How We Tread Right (HWTR) is The Travel Corporation’s (TTC) new five-year sustainability strategy, which sets the mandate on sustainability at Thompsons Africa and our sister travel companies. Our strategy is based on 11 measurable goals developed to address Thompsons Africa’s impact on Planet, People, and Wildlife. These goals, anchored to the United Nations’ Global Goals, address:
FAMILY MATTERS
Planet – sustainability and conservation by targeting climate change, sustainable food production and responsible consumption through carbon management, renewable energy, the food cycle, waste reduction, and the elimination of single-use plastics.
GUIDED JOURNEYS BY THOMPSONS AFRICA
OUR GUIDES
In the arranging and operating of variable sized tours in Southern Africa, with set itineraries and frequent departures, Thompsons Africa leads the field. These packaged holidays offer something special, unique and memorable. Our tours have been operating since 1997 and we proudly claim that our service cannot be beaten. Our signature product, ‘Fully Guided’ means what it says: we do all the work, you relax and enjoy the experience, knowing that you are in capable and experienced hands.
THE FACE OF THOMPSONS AFRICA Our NQF (National Qualifications Framework) and FGASA (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa) qualified permanent Tour Guides are the very best calibre of staff. Join them on one of our exciting Guided Journeys or Tailor-Made packages – you will be completely blown away by their knowledge, excitement and passion! They speak English, German and Spanish, and our wider network of Tour Guides speak most other languages.
All of our Safari Guides have completed additional courses enhancing their skills to ensure the best possible experience for guests. These include the
Kruger National Park Orientation Course, a botany course at Skukuza Nursery by a qualified botany expert and some have completed the VPDA Course (Viewing Potential Dangerous Animals). Our tour guiding professionals have honed their skills, with many holding university degrees in fields such as marketing, photography, tourism and education. They are the collective face of Thompsons Africa and proud ambassadors for our beautiful country.
FULLY GUIDED PRIVATE JOURNEYS FOR FAMILES AND SMALL GROUPS If anyone understands family travel, Thompsons Africa does. We offer the perfect package: just the family or small group (four to eight people), a Tour Guide and the most flexible of itineraries to suit younger members especially. The number and length of game drives, content and timing of meals, and length of the safari is entirely flexible so as to fully accommodate your needs. Lively kids? Nobody’s fussing. There’s no finer way
for a young family, or small group, preferring a less structured holiday, to travel together. We have a selection of entirely private tours for intimate groups of four to eight people, travelling with your own Tour Guide and Driver - a superb option for a 50th birthday party treat for esteemed clients, or simply family or friends who prefer exclusivity and privacy.
At Thompsons Africa we pride ourselves in the many years we have operated as a family style business. It is an ethos that we are passionate about and with the average stay of our people being 7 and a half years, we are proud to say, WE ARE FAMILY. We are committed to ensuring that our reservations teams are knowledgeable and innovative and for this reason we invest in comprehensive training that includes not just destination and product knowledge, but also service delivery. Every day we continue to build on our solid reputation for reliability and unparalleled service delivery, striving to deliver the best possible guest experience at every point of contact they have with us. As part of Cullinan Holdings Ltd. and as a member of the family owned The Travel Corporation (TTC), this ethos of family is carried through the group at a global level.
People – community support and cultural preservation by targeting overtourism through the inclusion of new Make Travel Matter experiences, the creation of a standalone strategy to encourage greater diversity and inclusion at Thompsons Africa, and our global give-back efforts. Wildlife – conservation and protection by targeting animal welfare and conservation, and ethical wildlife experiences through TreadRight’s Animal Welfare Policy.
THOMPSONS AFRICA CONSERVATION STATEMENT
CONSERVING OUR HERITAGE As you might expect from a family-built company with a big heart, Thompsons Africa is about sustainability and giving back. To help shape the face of the future Africa, we actively support organisations that focus on the conservation, protection, and promotion of our rich heritage. We are proud to be part of a joint initiative by The Travel Corporation family of brands, called The TreadRight Foundation — a notfor-profit that works to ensure that the environment and communities we explore, remain vibrant for future generations. TreadRight is The Travel Corporation’s hub for all corporate social responsibility efforts and manages a long-standing grants program that benefits sustainable tourism projects. To date, TreadRight has committed more than USD 2million to projects worldwide and encourages industry best practice through their support for the World Travel & Tourism Council’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, The Travel Foundation & Tourism Cares.
