more
go through our home page, raising our profile in Zambia. We are benefitting from

33

TheBestOfZambia.com

working closely with the Tourism Council of Zambia and the World Bank on these
awards. This gives us credibility with Zambian tourism operators. We are also
benefitting from the media coverage surrounding the Awards event.

We market online through Twitter, blogs and writing E-zine articles (I have expert
author status with E-zine). Twitter in particular has helped us develop key
relationships.

We haven’t so far used more traditional forms of advertising like specific
magazines in Zambia and in particular respected travel magazines. We may do
so in the future.

Short term: To grow our customer profile in Zambia—both Best of Zambia clients
and design clients.

Long term: To raise awareness of Zambia to an international audience and
expand the website. To expand into other African markets.

Our paying clients are Zambian service providers. We offer a very cost effective
service, and most recognise that during tough times it’s even more important to
market your product well. Although in general less people are travelling,
Zambia’s niche markets, the adventure travel and luxury sectors, are less
affected by the economic crisis.

34

Sara Brown

In your opinion, which sectors of the tourism industry in Zambia still
provide untapped business opportunities ?
Responsible tourism—sustainable tourism, eco-tourism and community-based
tourism.

Several geographical areas of Zambia are largely inaccessible to visitors and yet
have huge tourist potential due to the selection of animals and birds there (Liuwa
Plains, Bangweulu Swamps, etc.).

The "Emerald Season"—in the past, tourist traffic stops at the beginning of the
rains in October/November until April the following year as gravel roads become
impassable and destinations inaccessible. This makes up half the year! But
things are beginning to change—see Dale Morris’ article on a February trip to
Luangwa in the latest Travel Africa magazine—we blogged about it at
http://tinyurl.com/owngla.

Destination management and transportation—especially visa acquisition, flights
and transfers.

35

"80 Percent of
Our Reservations
are Online" –
Chanters Lodge

H ot on the heels of fellow Zambian internet entrepreneur Sara Brown
from TheBestofZambia.com is Richard Chanter, the owner of
Chanters Lodge in Livingstone (Zambia). He shares with us his
journey to launching Chanters Lodge and how other operators within this space
could learn something about keeping an active presence on the internet (it does
not cost a cent, just dedication).

When were you born, and where are you based?
I was born in Tiverton, Devon, UK, and I am based in Livingstone, Zambia.

Can you educate my readers about Chanters Lodge ? What exactly
inspired the business?
The obvious need in Livingstone in 1997 for a good restaurant—the rooms were
an afterthought!

36

Richard Chanter

it launched?
From 1979 to1992 I was GM of what is now Southern Sun Ridgeway in Lusaka.
From 1992 to 1995 I was a transporter and market gardener. From 1995 to 1997
I was in unsuccessful business partnerships in the catering trade in Lusaka. This
business was launched in 1998.

Total invested on launch was US$100,000, but there has been additional
investment of US$200,000 since. The initial capital was a loan followed up by an
investment from a maturing pension fund and from profit.

Probably not enough!

Wow! So many! Development and management in Livingstone in the late 90’s
was a challenge in almost every respect you could think of!

I notice your property has numerous reviews on
www.tripadvisor.com; do you also generate bookings through that
website?
Very many; I also respond to every review.

37

Chanters Lodge

Do you use any booking engines for your property ?
No.

You’re an active blogger. Does this help your business in generating
bookings?
Hard to say; it certainly doesn’t do any harm!

What are your short and long-term business goals?
Short term to finish the ongoing construction of two additional rooms and to
maximize revenue in 2010 (World Cup). Long term to be able to semi-retire in
2012 with a good self-fulfilling management structure in place.

What is your opinion of country-focused portals like
TheBestofZambia.com?
Awesome.

Which industry events do you exhibit your business at ?
None so far.

Which sector of the Zambian tourism industry do you feel still
presents untapped business opportunities?
Development of infrastructure generally and specifically in Kafue National Park
and on Lake Tanganyika.

What are your three preferred industry blogs that you read daily ?
Hotel Blogs and Best of Zambia (I write more than I read), also Hotel Interactive.

38

Richard Chanter

Is the tourism industry in Zambia involved with the forthcoming 2010
Soccer World Cup?
It needs to be!

Is your occupancy rate affected by the current economic climate ?
So far not really.

What does responsible tourism mean for your business , and do you
subscribe to it in your operations?
It means care of the environment, training and development of Zambian
personnel, maintenance of our assets and first class public relations, and yes, we
try to!

