Miplanet

Travelstart.co.za, South Africa’s biggest online travel price comparison and booking website, today reported a 70% increase in online travel sales for 2009.

The company’s growth, recorded in a year littered with financial gloom and dismal global tourism growth figures, is a sure indication that, despite these challenges, online bookings is becoming more popular amongst South African travellers.

“We are naturally very pleased with our growth here in South Africa and believe that we will see an even bigger increase in figures for 2010, not only because we will be hosting the 2010 World Cup, but also because South African’s are fast becoming more reliant on the internet to research and plan travel.

“We saw a huge influx of new business from travellers who would normally have done their travel bookings at traditional high street travel agencies. They are finding it more convenient, and in most cases, cheaper to research and compare flights, hotels and car rental online. I predict that there will be no high street agencies left five years from now,” says Stephan Ekbergh, CEO and founder of Travelstart.

South Africa seems to be following the online travel booking trend of more established internet markets such as the US and Western Europe. In these markets, more than 40% of all hospitality revenue is generated on the internet. In the US, 84% of travel research and planning is conducted online. The introduction of cheaper bandwidth locally will make the internet more accessible to South African’s and this is expected to dramatically drive online sales.

Online agencies such as Travelstart offer travellers the opportunity to instantly compare prices and itineraries for all airlines travelling to specific routes. This allows travellers to act as their own travel agents and to book their travel at their own convenience, without having to wait in queues.

Travelstart has also harnessed the power of social networking by creating a community of travel-minded fans who follow the company on Facebook, Twitter and through its blog. “Our aim will always be to find ways to make the travel booking process easier and more fun for our customers. The future of travel is on the internet, so whether consumers prefer connecting to the internet on their pc’s or mobile phones, they will always find Travelstart there, making the process easy and fun,” concludes Ekbergh.

ENDS

About Travelstart Travelstart is a global online booking site that allows you to act as your own travel agent. At www.travelstart.co.za customers can search and book flights, hotel, cars and holiday packages in a safe and convenient way from home.

Travelstart’s aim is to offer the best prices in a transparent manner and to provide a superior customer experience. Travelstart was founded and established in Sweden by CEO Stephan Ekbergh in 1999. Today Travelstart is a global company with presence in 10 markets, with its South African office located in the heart of Cape Town, CDB.

Issued by: FD South Africa

Please contact us for further information, visuals or to set up an interview:

Tarryn Rinkwest 071 602 3229 / 021487 9017 / jtarryn.rinkwest@fd.com

Sandra Sampayo 079 167 6863 / 021487 9000 / sandra.sampayo@fd.com

Woolworths changes the way it farms fresh produce

Always at the forefront of innovation, Woolworths has, together with its suppliers, pioneered a new method of farming fresh produce. Farming for the future aims to radically improve soil and plant health, preserve resources like water and soil and protect biodiversity. Initial trials show yields and quality are more consistent and land, water, insecticide, pesticide and fertilizer usage is reduced. This will help ensure that South Africa is able to grow sufficient produce in future.

Currently, more than 50 percent of our fresh produce is farmed this way and these new farming techniques will be implemented at all Woolworths produce supplier farms around the country. By 2012 all Woolworths locally grown fresh produce will either be produced organically or through the Farming for the future approach.

Woolworths chief executive officer Simon Susman explains, “Having realised several years ago that conventional farming methods were not sustainable and were, in fact, depleting the soil’s capacity to produce quality fruit and vegetables as its carbon and biodiversity content shrunk, Woolworths decided to work with our produce farmers to look for alternatives. Our agricultural experts have now spent three years developing the practices with our suppliers.”

This marks a further important milestone on Woolworths Good business journey where we set ongoing targets to carry on business in a far more sustainable way.

“Our goal here is to grow quality produce while minimising any negative effect on the environment and reducing farmer’s dependence on chemical fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides. We’ve learned that the way to do that is to build and maintain healthy soil and healthy plants. As any farmer will tell you, it takes good soil to produce good food, and without proper soil management now, South Africa will not be able to produce quality fresh produce in the future,” says Susman.