At Thompsons Africa we are mindful of the plight of wildlife across the globe and in Africa in particular. We are especially conscious of the importance of conserving our wildlife heritage. After all, we are blessed to be the caretakers of an abundance of wildlife that brings so many travellers to our shores. Thompsons Africa does not support any wildlife interaction that we deem to be unethical in either its purpose or in any way results in cruelty
as a side effect. As a priority we ensure that we are 100% involved with our partnered wildlife organisations, and as a member of The TreadRight Foundation, we practise the promise to make the welfare of our wildlife our number one concern. Our endorsement of the SATSA Animal Interaction Charter further reinforces our commitment to an ethical approach to the long-term conservation of wildlife welfare.
THOMPSONS AFRICA 20 The Boulevard, West End Office Park, Spine Road, Westville, 3629, Durban, South Africa PO Box 2758, Westway Office Park, 3635 Durban, South Africa Tel: +27 31 275 3500 Fax: +27 86 608 2645 info@thompsonsafrica.com www.thompsonsafrica.com
COMPANY PROFILE 2020
Bespoke Travel — Because we tell it like it is, we are the experts in tailor-made packages. Our commitment is to ensuring that customers get an authentic African travel experience, coupled with comfort and safety, to provide the holiday of a lifetime. Group Travel — We are specialists in caring for series and ad hoc business. We design individual packages to suit the unique interests of school groups, sales groups, religious groups, and their like. It’s an innovative, seamless programme, implemented professionally.
WE DO TRANSFERS
OUR UNIQUE SERVICES
Seat in Coach Transfers are done in a three-seater sedan, seven- seater micro-bus, 13 seater Quantum, or 18/22-seater mini coach with a maximum of three pick-ups/drop-offs en route to/from the airport.
Personal Collection —There’s a holiday and then there’s Personal Collection by Thompsons Africa. This is an out-of-this–world travel experience, crafted with the discerning traveller in mind.
THOMPSONS AFRICA
WHO WE ARE With almost half a century of experience under our belt, Thompsons Africa is your highly trained Southern African destination management expert. Our reservations team is knowledgeable, innovative, and committed to exceptional service delivery. Thompsons Africa is part of Cullinan Holdings Ltd, whose main shareholder is The Travel Corporation, a family-owned entity with 45 offices worldwide and an envied reputation for delivering quality, service, and value. We also have trusted, long-standing supplier relationships that extend back in excess of 40 years.
As part of the global The Travel Corporation family, we are known for our reliability and financial solidity. It’s an ethos reflected in the fact that in a sector known for high employee turnover, our average staff tenure is almost eight years — a further guarantee of experience and professionalism.
Thompsons Africa operates in the three main cities of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, as well as from 11 reception offices in the Southern African region: Kruger Park, Hluhluwe, Hazyview, Malalane, Port Elizabeth, Knysna, Victoria Falls/Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Mauritius. All offices offer a team of permanent Tour Guides, Drivers and Guest Service Officers. Our Guided Journeys offer something unique and memorable and after so many years of perfecting the product, these just cannot be beaten. Our tour guiding professionals have honed their skills, with many holding university degrees in fields such as marketing, photography, tourism and education. They are the collective face of Thompsons Africa and proud ambassadors for our beautiful country. The Guest Service Officers (GSOs) at four major airports meet-and-greet, assist with lost luggage, and undertake care visits when required. Our Customer Care Centre is available 24/7 to deal with any of your guests’ concerns and our GSOs are at hand, around the clock, to deal with any hitches or emergencies.
Welcome to South Africa! We are delighted that you have chosen to visit our beautiful country and we promise that the start of your journey with Thompsons Africa will be a First Class experience!
Private Transfers are done in either a sedan or micro-bus, for a maximum of three or seven guests respectively, where you are transferred straight to your destination.
Inventive Incentives — We understand the specialist nature of the incentive business and are well versed in the logistics of travel in Africa. Our approach to handling incentives of any size is to understand our clients and their requirements and carefully match these to our products. It’s all about assembling the perfect combination of accommodation and entertainment to suit each group, delivered in an enthusiastic, personalised way.
Thompsons Africa Online — Our dedicated Customer Zone can be accessed for up- to-the-minute rates, online availability, exclusive allocations and other creative and inspiring information, including a high resolution image gallery, video library and other useful information. Our online brochures are available for your easy downloading and printing at https://zone.thompsonsafrica.com/media/brochures. We are able to connect with you on multiple platforms, including our Thompsons Africa Online Booking System as well as numerous XML/API Integrations allowing for a seamless, fast and efficient means of communicating and confirming services with us in real time.