What does the internet mean for your business?
80% of our reservations and almost 100% of the feedback are generated online.
It also brings Facebook, Twitter and TripAdvisor. Everything?

Has your property ever fallen victim to the cheque and credit card
fraudsters?
No.

39

Meet Kate
Braun, the
Brains behind
VisitSwazi.com

I ’ve been monitoring www.visitswazi.com since my early days of being
exposed to the internet, which happened in the year 2000. Being born in
Swaziland myself, I’m always attracted to business initiatives taking place in
my country of birth. Thanks to who.is, I was able to discover that Kate Braun is
the owner of the domain, as I’ve struggled before in figuring out who owns this
portal since it doesn’t have an About Us page.

May I also declare that I’m currently busy with plans to launch a project similar
(not identical) to this portal focused on Swaziland, which means in the future I’ll
be a direct competitor to Kate.

based?
I was born in Swaziland and have been based here most of my life. My training
was in Applied Biology, and I was employed as Ecologist by the Swaziland

40

Kate Braun

National Trust Commission for nine years, before changing to working with
websites.

The work that I do is very broad, including web design, databases, and related
work as well as some consultancy work related to conservation.

it launched?
My training was in Applied Biology, and I was employed as Ecologist by the
Swaziland National Trust Commission for nine years, before changing to working
with websites in the 1990’s.

In the late 1990’s I set up visitswazi.com to provide affordable hosting for
websites for people providing accommodation in Swaziland, the cost of the
hosting being shared between the clients.

At that time, relatively few companies in Swaziland had a web presence, and
visitswazi.com provided an opportunity for people to have a small website at low
cost, thereby not having to justify a large budget for the new approach in
marketing.

What is your opinion of booking engines in your business model?
Visitswazi.com does not use booking engines. One of the problems with this
approach, in the context of Swaziland, is that it requires clients to have a reliable

41

VisitSwazi.com

internet connection and to check it frequently. It is often easier to manage
bookings locally and merely receive booking requests via the website.

The planning required for this website was small, merely involving discussing the
concept with the initial five businesses that were included.

None.

Besides www.visitswazi.com, do you own any other domain(s)?
www.kbraunweb.com

Are tourism operators in Swaziland welcoming to the idea to selling
online?
At this point in time, most tourism operators in Swaziland are very keen on the
idea of having a web presence.

If I had the opportunity to start all over again, I think I would proceed in the same
way, as it has been successful.

How do you market your portal?
The initial marketing of visitswazi.com was through vigourous search engine
promotion efforts as well as contacting related websites for exchange of links.

42

Kate Braun

My plans are to continue as an independent operator.

At this stage, I haven’t experienced any major impact due to the current
economic climate, but I would expect that it will be affected over the next year or
two.

In your opinion, which sectors of the tourism industry in Swaziland
still provide untapped business opportunities ?
My involvement with the tourism industry is relatively peripheral, forming only one
component of the work I do.

43

Peech Hotel
Founder
Answers 10
Random
Questions

I n this interview, the spotlight is on hotel general managers. Taking centre
stage today by answering 10 random industry questions is James Peech,
owner of Johannesburg-based boutique hotel The Peech Hotel.

It’s worth mentioning that James takes booking engines very seriously for his
hotel; on searching “The Peech Hotel” on Google, the results included the hotel
links on SA-Venues.com, SafariNow.com, Booking.com and an OTA
Go2Africa.com. .

Can you introduce yourself to the readers?
James Peech—founder of The Peech Hotel.

Before your current position, what were you doing ?
Director. I worked in advertising in London before moving to South Africa and
starting the hotel in 2004.

44

James Peech

What is your educational background?
I have a Masters degree from Edinburgh University.

Please tell us about Peech Hotel and your future goals .
Our goal is to open another Peech Hotel in the next year.

What three blogs do you read daily to stay abreast of the industry ?
I am embarrassed to say I don’t read much beyond hotelchatter.com!

Say an unhappy guest published a negative review on Twitter about
your hotel...how would you handle the damage control?
By replying to the guest honestly and openly.

Social media is the current buzz word. Is your hotel active in that
space?
Yes, on Twitter and Facebook.

Is your hotel listed with any booking engine?
Yes. All the major ones. They generate a significant portion of our bookings for
us.

Do you share notes with your peers in competing hotels ?
Yes. We have relationships with other boutique hotels in Johannesburg and often
share information and advice.

