Entries by ASATA Office

How far can you “p.p.” on behalf of your clients?

Interestingly, the act of “pp’ing” on behalf of your clients seems to be common practice, but is not always appropriate. The definition from Wikipedia is clear;  Procuration (Lat. procurare, to take care of) is the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency. The word is applied to the authority or power delegated to […]

Collabo… what?

There was an excellent research report doing the rounds recently that looks at the future role of the travel industry and what needs to happen for it to succeed in such a dynamic environment. The good news, according to the IBM report (Click here), is that there’s a gap for professionals willing to help travellers […]

So long Natalia

At the end of March, the ASATA Members in Johannesburg said “so long” to Natalia Rosa former editor of Now Media at the monthly Thirsty Thursday’s function.  It seemed quite fitting to host her “farewell” at the event considering the whole concept of Thirsty’s was something she brought to the industry. Breaking all rules of the […]

Become the trusted advisor…

We keep being told about the value of the travel consultant re-emerging as a trusted advisor in the Internet age. And once again this was the thrust of a research report released by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) last week which pinpoints the two greatest challenges for travel agents in the 21st century: demonstrating […]

Cancellation clauses – Check your T&Cs!

While we’re all navigating the grey waters of the Consumer Protection Act, inevitably there are going to be instances like the one we encountered last week that leave us scratching our heads… The case last week saw a consumer taking an ASATA member to the National Consumer Council (NCC) after cancelling a trip on his […]

Because I’m worth it… The service fee debate

There were some interesting findings in research conducted by the University of Pretoria’s Professor Berendien Lubbe and colleagues on service fees. You may recall ASATA asking you for input on the topic recently. Other than the obvious finding that consumers remain unaware of the value attached to travel agent services, the study makes an interesting […]

What’s all this talk of TOMSA?

Your verification agency may have asked you if you are a TOMSA levy collector and if not told you that you are losing out on earning points towards your BEE Scorecard. But what is it? Other than another travel acronym to add the long list, you may think. TOMSA (Tourism Marketing Levy South Africa) is […]

Welcome to ASATA’s Blog

In mid-March it seems inappropriate to extend my wishes to you for a happy year ahead, but unfortunately no one warned me about the way in which this year was to begin and only now am I able to lift my head and introduce you to my new blog.   Yes, we at ASATA are joining […]