Investigating long haul inbound airline price competitiveness: a study of South African Airways

Published ArticleThe national airline of South Africa (South African Airways), reported major losses for a number of consecutive years due to a significant fall in average fares triggered amongst others by intense global competition. This research compares fares offered on long haul direct inbound routes into South Africa. Neutral Units of Construction and Maximum Permitted Mileage values obtained from the dominant global distribution system used in South Africa were used for fare comparison purposes. Results indicate that in many instances South African Airways (SAA) was found to be highly competitive, offering the cheapest available fares in the market on the routes it served. From the research it is clear that the long haul inbound South African Airways fares are competitively priced. It is suggested that the airline uses this as a marketing tool to enhance inbound sales. As this research eliminates inbound price competitiveness as a major contributing factor to the financial losses of the airline, it is suggested that further research is conducted investigating other internal and external factors and fares that may contribute to airline profitability and sustainability for the future

The market place of medical tourism facilitators in South Africa

Published ArticleAlthough there is no single definition for medical tourism, it is generally acknowledged that it refers to travel activity that involves a medical procedure. Cosmetic tourism refers to a subspecialty that is concerned primarily with the enhancement of physical appearance. The concept of combining travel with cosmetic surgery comes as a fresh idea to South Africa and its growing popularity is based on: the low cost of medical procedures in the developing countries, affordable air fares, favourable exchange rates and the internet. A medical tourism facilitator (MTF) acts as a coordinator between medical tourists and medical service providers such as surgeons or clinics and arranges treatment itineraries, lodging and local logistics. Attractive tourist packages ultimately provoke demand for this industry. In South Africa, the number of studies and availability of data on cosmetic tourism remains limited. The role of the MTFs calls for and validates this research within the medical tourism niche market in South Africa. The population included individuals who have made an appointment with a registered plastic surgeon. It was thus impossible to pre-determine the precise number of the population. A qualitative methodology was used to collect data anonymously from 236 voluntary respondents in the surgeon’s waiting rooms after their consent was obtained. Results indicate that cosmetic tourists come from all over South Africa. The majority were female and organised the leisure component themselves. This opens the door for MTFs to investigate possible penetration into this travel market and thus to the expansion of the market

Attributes that influence resort attractiveness: a case study of selected Kimberley resorts

Published ArticleResorts have grown to dominate the accommodation sector of the world’s tourism industry and are known as the key building blocks of tourism due to the impact the latter has on local and international economies. Resorts, as a component of the destination offer a unique combination of resources, attractions, and facilities; they also have unique physical environments, ecological conditions, and socio-cultural specifics. The attractiveness of a resort plays a role in a tourist’s destination of choice, expectations of satisfaction, intentions to revisit, perceptions of benefits and motivations, positive perception of opinion leaders, the amount of money spent, and the duration of the stay. In order for a resort to be successful, sustainable and viable, it is important to identify the attributes that lead tourists to choose one destination over another. Despite this, a lack of research has been carried out to determine the underlying dimensions of resort attractiveness in South Africa. The aim of this research was to determine the attractiveness of selected Kimberley resorts in the Northern Cape, South Africa. These resorts have experienced low visitation and profit levels in the past. This leads to question whether visitors find the resorts attractive. In order to collect data a questionnaire was used to conduct interviews with visitors at the resorts. The results suggest that attributes of selected Kimberley resorts are perceived as being of average to poor quality