Conventional farming methods are increasingly not sustainable

Susman continues, “We found that most of our fruit and vegetables were grown in soil that was increasingly depleted of minerals and nutrients. Conventional farming methods extract minerals and nutrients from the soil, so over time, more and more fertilisers are needed. Fertilisers are basically mineral salts, so they also increase the salinity of the soil. As a result, even with additional expensive inputs, experience has shown that the volume and quality of crops decreases over time. In other words, it takes more to produce less. The goal of Farming for the future is to do the opposite – produce more using less.”

New methods improve soil and water quality and encourage biodiversity

Healthy soil also offers numerous benefits for the environment.

“When soil is healthy, it requires less irrigation because it is better able to retain water. It is also better able to bind carbon back into the earth, which helps mitigate against global warming and climate change,” says Susman, adding that soil erosion and loss of top soil are also reduced.

“Healthy soil also requires fewer chemical interventions, so these techniques also reduce chemical run-off into water systems, helping to maintain the quality of our water,” says Susman;

Susman explains, “Responsible management of water as a natural resource is a major concern in South Africa and a key focus under Farming for the future. Both on-farm crop irrigation practices, as well as management of waste water generated in fresh produce pack houses and processing facilities, form an integral part of the Farming for the future programme.”

Using fewer chemicals and pesticides also contributes to maintaining and encouraging biodiversity, both in and above the soil. This is of particular significance in South Africa, which is home to three of only 34 biodiversity ‘hotspots’ in the world and is, in fact, the third most bio diverse country on the planet. Farming for the future encourages biodiversity not only because a healthy field is a complex ecosystem which includes everything from microbes in the soil to the birds that enjoy a share of the crop, but as soils are not depleted, there is less need to continually clear new land for farming.

Farm workers also benefit in terms of reduced exposure to pesticides and herbicides.

No extra cost to consumers

More good news for South African consumers is that producing produce using Farming for the future methods costs no more than conventional farming. In fact, while yields and quality are more consistent, input costs for fertilisers and the lower necessity for agro-chemicals can reduce costs.

Supported by WWF

Woolworths Farming for the future initiative is supported by leading environmental organisation, WWF South Africa. Mark Botha, Head of Living Lands at WWF says, “Maintaining ecosystem integrity is a major challenge facing South African farmers. This includes issues of soil health, over-allocated and degraded water resources and biodiversity destruction. As key players in the food value chain, retailers and their suppliers can make a meaningful contribution to accelerating the adoption of better management practices in agriculture. We commend Woolworths for taking the lead in driving positive change in this competitive sector”.

Working with nature

In a nutshell, Farming for the future is a holistic approach based on working with nature instead of against it and combining the best of conventional farming with the best of organic farming. As Susman explains, “We will continue to pursue organic farming but the yields can be inconsistent. We realised this was not a large scale solution – rather a selective choice to offer our customers. We’ve learned a great deal from our experience with organic farming, for example about managing soil and plant health, as well as about integrated pest management. Now we’re able to apply these insights through Farming for the future”.

Virtually every aspect of the farming process is systematically and scientifically managed. “Rather than relying on past experience, and blanket formulae, interventions, such as irrigation or the application of fertiliser, are based on actual measurements and analysis,” says Susman. This means that water, chemicals or nutrients are only used if and when required.

While healthy soil is the principal key to producing healthy crops, soil microbial activity and soil minerals are only two of some seven areas that farmers have to monitor regularly. The others include plant health, pest control, water (both in terms of water requirements and management of waste water), and biodiversity.

Woolworths agricultural experts have been working closely with each individual produce farmer, ensuring that they understand the principles of Farming for the future, as well as how to carry out the assessments that help them manage their crop production.

Monitoring progress

Susman stresses that the introduction of Farming for the future techniques is a journey. Each farm has been individually and independently audited to establish its baseline use of Farming for the future methods and to set goals. Some farms, which have been practising these techniques for up to five years, are already more than 90 percent compliant. Farms will continue to be independently audited on an annual basis. Woolworths will be aided in this process by an internationally recognised, independent consulting service.

