Economic times may be tough, but South Africans still want to travel. Now, more than ever, they want value for money.
Trafalgar Tours, one of the biggest tour operators in the country, says its packages can save clients up to 30 percent when compared to booking the identical itinerary themselves.
Theresa Szejwallo, managing director of Trafalgar, says the company’s CostSaver offers for 2012 also offer more savings to be had on the land-only portions of their holidays.
“We also offer early booking discounts, frequent traveller discounts to our repeat customers, triple room sharing reductions, young traveller discounts and group discounts. Uniquely to our South African customers, until December 12 they will qualify for our early booking discount without having to book a year in advance – all that is required is a R5 000 deposit, and full payment two months before departure.”
Sejwallo says prices are fixed – in rand – “so provided you’ve paid a deposit, the price you’re quoted now is the price you will pay in 2012, irrespective of what happens to exchange rates”.
Trafalgar Tours are popular with South Africans because they offer comfort, quality and convenience – and the Trafalgar 2012 Europe and Britain CostSaver brochure is filled with 36 guided holidays that have been favourites – and four new itineraries:
l Highlights of Southern Italy and Sicily: building on Italy as a favoured destination for South Africans, this nine-day tour takes in Rome, Sorrento (with an optional excursion to the Isle of Capri), Taormina and Palermo. With visits to such sites as the Abbey and the Commonwealth Cemetery at Monte Cassino and Mount Etna, this tour captures the best of Italy’s history, beauty, architecture and culture
l Highlights of Italy and Greece: this 10-day tour encompasses Rome and Sorrento, before embarking on a cruise vessel at the port of Brindisi for the Greek leg. In Greece, visitors will go to the birthplace of the Olympics, take a walking tour of Delphi, one of Greece’s most important historical sites and home of the famous Oracle, and explore Athens, among other activities. Visitors have the option of taking three- and seven-day Aegean cruises.
l Spanish Explorer: this 13-day tour includes not only Spain but Portugal and Gibraltar. Visitors can expect to enjoy spectacular historical castles and palaces, architecture such as Gaudi’s world-famous Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona and the cave-dwellings of Guadix, and all the mouth-watering aromas and flavours of the Iberian Peninsula.
l Real Britain: this six-day tour of England and Scotland is redolent with British culture and heritage, with visits to Shakespeare and Wordsworth’s home towns, Stonehenge, the Lake District, Edinburgh, Bath and the famous cathedrals in towns such as Salisbury, York and Coventry. - Saturday Star