45

The Peech Hotel

Say Travelwires.com arranged a Travel Distribution Summit ...would
your hotel be open to offering venue?
It would. I think the industry could do a lot more to share information and
resources.

46

Interview:
Christian
Grosch, Airboat
Afrika Founder

C hristian Grosch is the founder of Airboat Afrika, a company that offers
airboats for a variety of uses including tourism, fishing, law
enforcement, and more.

based?
Born in January 1966 in Stuttgart, Germany. A few continents and air miles later,
I found a new home in cozy Jozi, since ‘97.

The Airboat Afrika Company promotes airboats for all kinds of applications. This
includes tourism, conservation, search and rescue, fishing, law enforcement,
transport and geometric work. Airboats are air-propelled, all terrain vehicles that
do not need roads, and hardly any water, either. They are quite happy without
any surrounding infrastructure, launch straight off a trailer, and will go pretty

47

Airboat Afrika

much anywhere, fast if needed. Airboats are a much, much cheaper alternative
to helicopters for operations in difficult conditions. Airboats allow access to the
inaccessible at the lowest possible environmental impact. And they’re fun, too.
That’s pretty cool.

it launched?
My passion is tourism, and I came from Paris to Johannesburg as Managing
Director of the inbound operator Incentive Touring. I then got railroaded to be
also MD of Shongololo Express, the African rail cruise operator. I started Airboat
Afrika with some training during the 2008 hurricane season in the U.S.

Closing in on the 1 Mio. Rand; ongoing; from private sources.

Ohlala, lots. There’s a bit of clever technology involved, and airboats are
generally unknown in Africa. There are a few old ones around, but well hidden.
Some serious market research established potential for tourism, conservation
and S&R all over southern and eastern Africa. And of course, there’s a private
leisure market, too.

Good men are hard to find…not enough yet.

48

Christian Grosch

Doing different things differently is always a challenge. That’s why I enjoy doing
it.

What price is your entry level airboat?
They’re purpose-built to customer requirements; about the cost of an upmarket
4×4.

Do you have offices outside South Africa?
Not at this time. Wouldn’t mind a spot in the Luangwa Valley or on Lake Malawi,
though.

I recall watching news on TV about the Nigerian Niger Delta rebels
using airboats. Do you supply them?
No.

Short-term I want to wrap up the new ultra-quiet warp drive and have fun with the
new AirScout myself.

Mid-term has us offering multi-day river adventures, like the Zambezi’s Barotse
floodplains and Rufiji’s mangroves to Selous Game Park, to the tourism industry.

Long-term – mmmmhhhhh, make me an offer.

49

Airboat Afrika

It’s really an opportunity: material prices have come down, and people look for
new ideas in an ever tougher competitive environment. We bring a new attraction
to the tourism industry, affordable technology to conservation and S&R, and
open access to new terrain without the need for roads, at minimal ecological
impact. You can build and run a whole lodge without trucks and airplanes—only
airboats.

What have been your business highlight(s) since launching ?
I love it when a plan comes together. Travelling to explore and discover, building
new things, finding new ways, and sharing the whole thing because it’s fun. The
feedback and interest I receive is amazing.

For SA, www.tourismupdate.co.za; for the only country that has paid holidays
guaranteed in the constitution www.travel-one.net; and for the most difficult
tourist to deal with www.lechotouristique.com.

50

Interview with
Andrew
McLachlan
from Rezidor

A ndrew McLachlan is the Vice President of Business Development, Africa
for The Rezidor Hotel Group.

My name is Andrew McLachlan, Vice President Business Development, Africa
and the Indian Ocean Islands, The Rezidor Hotel Group. I am based at Rezidor’s
Business Development office in Cape Town, South Africa.

I am responsible for further growing the company’s dynamic portfolio of hotels
and brands in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. In 2007 I was appointed
Managing Director of Afrinord Hotel Investments, a 35 million EUR financial Joint
Venture Agreement the Rezidor Hotel Group formed with four Nordic
Government Investment Funds to expand its presence in Africa.

51

The Rezidor Hotel Group

Before joining Rezidor, I was with Protea Hotels for 15 years, and my last
position was Regional Manager Africa.

Originally a hotelier with an operational background, I worked my way from an in-
house hotel management trainee 18 years ago to Hotel General Manager. This
was followed by a stint in hotel marketing and brand communications and special
projects before the current opportunity arose.