Woolworths customers will begin seeing the new farming for the future logo on some fresh produce this month. Produce from farms that are at least 75 percent compliant with the new Farming for the future criteria, will carry the full label; produce from farms that are from 50 percent to 74 percent compliant will carry an ‘in conversion’ label. By 2012, all locally grown fresh produce at Woolworths – which accounts for over 90 percent of Woolworths fresh produce – will either be certified organic or grown using Farming for the future methods. Currently more than 50 percent of Woolworths produce is farmed using these methods.

In conclusion Susman said, “Farming for the future is a significant paradigm shift and a giant leap forward on how we farm fresh produce in South Africa.  In my view, Farming for the future will help to secure the sustainability of South Africa’s soils, water resources and productive capacity in the long term. It is clearly kinder to the environment, better for true biodiversity and, best of all, yields and quality are more consistent and there is no extra cost to our customers.”

ENDS

NOTES FOR THE EDITOR

Woolworths Good business journey

The Good business journey, announced by Woolworths CEO in April 2007, is a far-reaching plan which incorporates a series of challenging targets and commitments centred on four key priorities – accelerating transformation, driving social development, enhancing Woolworth’s environmental focus and addressing climate change.

Woolworths currently sells a significant volume of the fresh produce sold in the formal retail sector in South Africa.

Consumer benefits of Farming for the future

• it does not cost customers more
• improves soil and water quality
• promotes water saving
• encourages biodiversity
• cares for the environment

How we measure Farming for the future

• Soil Mineral Management:

Farming for the future reduces the use of synthetic fertilisers by increasing on-farm nutrient cycling and makes use of measurements to determine if the minerals in the soil are correct. This is preferred to routine chemical use in conventional farming.

• Soil Microbe Management:

Farming for the future builds soil structure, soil microbial activity and soil carbon by reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides with increasing on-farm nutrient cycling.

• Pest Management:

Farming for the future employs integrated pest management principles in order to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides and herbicides. By reducing the use of chemicals, resistance to pesticides, possible chemical contamination of the environment and/or food, and health risks to spray operators are reduced.

• Plant Management:

Farming for the future improves the management of plants through leaf analysis, monitoring plants, seed treatment, foliar fertilising, fertigation, intercropping, growth stimulants, hydroponics and atmospheric management.

• Water Management:

Farming for the future optimises the use of water per kilogram of product produced and reduces the negative impact of poor water usage on the environment. Crops receive the optimum amount of water required rather than routine irrigation.

• Biodiversity Management:

Farming for the future helps improve biodiversity on each farm by managing the following: threatened eco-systems, invading alien plants, veldt-fires, corridors and habitat fragmentation, restoration and rehabilitation, game management in natural areas and the impact of agricultural by-products (plastic containers, plastic from hydroponics etc.).

• Waste Water Management:

Farming for the future helps prevent the negative impact of effluent water on the environment.

How does Farming for the Future compare with Conventional and Organic Farming?

For more information contact:

Babongile Dlamini

Woolworths Press Office
Telephone: 021 407 7700 / 082 782 3856

Woolworths websites:

The following information can be found at the website below:

• Press release.
• Video with CEO Simon Susman introducing Farming for the Future.
• A case study (video) using this technique on a supplier farm, Flip Nel.
• Audio questions and answers with Simon Susman. (also available as text.)

www.woolworthsholdings.co.za

Afrika: Dispatches from the outside edge

Kingsley Holgate’s latest book, Afrika Dispatches from the outside Edge, is a poignant account of his 449-day expedition along the entire edge of the African coastline which the legendary adventurer, author and philanthropist describes as “an epic journey to save and improve lives”.

The book details the events of the Afrika Outside Edge expedition, a 63 327km expedition which saw Kingsley and his family circumnavigate the African coast line. The journey took the Holgate family into 33 African countries where they distributed Malaria nets to save the lives of women and children from a disease that is estimated to kill two children in Africa every minute. Also linked to the expedition is the Right To Sight campaign which donates spectacles to poor-sighted people across the continent.

