Holiday Swap – reality travel hits SA screens

September is Tourism month and Thebe Tourism is launching exciting new offerings to the public, including a reality travel TV Show, Holiday Swap.

The strategic focus in Thebe Tourism Group is on the non-traveller. Thebe Tourism’s mission is to turn individuals who have not considered travelling in the past, into excited travellers, ready to explore what our beautiful country has to offer. During Tourism month Thebe Tourism has launched exciting initiatives, which will make travel accessible and affordable for all South Africans.

Firstly there is the launch of the travel card. Local travelling can be affordable through a down-payment solution. By applying for the travel card, the cardholder is purchasing a holiday on credit, which can then be paid off in instalments similar to a credit card. They could also book the holiday on a lay-by principle and pay it off. Once the final payment is received, the user can go on holiday.

The second initiative of Thebe Tourism is the FlightSite Agent community. The non-traveller would traditionally not go into a travel agency to book their travel and booking on their own can be an overwhelming experience for a first time traveller. Thebe Tourism solved this problem through FlightSite Agent, which was successfully launched 18 months ago and is making travel accessible in the communities. The concept is that anyone can become a travel agent as long as they have an Internet connection and a computer. FlightSite already has 5000 registered agents selling to their surrounding communities.

One of the most exciting initiatives is the launch of the reality travel programme Holiday Swap. “We’ve worked closely with the production company Launch Factory and Tourism KwaZulu Natal on a new reality travel TV programme hitting TV screens on SABC 1 early next year,” says Jerry Mabena. “The concept is to package the KwaZulu Natal province into experiences showcasing what visitors can expect in the province.”

In contrast to the traditional way of showing local travel, this show’s concept is unique. Entrants give their bucket list activities to do and sights to see, and will then be competing against another team in challenges. “There is however a big twist in the show, which creates a lot of drama but is top secret!” Jerry explains.

The aim of the programme is to show how much fun contestants are having, exploring areas people might not have known before and shifting expectations of what to do on holiday. The director and producer of the show has worked on many local and international reality TV shows, including Survivor and Fear Factor. “We are extremely excited about this programme, and the new and exciting way travel will be presented,” Jerry says.

The three initiatives work together and culminate in the show. “The non-traveller sees the TV show and realises he would like to experience what the team did. During the show the exact same package is on offer to book through FlightSite at a discounted rate. The viewers are then informed of the different payment options, be it the travel card or layby system, which then conveniently pays directly to FlightSite, making the process seamless and easy to book,” Jerry says.

Thebe Tourism Group is the custodian of the programme. “We make sure it all comes together, and ensure that what the viewer sees on the show is converted into travel bookings,” Jerry explains. Transforming the tourism and travel sector by making it accessible to everyone is very important to Thebe Tourism Group, and its involvement in a project of this nature, is aligned TTG’s vision. This project also helps to raise the Thebe Tourism Group’s brand in the Tourism sector and will be a great platform in increasing brand recognition.

The show will be filmed in KwaZulu Natal covering the whole province in sections and will be broadcast on SABC 1 on Monday nights at 18:00 starting in February 2015. There are 13 episodes planned – one episode per week and two teams per episode. The call to entry, where people are invited to enter as contestants, is launching during tourism month, in September 2014. “Watch out for the call to enter – TTG is entering a new era and it is very exciting,” Jerry concludes.