Please tell us about Rezidor Hotel Group and your future goals ?
The Rezidor Hotel Group is one of the fastest growing and most dynamic hotel
companies in the world. We have seen unparalleled growth, taking our
company’s portfolio from 29 hotels in 1994 to today boasting more than 380
hotels open or under development in 59 countries in EMEA (Europe, the Middle
East and Africa), operating more than 80,000 rooms and with over 30,000 brand
staff caring.

Rezidor offers a portfolio of great brands from high class comfort to high class
luxury. With five unique brands to choose from, each with its own distinct
character and style, Rezidor is in a class of its. Our five distinct brands are
Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts, Park Inn, Hotel Missoni, Regent Hotels, and
Country Inn & Suites.

Building on the success of Rezidor in Europe, Russia, CIS Countries and the
Middle East, Rezidor has turned its focus on Africa with an attention to both
business and leisure destinations. I opened the Africa Business Development

52

Andrew McLachlan

Office two and a half years ago from Cape Town, responsible for the groups’
growth on the African Continent and Indian Ocean Islands.

Our vision is to become the leading hospitality management company in EMEA
and to be recognized for our innovative, dynamic business culture and our Yes I
Can! service.

Our goal is to bring a strong portfolio of contemporary hospitality products to the
market in the shape of attractive, high-performing hotels, restaurants and bars
that create great value and trust for guests, property owners, shareholders and
other stakeholders.

Our PR agency provides daily online monitoring services. They offer intelligence
on competitors and also the issues affecting industry, and would counsel me on
the most important issues and news as it breaks. I subscribe to the HVS Global
Hospitality Report and HOTELS’ Daily News Service

Again, Marcus Brewster Publicity manages all reputation and crisis
communication activities across communication channels, including social
media. We’ve placed an online crisis communication strategy in place that will
minimize damage to our brands on social media sites like Twitter. If online
monitoring picks up negative reviews, we will immediately contact the guest via
the social media channel they’ve used to obtain further information to undertake
an investigation of the incident. Once we've resolved the problem or issue and

53

The Rezidor Hotel Group

provided a solution, we request that they tweet about the outcome to
counterbalance negative perceptions about our brands in their social
network/followers.

Social media is the current buzz word. Is the Rezidor Hotel Group
active in that space?
Absolutely. Our global PR agencies along with the GMs and sales teams of
hotels use Facebook and Twitter as additional communication channels to
promote our brands. In SA, our PR agency monitors these social media
networks for activity. We also have clips on YouTube from time to time (the
Zurich Grand Opening was online). Our brand Park Inn has a very dynamic
Facebook presence, and we undertake various strategies to harvest members
and ensure regular communication and interaction.

Are the Rezidor Hotel Group properties listed with any booking
engines?
Basically it’s all about reach! We are reaching out and engaging more customers
in more places all the time with our e-commerce initiatives. At Rezidor, we are
constantly looking for ways to create a deeper and more lasting connection with
our customers—a connection that gives our global message at a local level.

Through our partnerships with worldwide leaders in travel services, various brand
websites and websites owned by our distribution partners, Hotel Reservation
Services, our Central Reservation System Curtis-C, and other affiliate marketing
including Carlson’s network, we are able to access a variety of booking systems
and channels to drive revenue to our hotels.

54

Andrew McLachlan

We are on the GDS (Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan), and we are on
branded websites Expedia, Hotels.com, pay per click partners Travelocity and
Lastminute, affiliate partners, HRS and other web partners.

No—never!

Say Travelwires.com arranged a Travel Distribution Summit ...would
your hotel find value in such an event?
We would certainly look at the opportunity seriously.

55

Interview: Roy
Davies, General
Manager,
Vineyard Hotel
and Spa

R oy Davies is the General Manager for the Vineyard Hotel and Spa.
Here he shares what makes the Vineyard Hotel and Spa such a
memorable place to stay, as well as his future goals for this hotel.

I am Roy Davies. I have worked in a few SA hotels, starting at the Mount Nelson
Hotel, a short stint at Sun International, then opening The Bay Hotel in 1989 and
spent nearly 10 years there. I spent 7 years doing the entrepreneurial thing,
having started a software development company with some friends in Cape
Town and expanding that project to the UK and beyond.

I returned to South Africa in 2006 wanting more excitement in my work life and
took up a position at the Vineyard Hotel and Spa as GM. Wow, am I glad to be
back and having a great time. I live locally and am able to walk to work, which
sure beats the commute most folk have.

