"Know what your customer knows, Use what your customer uses, Think what your customer thinks"

Newsletter 60  |  September 2006

P.O. Box 13600, NOORDSTAD, 9302          E-mail: info@etniquetravel.co.za
Tel: (051) 406 2500                    Fax: (051) 436 3793

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AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER:  083 461 2561

Technology will continue to have a significant impact on the travel industry. The focus today should not be only on functionality, but rather on how online and fully integrated travel procurement solutions in addition to professional consultancy services help save costs and open a new window of opportunity for the industry towards their client base.

Access to multiple inventory sources is going to determine the future of travel agencies; whether they will still have a role to play, or whether clients would rather move on towards own research and utilizing the diverse world of internet solutions. Anybody can compare different fares on different websites of service providers, but the innovative travel agent can compare different providers’ tariffs on different Global Distribution Systems (GDS).

We, within the SURE GROUP, will have exclusive access to the MATCHMAKER PLUS information and reservations system, which has created a platform for multiple GDS access and access through unique gateways to products and inventory. Matchmaker will also search all sources, including GDS, private fares and low cost carriers for best fares and will introduce a folder system, which will store all bookings and quotes to enable a paperless office environment. Through our own cloned website we will ensure that all on-line bookings, transacted on behalf of clients, will be controlled and routed to our agency, in order to keep proper record of transaction history.

John McEwan, Managing Director of Advantage Travel & Tours in the U.K. said in his address at the recent SURE Congress: “There is no longer space for independent leisure agencies who believe that their business is merely to sell standard packages through standard technology. The new leisure business model in the U.K. has transformed and is designed around offering savvy consumers more choice driven through multi-channel access.”

- Johann Beukes

Few tourists ever think of including universities in their itineraries. But some universities have so many interesting things to see - beautiful campuses, monumental buildings, historic libraries, botanical gardens, etc. - that visits to them could later be regarded as highlights of a tour. I’ve had the opportunity of visiting a large variety of universities in different countries. Some of them left only fleeting impressions, but there are a few that I would strongly recommend to be worth a visit.

I won’t dwell on the obvious ones, such as the University of Heidelberg in Germany, or the University of Oxford in England. These universities are so well-known, or form such an integral part of the city in which they are situated, that visits to them would normally be included in a sight-seeing tour. But I would like to recommend the following four : two mainly because of their breath-taking historic libraries, the other two mainly because of their beautiful park-like campuses.

Ireland: The University of Dublin (Trinity College)

Trinity College is one of Ireland’s leading historical sites, attracting in excess of half a million visitors every year. Founded in 1592, it is the oldest university in Ireland. At present there are over 12 000 students and 1 200 staff members.

The campus is situated in the heart of Dublin, covering some 40 acres of cobbled squares and green spaces, around buildings which represent the accumulated architectural riches of previous centuries. An official guided Walking Tour of the Historic Campus is available, operating on a scheduled-basis daily during May to September, departing from the Front Arch of the University. Outside this time tours are offered on weekends only. Tourists can discover the university’s treasures on their own.

The Book of Kells, containing the four Gospels in Latin, was produced by Celtic monks around AD 800.  This ornately illustrated manuscript, surviving from the medieval period, has been described as the zenith of Western calligraphy and illumination. It is written on vellum, containing whole pages of incredibly intricate and magnificent decorations, with smaller decorations appearing throughout the text. Two volumes can normally be seen, one opened to display a major decorated page, and one to show two pages of the script.

My personal experience at this university is that I was able to find our family’s coat of arms at their Centre for Historical Research, after looking all over the world for it.  I couldn’t even find it in Germany, from where my forebears originated. Today an authenticated copy hangs proudly displayed in my house, next to six generations of Wolvaardts!

Portugal: The University of Coimbra

Another great university with a historic and impressive library, but also a beautiful botanical garden!

About 120 km. south of Porto, on the A1 to Lisbon and Porto, you will find Coimbra, considered as the third most important city in Portugal (besides Lisbon and Porto). It is in itself a worthwhile tourist destination, with famous monuments, churches, and numerous parks and is located over a hill by the river Mondego.

On top of the hill, from where you have an impressive view over the city, lies the University of Coimbra, one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in Europe and the world. It was founded in 1290 and today boasts about 23 000 students.

The Botanical Gardens of 13 hectares, considered one of the most beautiful of Europe, was founded in 1772, is located in the Ursulinas Valley, part of the university campus. The oldest part at the top of the valley (also comprising the Library and the herbarium) is divided in terraces and is decorated as other European gardens of the 18^th century. The visitor can spend a relaxing hour or two here, before continuing with their journey.