“Our book draws inspiration from Africa and her people, the continent’s vast and picturesque landscapes, beautiful sunsets and unforgettable hospitality and nature.  There was more than a few hairy moments along on the expedition, some of which we didn’t think we would get through, and although we certainly weren’t laughing at the time, we had a good giggle when putting the stories together for the book,” says Kingsley Holgate.

“When the exciting odyssey began at the Cape of Good Hope we knew we were up for perhaps the biggest and most exciting challenge of our lives; but anything is possible when you have the support of family, a dedicated crew, the ever helpful villagers that we met along the route and, of course, that secret stash of Cappies in our hidden tanks on the underside of the Landies,” continues Holgate.

The book is written in journal format and records experiences, both good and bad, from the 33 countries along the expedition route.

Day 449 of the journey, the day that the expedition team arrived back in South Africa, is perhaps the most emotional of the more than one year spent fighting malaria, driving through landmine infested areas and negotiating some of Africa’s most rugged terrain.  Kingsley recounts the elation of having made it back to South Africa in one piece.  The day of their arrival coincided with Nelson Mandela’s birthday and emptying the calabash into the Atlantic Ocean to mark their return was, as expected, a very happy and emotional experience.

Afrika Dispatches from the Outside Edge is Kingsley Holgate’s fourth novel; it’s a book about hope, survival and the author’s relationship with the continent to which he has devoted to the lives of women and children of Africa.

Afrika Dispatches from the outside Edge is now available at all leading book stores across the country.

Give-away:

Captain Morgan Black Label is giving away a limited edition autographed copy of Kingsley’s book.  To qualify, become a Captain’s Mate at www.captainmorgan.co.za – you will also receive information about Kingsley’s upcoming expeditions.

Not for sale to persons under the age of 18. Drink Responsibly.

Issued on behalf of Captain Morgan Black Label and Brandhouse Beverages (Pty) Ltd

Ends

About brandhouse:

Brandhouse Beverages (Pty) Ltd was formed on 1 July 2004 as a joint venture between Diageo, Heineken International and Namibia Breweries Ltd. It is South Africa’s leading premium drinks company with an unrivalled portfolio of brands across the spirits, beer and cider categories. These include Johnnie Walker, J&B, Smirnoff, Bells, Baileys, Jose Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Amstel, Heineken, Windhoek, Foundry, and Guinness among others.

For more information about brandhouse, its people, and brands visit us at www.brandhouse.co.za.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere, responsibly.

For further information please contact:

FD Beachhead

Sandra Sampayo                    021 487 9000 /079 1676863 sandra.sampayo@fd.com

Dumezulu Maphophe             021 487 9000 /082 3334659 dumezulu.maphophe@fd.com

Woolworths and Engen have installed recycling facilities for paper, cardboard, glass and plastic at selected Engen service stations in the Western Cape as part of their commitment to reducing landfill waste and protecting the environment.

The trail is conducted at 8 sites with a view to roll the recycling facilities out across the country.

The recycling pilot project is being run in partnership with Nampak who will collect the waste as part of its existing recycling routes and distribution networks and ensure it is recycled.

Justin Smith, Woolworths Good business journey manager says, “We know that, like us, our customers are concerned about the wellbeing of our planet and want to recycle their waste. We want to make it easier for them. For some, dropping recycling waste off at a local service station that they may visit anyway, will be a convenient solution.”

Smith says, “Recycling waste is a fundamental pillar of Woolworths Good business journey, our plan to help our planet, our country and our communities. Our philosophy has always been to address the concerns of our customers. Reducing and recycling packaging is high on their list of priorities. We believe this innovative initiative will provide a convenient solution to this challenge. In conjunction with the recycling programme we continue to make progress on our own targets to reduce foods and clothing packaging.”

Pierr Roodt, National Marketing Manager, Retail, for Engen Petroleum says, “It makes perfect sense, with our footprint of conveniently located sites across the country, we can provide South Africans with an easy and convenient solution for their recycling. Our customers can now drop off their recycling either when refueling or by making a quick stop at our sites en-route to work, home or dropping the children off at school.