56

Roy Davies

I worked for a software development company

I have a matric and studied the PDP course at Cornell University in the USA.

Please tell us about the Vineyard Hotel and Spa and your future
goals.
The Vineyard Hotel and Spa is a wonderful hotel of variations, from an
unimposing entrance through the "Old Lady" (the main house of Lady Anne
Barnard) to the gardens with a fantastic panorama of Table Mountain that unfolds
as one emerges from the house. The hotel is fast concluding its construction of
new rooms, and soon we will have 207. The pool area boasts a deck area that is
tranquil and in the summer has a green base, Table Mountain and blue sky for a
view.

There is also an amazingly fitted out gym with the Angsana Spa as a neighbour.
Future goals include getting the new rooms on stream as soon as possible and
growing our wine interest beyond our cellar and vineyard to infect our guests with
the collective passion for wine. We have regular wine events and strive to ensure
that they each have a twist that creates interest for our guests, visitors and local
supporters. This year we’ve included a rugby legends dinner with Schalck
Burger, Jan Boland Coetzee and Hempies Du Toit. We will also be doing a
dinner with David Frost, which is preceded by a putting clinic on the front lawns.

I occasionally read eHotelier News.

57

The Vineyard Hotel and Spa

While I am not on Twitter, if something like that was noted by us, I would try to
establish the incident and identify the guest, and then post our remedial action.
Alternatively if I was unable to identify the guest, I would ask them to make
contact with me at the hotel and try remedying the situation from there.

space?
Facebook, soon Ning.

Is your hotel listed with any booking engines?
Yes, on a number. Gulliver’s, Expedia.com, Booking.com, Transhotel, HRS, Easy
Africa.

We get together once a month to share experiences and exchange ideas. We
also use it to discuss problems and issues common to us and the industry.

Say Travelwires.com arranged a Travel Distribution Summit...would
your hotel be open to offering venue?
Yes.

58

Interview with
Clive
Hubbard,
SABookOnline.com
Founder

C live Hubbard is the founder of the website SABookOnline.com, a site
that helps independent, quality-graded establishments create an online
presence to market their accommodations.

based?
Born in Zimbabwe, spent most of my youth in South Africa, followed by 8 years in
London, and I am now based in Sydney, Australia.

As a South Africa establishment owner with technology capability, I realised the
need in the market for an online offering that concentrated solely on providing
independent, quality-graded establishments with a mechanism to market and
provide accommodation booking services to guests in a cost effective and
independent manner.

59

SABookOnline.com

it launched?
I am an entrepreneur, so I own or owned at the time a number of companies
ranging from software development capability to a coffee bar/restaurant.

Being an establishment owner, I was able to gauge the online market interest
from guests and how other competitors were servicing it for establishments.

A considerable amount of preplanning around cost of marketing versus cost of
developing the systems and infrastructure and assessing this against the time
period we expected to take to become a recognized player in the market place.

How are booking engines impacting your business model?
We are in essence a booking engine, with systems for the establishments to
cover booking and marketing, so the impact in our case is positive.

We have a small physical footprint of between 6-10 staff, depending on seasonal
load in South Africa.

How many portals do you own besides SABookOnline.com?
We also own TravelerBookOnline.

60

Clive Hubbard

How important is search engine optimization to your business?
Moderately, we find that paid keyword advertising is far more important these
days given the changes Google and its competitors have been introducing to
how much free information is shown from search engines on the 1st page of a
result.

I agree with Clive on paid keywords (safe to say, I discovered his website from a
Google advert while searching for something else ).

Which sectors of the tourism industry do you feel still present
untapped business opportunities?
There are always opportunities in the market. I feel the specialist niche market
areas around green, social and adventure still have growth capability.

Do you use social media in your business?
Yes, but it forms a minor part of the business.

In your opinion do tourism blogs add any value to the industry ?
Yes, but only if from credible sources and are also seen to be independent and
moderated.

How can you change a lowly rated domain name into a premium
domain?
I am not sure I understand the question; all I can say is that the online world of
business has very similar dynamics to the growth of traditional business in the
real world, so you have to focus heavily on marketing, customer service and
having a service offering people need to become a premium player.

61

SABookOnline.com

What is your opinion of ETEYA; does the industry benefit from it?
I have not followed it much, so difficult to pass an opinion.

Consolidate our growth in the South African market and continue our organic
growth internationally.

Does your business participate in the Sho’t Left campaign?
No.

How do you keep abreast of industry news on a daily basis ?
A variety of sources in South Africa and from key international locations.