The Netherlands: The University of Twente

I mention this university purely because it has one of the most beautiful campuses that I’ve seen. The university lies between the two cities Enschede and Hengelo in the east of the Netherlands, on the border of Germany some 120 km. from Amsterdam. It was founded in 1961 and is the only real campus university in the Netherlands. Approximately 6 000 students and 2 500 staff members work here daily.

Germany: University of Hohenheim

The origins of this university goes back to the year 1818, when an agricultutral institution was founded. It later became an “Agricultural College”, but since 1967 it is known as the “University of Hohenheim”. Although it now offers tuition and research to about 5 500 students in a wide range of  the natural sciences as well as in economics and the social sciences, it has internationally established itself as one of Germany’s prime institutions for agricultural higher education.

The university lies just outside Stuttgart, in the suburb Plieningen, not far from the airport. The easiest way to reach the university is to take the U5 or U6 underground/tram line towards Leinfelden or Möhringen. At Möringen station, change for U3 towards Plieningen. From here a short walk takes you to the university.

Others:

It is not possible to describe more universities within the limits of this article, but mention must be made of the following:

England: The Reed Hall Gardens of the University of Exeter lies in a valley of 300 acres, which have been dammed to create a series of ponds. The campus is heavily planted with a range of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants to create a botanical landscape. Some trees date from 1860.

Australia: The beautiful 330 hectare Melbourne (Bundoora) campus of the La Trobe University, north-east of the city centre, includes the Melbourne Wildlife Sanctuary.

Finland: The University of Joensuu has a collection of greenhouses of 570 square m., imitating five climatic regions. Around these greenhouses there is an open garden of about three hectares, whilst they have started with an Arboretum of 73 hectares. They exchange seeds and plants with about 900 gardens in 113 countries.

USA: When  in New York, take the time to visit the campus of the Wagner College on Staten Island. Voted by 56 000 students as the college with the most beautiful campus in America in 2005, it offers a coveted view of New York Harbour, the skyline of lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and other sights many visitors come to see every year.

- Manie Wolvaardt

The amazing Eden Project, near St Austell, Cornwall, England, is probably one of the biggest horticultural challenges ever undertaken. It is an immensely large environmental complex built to display the diversity and riches of the world. The vision is to re-create the major elements of the world’s flora, and to integrate into that re-creation a concentration on people’s relationship with plants. But Eden is much more than a theme park; it is about connecting plants, people and places, a living example of regeneration.

Although relatively new, it has quickly become one of the most popular visitor attractions in the United Kingdom; from all over the world the stream of tourists is increasing. Since the site was opened to the public in March 2001, Eden has seen nearly seven million visitors.

The sheer size of the biomes is overwhelming. They are constructed from a tubular steel frame with mostly hexagonal transparent panels made from a complex plastic known as ETFC. The structure is completely self-supporting, with no internal supports, and takes the form of a geodesic structure. The panels vary in size up to 9 m across.

The project is constructed in a vast disused china clay pit. Visitors approach from the car parks at the top of the quarry to the entrance area, half-way down a gently sloping side. Once in the complex, there is a meandering path, with views of the biomes and of interesting planted landscapes and sculptures. At the bottom the visitor enters the biomes.

The whole project is extremely environmentally aware. It recycles as much as possible, whilst the massive amounts of water required to create the humid conditions of the Tropical Biome are all sanitized rain water that would otherwise collect at the bottom of the quarry. They have Green Tariff Electricity – energy coming from wind turbines.

Eden’s landscape is a living thing, constantly changing and developing. The latest milestone is the unveiling of the monumental £15 million education centre known as The Core. It will be home to exhibitions, events for all, and Eden’s pioneering schools programmes.

Visitors can get to Eden by train from London, or by its dedicated green buses running regularly from stations all over Cornwall.  Travelling by car, the M5 southbound merges with both the A30 and A38 routes, taking you to Eden.  Admission tickets cost £18.60 for adults, £10.00 for seniors, £5.00 for a child, and £34.00 for a family of 2 adults and up to 3 children. Tickets can be bought on-line (www.edenbookings.com), are open dated and do not expire.

- Manie Wolvaardt

Nothing is more rewarding for a service provider, than when clients spontaneously respond on special service levels provided. We always appreciate comments of appreciation, but however would also respond to constructive comments and criticism. The following are examples of satisfied clients saying more than just thank you.

