The Sweet Service Award goes to low-cost airline Mango, which is the first local airline to pass on fuel savings to its passengers, due to the decrease in the cost of crude oil. Mango announced this week that it was dropping fares by up to 25%, with immediate effect. The tourism industry is more than delighted.
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* SAA is cancelling its Johannesburg – Beijing flights as of April, its acting CEO Nico Bezuidenhout said at a media briefing. Air China will service the route in a code-share agreement with SAA from May. The number of SAA flights to India has been decreased, and may be cut altogether, being another loss-making route. Changes to the USA route may also be made.
* SAA-owned low-cost domestic airline Mango will decrease its fares with immediate effect, by as much as 25%, due to the lower fuel price.
* SA Tourism is targeting India as its largest source market by 2020. Hanneli Slabber, Continue reading →
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* An International Institute for Peace through Tourism World Symposium will be held in Johannesburg from 16 – 19 February, in honour of the late Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. The symposium will ‘honour the legacies of the world’s three champions of peace and non-violence‘…’by building bridges of tourism, friendship and peace‘ between Africa, Asia, and North America in the main.
* The launch of FlySafair next week will have a temporary effect of lowering domestic airline prices. The new airline will offer a base price for the seat plus two pieces of hand luggage at 7 kg, extra charges being levied for meals, checked luggage, and pre-booked seats. The airline says that the fares offered are not just opening specials and are sustainable. Skywise and Fly Blue Crane are also waiting to take off, offering flights between Cape Town and Johannesburg. Mango does not expect a price war to develop after the launch of the new low-cost airlines.
* Tolene van der Merwe has been appointed as SA Tourism Country Manager for the UK, having previously Continue reading →
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* The introduction of low prices by domestic airlines when FlySafair takes off next month will not be permanent, its competitor Mango has stated. Prices of all airlines may be lower for the first few weeks, but these are not sustainable in the long run, the competitor spokespersons have said.
* ‘At the present moment, the clock has not stopped’, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba told a media conference on Friday, meaning that the new Immigration Regulations will be implemented on 1 October. There is no timeframe for the completion of the work of the task team, which will be appointed to evaluate how the regulations can be better implemented. The Minister confirmed on Friday that the Regulations themselves will not change.
* When asked about the sudden resignation of Jan Hutton, Chief Marketing Officer at SA Tourism, Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom said there ‘are many sides of a story’, and said that he did not want to interfere with the SA Tourism’s Board handling of Continue reading →