62

Kerry de Bruyn
Photography
Founder Takes
Centre Stage

K erry de Bruyn is a talented photographer and owner of Kerry de Bruyn
Photography, which aims to "make lodges look like how a person feels
when they walk into it after a long flight or drive".

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your tourism business ?
My name is Kerry de Bruyn, and I run a photographic company called Kerry de
Bruyn Photography. I specialise in wildlife, nature and travel photos, including
game lodges, and I also do photographic safaris. My aim is to make lodges look
like how a person feels when they walk into it after a long flight or drive, and I try
to show all the experiences and senses they have to offer. My main business is
being in nature!

63

Kerry de Bruyn Photography

What were you doing before launching your tourism business , and
what inspired it?
I was a copywriter in an advertising agency. The fact that I couldn’t do what I
loved and making people think that they needed something made me leave. I felt
I was being unethical and just wanted to break out of my office cubicle! I hated
feeling trapped. This way I’m doing everything that I love, being outdoors and
being with nature.

I have a degree in communications.

What three industry blogs do you read daily to stay abreast of your
sector?
I subscribe to various travel newsletters which keep me the most abreast of my
sector as they tell me who is refurbishing, who is opening a new place and things
like that. But three other blogs I regularly read are Photojojo, Christine Meintjies
and South African Lodges.

What does a press release mean to your business?
Not really much as I have never done one. I don’t think it is the right thing for my
business. Maybe I should?

Social media is the current buzz word. Is your business active in that
space?
Yes, definitely. I am on Twitter, Facebook and actively write a blog post at least
twice a week. It is one of the main ways to reach my target audience.

64

Kerry de Bruyn

What role does the annual Tourism Indaba play for your tourism
business?
It doesn’t play a huge role for me, as I believe my business reaches audiences
elsewhere. I think this type of thing is better suited to larger companies.

Does your tourism business belong to any professional trade
organization?
No.

What are your short and long term goals for your business ?
Short term goals are to start up a natural portraiture and wedding photography
section. Long term is to go deeper into Africa and photograph some of the most
beautiful and remote lodges in the world as well as wildlife.

What are major challenges that are a stumbling block in growing
your tourism business?
Making sure that the right people see me. It is hard to reach the target audience
that I am trying to reach, as they are so different and dispersed.

What role does your website play in your business, and are you
happy with its current format?
I would say it’s the most important part of my business as it is my portfolio, and I
love its current format.

How do potential guests/clients reach your business?
Through my website www.kerrydebruyn.com and e-mail info@kerrydebruyn.com.

65

Interview
with Bill
Frohlich, GM
at The Grace
in Rosebank

M eet Bill Frohlich, General Manager for The Grace in Rosebank, who
shares why his hotel is often considered "home" by many of its
guests.

Bill Frohlich, General Manager, The Grace in Rosebank.

Always been in the hotel industry.

Matric, Diploma in Hotel Management, Management advancement programme—
Wits Business School

66

Bill Frohlich

Please tell us about The Grace and your future goals.
The Grace in Rosebank is a boutique style hotel with the guest's interests at
heart. We really do like to make guests feel at home, as if they were in their own
environment. Our strength is the way our team interacts with our guests and
hence the numerous return guests who consider The Grace in Rosebank to be
“home”. Our future goals are to maintain our high standards of service provided
to all of our guests and also to ensure that our team are well looked after, as it is
they who will nurture our business.

News 24 blog.

Immediately and personally and make every effort to make up for the area where
we may have let them down.

space?
Not yet.

Is your hotel listed with any booking engine?
Yes.

No, but we meet socially.

67

The Grace in Rosebank

Say Travelwires.com arranged a Travel Distribution Summit . Would
your hotel find value in such an event?
Yes.

68

Interview with
Francois
Botha,
quickOnline
Founder

F rancois Botha is the founder of quickOnline, a digital marketing
company that is making it easier than ever for South African tourism
companies to develop an online presence.

I am the founder and lead at quickOnline (www.quickonline.co.za), the digital
marketing company that makes online simple. I am also a partner in IconVillas
(www.iconvillas.travel), which specialises in private and luxurious vacation
rentals.

what inspired it?
IconVillas was launched by my mother, Therese Botha 10 years ago. I have been
involved since the early days with all things digital and have subsequently
launched quickOnline that focuses purely on the online marketing space for a
range of clients.