• ”Tessa, thanks for your welcome home message. Loads of love and thanks for making all my arrangements so smooth.”
  Jeannette Moore, Bloemfontein
   

• ”Marié, baie dankie. Ek waardeer jou professionele hantering van ons sake. Goed gaan met jou.”
  Prof GF du Toit, Department of Curriculum Studies, UFS, Bloemfontein
   

• ”Dear Tessa, thank you again for your commitment, hard work and dedication - we really do appreciate you.”
  Colin & Marieta Cilliers, Bloemfontein
   

• ”Beste Johann, dit is ‘n behoefte van die hart om vir jou te sê wat se uitmuntende diens ons van Nerina Sarluis ontvang. Dit is net ‘n plesier om met haar saam te werk. Buiten dat sy uiters professioneel is, is sy altyd vriendelik en diensingesteld. In die afgelope jaar moes sy feitlik maandeliks vir ons kantoor buitelandse reisreëlings tref, soms op baie kort kennisgewing en soms onder moeilike omstandighede, wat aansoeke van visums insluit. Soos dit dikwels met sulke reise gaan was dit onderhewig aan voortdurende veranderinge. Sy het ons nooit gefaal nie. Dra asseblief ons opregte dank en waardering aan haar oor.”
  Joyce Gibson - PA : Dr Sybrand Pretorius, FARMOVS-PAREXEL, UFS, Bloemfontein
   

• “Marié, baie dankie vir die navraag. Dit onderstreep net weer die professionaliteit waarmee jy die hele proses hanteer het. Alles was in plek - hoegenaamd geen haakplekke nie. Ons kon dus fokus op kongres en die ontspanning. Dit was heerlik. Nogmaals dankie aan jou.”
  Prof GF du Toit - Department of Curriculum Studies, UFS
   

• “Hi Tessa, after a chilly Salzburg we experienced a bit of a heat wave in France - so it's nice to come back to spring weather. Everything went well, thanks, except for a bumpy start: My SA express flight from Bfn was 3 hours late, so I missed my Jhb - Frankfurt flight. After spending most of the night (trying to recover my checked-in suitcase; Jhb Airport is very inefficient)  and all of the next day at the airport, I eventually was lucky to get a standby seat on a Lufthansa flight, thanks to the efforts of the Lufthansa ground staff. I even tried to go standby on SAA, but they were ineffectual and not really interested in helping a stranded passenger, despite it being due to a delayed SA Express flight.  I did get hotel accommodation for one night from them, though. By the way, the check-in counter at international arrivals for domestic connecting flights is no longer there (I have used it on a previous occasion).”
  Prof James du Preez, UFS, Bloemfontein

• In case of unforseen emergencies, leave the phone / fax numbers / e-mail address of the hotels at which you are staying with friends / family members.
   

• Discuss your preference of pre-seating well in advance with your consultant, although pre-seating cannot be guaranteed.
   

• Pre-declare any new photographic and IT equipment at customs declaration counter (keep completed and stamped form in a safe place for return procedures).
   

• Have your passport and air ticket available when checking in.
   

• Keep valuables like laptops, cameras, cell phones in hand luggage.
   

• Despite any advice, allow at least 4 hours connecting times between flights when travelling abroad. Allow even more time when switching airports or terminal buildings.
   

• Keep a record of your passport details (number / date of issue / expiry etc) in case this important document gets lost.
   

• If you wear spectacles, a spare pair when travelling is always useful. Failing this, carry a copy of your lens prescription / s with you in case you need to have them replaced.
   

• If you are on prescription medicine, take sufficient for your needs with you, and also carry a copy of the doctor’s prescription.
   

• Carry with you an accurate description of your luggage (dimensions / make / colour / patterns etc) which will help in tracing luggage in the unlikely event of this going missing.
   

• Tie a brightly coloured ribbon to your luggage, for ease of identification on crowded luggage carousels, and ensure that your luggage has your name and contact firmly affixed.
   

• Ensure that all luggage items can be locked for security.
   

• Never accept parcels, packages, items of luggage or anything similar from strangers, particularly at airports, and never leave baggage unattended.
   

• Although most airlines no longer require pre-confirmation anymore, confirm all return flights at least 72 hours in advance.
   

• Always check the prices of items and start-up-stock in your ‘mini bar’ fridge in hotel rooms before removing or consuming items.
   

• Most hotels place a considerable surcharge on long distance phone calls made from their rooms, rather buy an international phone card.
   

• Be informed that the following applies for accommodation at most hotels:
  Check-out time : 11h00 / Check-in time : 14h00
   

• If you travel late afternoon or evening, arrange for your luggage to be stored at hotel. Have all properly locked.
   

• Reconfirm your hotel / airport transfer as well as exact time of pick-up.
   

• Should you have any duty free purchases, have the goods available, once you have cleared customs, because the reclaiming of taxes is only located in the duty free areas of most airports.