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Our whole country, South Africa, is staring into the future and the only thing we see is a couple of weeks of soccer in 2010. Our energy focus and ambitions revolves around this fantastisc spectacle. We are building a couple of new stadiums. We renovate the airports and get rid of some shacks etc.

But this will not help us long term.

The future of all commerce takes place in Cyberspace. Visionaries and and foresighted governments have understood this and accomodated it. Have alook at Dubai; sand, sand, sand, sand and commerce. Love it!

In the past our forefathers build cities around harbours. Later they buils cities around railway hubs. Now we build cities around airports. No one with a sane mind thinks that airports arent important. But a lot of politicians still believe that the Internet is just for information seeking and dating. But thats not true. When walls start to come down from government control in business things move fast.

The Cape Town area should be the new Sophia Antipolis - a high tech area just north of Nice. A perfect example of how an area can bloom with high tech companies. All the Intels, IBMs Amadeus' etc from all over the world have set up European head office operations and development centers, because they know that great people are attracted to great companies in great environments. You cant just have a great company anymore - people want great lifestyle to go with it.

Cape Town is the mother city not only of South Africa, but of the world. I love this city and this country. Increase the bandwidth indefinitely, lower the prices, and we will have a new world hub of high tech companies in five years.

This little banner signifies big changes at Travelstart in Sweden (the mother company). It is the banner that will be used on the lovely new site for anyone that has a fear of new things :)

The copy says:

"Help! Where's the old website?"

"Don't worry, it's still online. Click here."

It's a little piece of history in the making :)

Welcome Mango Airways.

We have just added Mango Airways to our inventory, so now you really can find all the airlines in South Africa on our website.

Check out their fares. Basically anywhere from anywhere for as little as a couple of hundred rand.

We needed a worried and an ecstatic face for our new banners and Sophie kindly obliged, performing her best cartoon faces for the camera :)

29 Jan 2007

British Airways today called off 72-hour strikes planned for today, tomorrow and next month.

Disruptions are still expected tomorrow as the airline does their best to reinstate services cancelled due to the threatened walk-out.

Our best advice is to please arrive at the airport at the expected time of your flight and please be patient while BA is getting things back in order.

We are currently hiring dutchspeaking staff for our customer service centre in Cape Town.

You should be fluent in one of the four GDS´s
Have have at least one years experience from work at a travelagency.

Email queries and application to kerry@travelstart.co.za

The Swedish government had been a main contributor to ANC during the years when Nelson Mandela was imprisoned at Robben Island.

This epic portait was takes on his first visit in Stockholm shortly after his release.

Mr Mandela and his three man ANC entourage was very nervous about the shoot but was calmed when they heard that Mr Hans Gedda, was Olof Palmes personal photographer, for all official portraits.
They had a very short window of ten minutes to do the shoot.
They therefore set up the white background at the foreign ministers office. And the minister himself, Mr Sten Andersson had to hold the flash light.

Hans Gedda was very nervous, almost intimidated by having this larger than life figure before him. Using his Hasselblas he only had twelve shots to go.
First four showed a very stiff and nervous Mandela. And Gedda got even more nervous having only eight shoots to go. He tried a couple of different positions but they didnt work out either.
Having only two shots left Gedda thought he had nothing to loose.
He remembered that he saw Mr Mandela coming out of the plane with a raised tight fist. Humbly he asked, with nothing to loose, if Mr Mandela please could raise his fist and hold it over his forehead. Mandela liked the idea. First picture failed because his fist covered the light.
Gedda with time constraint and only an artists intuition took the foreign ministers arm lowered it and shoot this historic picture that became cover of Times Magazine as well as Mr Geddas greatest shot ever.

This particular edition only exists in five copies and one will now be part of Travelstarts board room in Cape Town.

It´s very flattering.
We have been voted one of the top 40 movers and shakers of SA together with prominent figures like:
Group of economists advising Mbeki
Alberto Carlos Parreira - Bafana-Bafana coach
Joel Netshitenzhe - Head of President's policy unit
Cynthia Carroll - CE, Anglo American
Thami Mtshali - CEO, iBurst

And on # 39 is
Stephan Ekbergh - CEO, Travelstart

Read all about it here on FIN24

Andreas joined the Travelstart team on 18th January.

He's originally from Namibia, worked as a Travel Consultant in the USA and speaks Afrikaans, Dutch, English, German. He's now learning Spanish too!

So you'll know what Andreas look like when he deals with your queries and bookings :)

This is a transcript of an IM conversation between a customer and one of our travel desk staff, Mumtaaz:

[Mumtaaz] Hello, how may I help you?

[Visitor] Hi my name is xxxxxxxx, ref no. xxxxx.

[Mumtaaz] hi xxxxx im hvin a look at ur booking as we spk

[Visitor] I've been billed for the adult cancellation extra when I opted
not to take it, how can I sort this out?

[Mumtaaz] i will refund you the cancellation amount and will send you
an email as well

[Visitor] Are you serious?

[Mumtaaz] yes of course

[Visitor]* I'm truly.... well, speechless! I was expecting a fight.
Thank you for your time and service.*

[Mumtaaz] you r most welcome

[Mumtaaz] Thanks for contacting us. Please do not hesitate to contact us
again if we can be of further assistance.

[Visitor] Well, if that's all thanx again and good-bye!