69

quickOnline.co.za

I started my career with a qualification in Strategic Marketing Communications
from the AAA School of Advertising.

sector?
MarketingVOX, TechCrunch, Springwise.

Press releases offer an opportunity to create content which can not only be
released to media, but also be distributed for online syndication. This in turn
provides a website with incoming links which can increase traffic organically over
time. When it comes to newsworthy events, like IconVillas which was just
selected by the US Conde Nast Traveller as the only Villa Specialist in South
Africa, this can translate into significant amounts of traffic.

space?
Very much so. I think it’s very important for businesses that want to engage
within this space to approach it one step at a time. This is also the advice we give
to the many other companies who we consult for on how to enter social
marketing.

There are so many possible activities from Facebook Fanpages and integrating
Facebook into your website (comments and fanboxes) via the connect platform,

70

Francois Botha

to producing video for YouTube, to sharing photography on Flickr, to interacting
via Twitter and professional networking on LinkedIn and Xing.

All these take time to evaluate and manage, however; inevitably some would be
more suited to your business than others.

business?
IconVillas attends the Indaba to connect with trade and operators. We do
however also attend larger international shows, including TUR, ILTM, ITB and
WTM.

organization?
Yes, Cape Town Tourism.

From a digital side, we’re continually working at staying at the forefront, and we
believe that portability/workability of data is crucial in order for us to do this. I.e.
recently we could easily feed all our properties in to TripAdvisor for reviews. The
next step would be to roll out our applications on an international level. We’re
already in talks with various travel technology institutions and leaders on how to
do this. Staying at the forefront of all things digital also meant change for us a
couple of years back when we were one of the first to adapt the new .travel
domain, which we now support strongly. We believe that certain industries just
work better when grouped in Top Level Domain groups.

71

quickOnline.co.za

As with any business, it is the economical question—how to satisfy unlimited
opportunities with limited means.

What role does your website play in your business, and are you
We actively work on our website, which we view more as an application. Our
current site offers extensive functionality to home owners and tour operators who
we work with. Our website also provides a lot of tools to us internally to aid us in
our daily running of the business, including our recruitment and contracting
processes.

Our main touchpoint would have to be our website. We work through a lot of
online channels, including PPC, SEO activities, content syndication, reviews via
TripAdvisor, regular email communication, Facebook pages, and many more.

72

Interview with
Brendan Boyle,
Broad Horizons
Hospitality
Solutions
Founder

T he next time you need a new employee to help serve guests at your
South African hotel or game lodge, Broad Horizons Hospitality Solutions
just might become your first and best place to start recruiting. In the
following interview, Brendan Boyle shares with us how this consulting business
came to life.

My name is Brendan Boyle, and I run a hospitality-specific recruitment and
consulting business called Broad Horizons Hospitality Solutions. We deal mostly
with the 4 and 5 star hotel and luxury game lodge market and recruit candidates
on all levels.

73

Broad Horizons Hospitality Solutions

Broad Horizons is affiliated with one of South Africa’s top Field Guide training
providers, which gives future guides a total solution from enrolling and training to
finally being placed in a suitable establishment.

what inspired it?
I was actively involved in the 5 star lodge industry; I started working as a field
guide in 1999 and was later promoted into management. My last position was as
the General Manager for Marataba Safari Company, which is a 5 star Relais and
Chateaux lodge situated in the Marakele National Park.

I studied to be a game ranger/field guide, and the diploma also covered the hotel
management aspect of the industry. I am also a qualified photographer.

sector?
Ehotelier and Travelwires. I try to keep current with both the local and
international market, and find that both sites offer a broad topic of discussion.

A press release is an excellent way of gaining exposure for your business,
especially as new companies do not have a dedicated list of contacts, suppliers
and web traffic. It’s a great way to get your name out there and refresh and jog
people's memories about the service that you offer.

74

Brendan Boyle

space?
Yes, thanks to my brother who is a web guru, I am actively running a group on
Facebook called Broad Horizons Hospitality Solutions, and I am tweeting on
Twitter. We were the first recruitment business to accept applications via
Twitsume.

I think that a lot of businesses don’t realize the importance of web 2.0 and social
networking.

business?
I have not conducted business at Indaba yet, as we recently launched, but I will
definitely be buying a stand at next year's event. As one of the biggest tourism-
related trade shows, I feel that I will get a lot of exposure for my business as well
as the opportunity to meet clients face to face. Being a recruitment business, we
are on a slightly different mission from the rest of the attendees of the event.

organization?
Not at this stage, but as cash flow increases, I would like to become a corporate
member of FGASA (Field Guides Association of South Africa) as well as be
endorsed by Proudly South African.