YOU ARE WELCOME
Luxury Transfers are done in a luxury sedan, for a maximum of three guests, where you are taken straight to your destination. Please note that with the luxury transfer, there is a luggage restriction of one standard size suitcase per person.
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OUR VEHICLES Our fleet of around 170 vehicles ranges from sedans, to two-passenger limousines, 8 seaters, 11 seaters and 15 seaters; luxury 44-seater coaches and 60-seater touring vehicles. This massive tyre-print across the continent also comes with a small carbon footprint and among our innovations is a water recycling plant to provide environmentally friendly washes. Thompsons Africa uses the latest and finest vehicles on the market, including Toyota Corollas, Mercedes Vitos, Toyota Quantums and Mercedes Benz Sprinters and specially modified open safari vehicles – all with the requisite permits. We select our vehicles very carefully, against a strict set of criteria, in full knowledge of what our clientele needs and wants. All vehicles are exceptionally comfortable and spacious, with full air-conditioning throughout and good sound quality when the tour director is speaking. With headrests, and ample leg and head room, transfers are comfortable, cool and professional.
FREE SELL POLICY A unique feature on all tours is a ‘Free Sell’ policy. Most of our Fully Guided Journeys can be free sold up to 30 days prior to departure, while our Day Tours can be free sold up to 48 hours before departure. That’s easy and efficient!
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INCIDENT MANAGEMENT AND INSURANCE Take comfort in the knowledge that when dealing with Thompsons Africa, you are dealing with a company with substantial liability cover, well above the minimum requirements, as well as a strong partnership with SATIB24, the continent’s leading incident management unit.
Vehicle Charter - Thompsons Africa have invested in some of the newest and best vehicles available in Southern Africa. Our fleet of vehicles is made up of the newest Toyota Corollas, Mercedes Vitos, Toyota Quantums and Mercedes Benz Sprinters. All vehicles are available for charter.
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Shuttle Services - Thompsons Africa offers a number of pre-booked fixed departure shuttles between key destinations.
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Sun City Shuttle - OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg) to/from all Sun City Hotels. This shuttle departs four times a day at specific times.
Kruger Shuttle Hoedspruit – OR Tambo International Airport to/from 7 specific locations in the Hoedspruit area. Add-on transfers to/from the lodge would be required, at additional costs. Guaranteed daily departures with minimum 1 guest. Kruger Shuttle Hazyview – OR Tambo International Airport to/from Perry’s Bridge Hazyview, Protea Hotel Kruger Gate, and Skukuza. Addon transfers to/from the lodge would be required, at additional costs. Guaranteed daily departures with minimum 1 guest.
Arriving in a foreign country should be a celebration and our star team of Guest Service Officers are at the ready to welcome you. Whether you have been to Southern Africa before or it is your first time, you will feel like you have come home!
SILVER WELCOME, GOLD WELCOME AND PLATINUM WELCOME AIRPORT SERVICES Airports around the world all present their challenges, but with Thompsons Africa there are no challenges - only memorable experiences. Let us take care of getting you from point A to point B without any of the hassle. Guests can choose the level of assistance required to navigate our airports. We engage in face-toface conversations with guests and discuss their
journey ahead. Guests feel pampered and secure in the knowledge that they understand their itinerary arrangements, and that any questions or concerns raised, will be answered swiftly.
GUEST SERVICE EMERGENCY SUPPORT Even when guests have departed the airport our team are on call to give support when life’s mishaps occur! We visit guests in hospital or at their hotel to offer comfort and reassurance. No matter the situation, we have the experience to lend a helping hand.
AIRPORT SERVICES WHAT’S INCLUDED:
To further mitigate risk, we enjoy a strong partnership with SATIB24, Africa’s leading incident management unit led by a specialist team of doctors and incident managers who are on call 24/7/365 and provide a comprehensive management service from the moment a call is received.
Silver
Gold VIP
Platinum VVIP
Welcome board with printed guest names clearly displayed
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Hand over and explanation of travel documentation
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Assist guests to hired vehicles, transfers and connecting flights
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Complimentary bottle of water on arrival, plus a sit down liquid refreshment whilst discussing travel arrangements Assistance to airport facilities including foreign exchange, cellular rental, airport clinic etc.
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Offered in our centres
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Johannesburg & Cape Town Only
Met on arrival on the airside by our ‘security-approved’ sub-contractors
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