Cape Town - If Brexit had any upside, it’s the fact that the rand isn’t as weak as it was.
The Rand/Pound exchange has dropped below R20 to a more comfortable R18.85/Pound while the dollar has improved from its dark days of R16/Dollar and now hovers around R14.30.
This is good news for anyone with aspirations of travelling internationally says Sean Hough, CEO of leisure travel specialist, Pentravel, especially when considering the savings that package-holiday providers offer.
“Market volatility always causes skittishness among travellers as they watch the exchange rates like a hawk, especially when we’ve been on a financial rollercoaster for months. Fortunately, leisure travel specialists like ourselves are unaffected by the yo-yoing Rand as rates are set months in advance and travellers pay a set fee and enjoy everything thrown in. They literally can leave their wallets at home.”
Despite the inherent value of a package holiday, Hough says South Africans are still cautious and choosing to play closer to home, either to travel domestically – which offers a welcome boost for local tourism – fly East to the islands of Zanzibar and Mauritius or cruise local shores.
“We’ve experienced a 285 percent spike in sales to Zanzibar and a 23 percent y-o-y increase in local cruise getaways; this is very encouraging despite the unpredictable economy,” he says.
”A travel agent is a master at negotiating best-rates for customers; we help to identify a destination, choose accommodation best suited to their needs – such as if they have a young family or are looking for an active adventure – and manage all travel arrangements from end to end,” says Hough.
Adapted from a press release for IOL
* For more information visit www.pentravel.co.za or follow on @pentravel.