75

Broad Horizons Hospitality Solutions

My short term goal is to gain market share in the lodge and hotel industry
nationally. I want to expand fairly quickly and build up a dedicated staff
compliment. My long term business goal is to move Broad Horizons into the
international market. I am toying with the idea of creating different tourism
businesses under the Broad Horizons umbrella – one arena that I am looking at
would be to move into specialist guiding trips for the exclusive traveller.

Cash flow is an issue for any start-up, but my biggest challenge is due to limited
resources. I am filling the role of not only a specialist consultant but also a
business owner, accountant, marketing manager, etc. It’s difficult to manage all
the departments and grow the business with limited time in the day, and I find
myself having to work incredibly long hours. Once we are a bit more established
and staff are taken on, this will change dramatically, so there is light at the end of
the tunnel.

What role does your website play in the business, and are you
I think that more and more people use the web to find employment, and a
website is a necessary tool for this. I have kept my website simple and factual,
and I upload new content and RSS feeds on a weekly basis. I have found
through analytics that I get a lot of repeat visits to my site, which is great.

76

Brendan Boyle

I am planning on redeveloping the site over the next 12 months to incorporate a
more interactive element with the website. My ideas are to allow candidates to
upload YouTube interviews, create online profiles of themselves and subscribe to
SMS and email notifications of particular feeds from the site. I would like to offer
my clients a portal for their advertising.

Broad Horizons Hospitality is contactable through the following:

Facebook—Broad Horizons Hospitality

Twitter—bhhospitality

Skype—broad.horizons.hospitality

Through my own website—www.broad-horizons.net

Telephone—021 7050613

Email—admin@broad-horizons.net

77

Interview with
Colin Nyoni,
Nyoni's Kraal
Founder

T he next time you get hungry for great food in Cape Town, South Africa,
consider stopping by Colin Nyoni's award-winning Nyoni's Kraal. In the
following interview, Colin tells us how he became a reknowned
restaurateur.

I am Colin Nyoni, a restaurateur based in the Western Cape, Cape Town’s busy
Long Street to be exact.

I run Nyoni’s Kraal. The restaurant offers seating capacity for 300 guests with two
main restaurant areas, two smoking areas, a kiddie’s corner, entertainment area
as well as a ladies' bar and a shop.

On the lower level, guests will find the shebeen, where they can quench their
thirst with a wide selection of cocktails or the traditional quart. The lower level

78

Colin Nyoni

restaurant is shaped like a traditional kraal with reed ceilings, stunning mosaic
work and wall finishes resembling customary mud huts.

We have won numerous awards, including the 2008 Welcome Award in the
restaurant category and Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year for 2008.

what inspired it?
I dabbled in various industries including fishing, freighting and even mechanics
before getting a job at a butchery in Observatory. This is where I gained my in-
depth knowledge in meat produce and also where the interest in the restaurant
business was sparked...with a grill stand at the butchery.

My hands-on management approach and irrevocable belief in exceptional quality
produce and superb service planted the seed for opening my own restaurant that
pays tribute to South Africa’s unique culinary heritage.

I studied Marketing Management through the IMM, and also studied BProc Law
through Unisa; however I did not finish either of these courses.

sector?
I read a lot of industry newsletters such as Cape Business Newsletter, FEDHASA
Newsletter, Cape Town Tourism Newsletter, South African Tourism Newsletter
and Cape Chamber of Commerce News.

79

Nyoni's Kraal

It means that much needed focus and attention will be drawn to the business,
translating into business opportunities.

space?
Nyoni’s Kraal is currently active on Facebook and has a few video clips on
YouTube.

business?
The Tourism Indaba is attended by the cream of the crop of the tourism industry,
and it is for specifically this reason that it is so imperative that we attend. If one
wants to be a successful tourism business, it is crucial that the Indaba is included
in the annual marketing budget as a “MUST ATTEND EVENT”.

organization?
We are a member of Cape Town Tourism.

My short term goals for the business are to improve on Nyoni’s Kraal
entertainment, food and service, and increase sales.

Part of the long term goals is expanding our marketing and advertising in the
in/out-bound magazines, with select airlines/hotels, and to corporate companies,

80

Travelwires.com Interviews 2009

Travelwires.com Interviews 2009

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Travelwires.com Interviews 2009