The petroleum industry is as challenged as any other industry in meeting its sustainability and carbon reduction targets. This collaborative project will therefore make a meaningful contribution in encouraging and assisting all South Africans to embrace the concept of recycling. The initiative also demonstrates how large corporate companies can team up and combine resources to protect our environment.”

Nampak says, “Nampak Recycling is very proud to be a partner in this joint project with Woolworths and Engen. We commend them for their commitment in greening our environment and encourage other corporate companies to involve themselves in similar initiatives.”

June Josephs-Langa, CEO of Indalo Yethu, the South African Government’s environmental campaign, says, “It is the small changes we make today which will have a major impact on the world we have tomorrow. We are excited to endorse this groundbreaking initiative from the private sector and look forward to the national rollout. Working together as South Africans to reduce the volume of waste that goes to landfill through recycling, we can restore the environment, and tackle climate change bin by bin! I encourage others in the private sector to follow this sterling and practical step toward greater sustainability in their own operations.”

Barry Coetzee Head of Integrated Waste Management, Strategy & Policy for the City of Cape Town, says, “Managing our ever growing municipal land fill sites is a challenge we should all be concerned about. We believe this initiative has the potential to make a real difference in the medium to long term.”

The trial begins today and the results of the pilot will determine the national expansion of the recycling campaign.

Recycling tips

Justin Smith, manager for Woolworths Good business journey, reminds customers to follow these simple recycling guidelines to ensure their waste is disposed of appropriately:

• Rinse the glass, cans, and plastic containers before putting them into the recycling bins. This will ensure that your recyclables don’t start to smell, and it decreases the contamination of the materials for recycling.
• Squash plastic, tins and boxes prior to putting them in the relevant bin.  Squashing means that less space is taken up, and more material can be transported in one go, reducing transport costs and emissions.
• Choose products that are reusable rather than disposable.
• Choose products that have recyclable packaging rather than disposable packaging

Ends

Issued by:

FD Beachhead

Sandra Sampayo                       021 487 9000 / 079 167 6863

Dani Cohen                              021 487 9000 / 082 897 0443

For more information

Woolworths Press Office         021 407 7700 / 082 782 3856

Pilot sites

Kingsley Holgate, Africa’s epic adventurer and philanthropist can now be followed on Twitter where he will give live updates about his expeditions, his upcoming book and the work he and his family team are doing across the continent to improve the lives of underprivileged communities.

Kingsley Holgate says:  “I took note of a community on Facebook that has been started as a tribute to what we do, and noticed the power of social networking. Through my Twitter profile I will be able to communicate with followers in Africa and anywhere else across the globe. This tool will also enable me to spread the message about the social upliftment initiatives such as the campaign against malaria, the Rite to Sight campaign, the provision of mobile libraries, learning materials and Lifestraws for purified water.”

Kingsley Holgate has just concluded his most recent feat, the Boundless Southern Africa Expedition, which took him across nine countries in Southern Africa. The 15,500 km coast to coast journey took 120 days and linked seven transfrontier conservation areas, more than 30 national parks and nature reserves and more importantly the communities that live in and alongside these wildlife areas. It was all about nature, culture and community.

Kingsley will send regular feeds to his profile and his followers will have an opportunity to suggest new ideas for his adventures by linking to the Captain Morgan Black Label site on www.captainmorgan.co.za. Followers will get live feeds about Kingsley’s forthcoming book and he will also be able to reply to questions asked by other Twitterers.

“My journeys have taken me to different parts of Africa where I have been privileged to meet thousands of people of many cultures and creeds. Through Twitter I hope to be able to stay in close touch with people who care about community work and keep the legendary spirit of adventure alive,” says Holgate.

“When Kingsley sets off on his journeys, everyone can join him on his adventures via Twitter and be able to interact with him directly. Twitter has a total of 6 million unique monthly visitors and 55 million monthly visits globally. As one of the few modern day adventurers and philanthropists Kingsley will provide unique and intriguing content for those who will be following him,” said Lizanne Bartlett, Marketing Manager Rum and Tequila for brandhouse, a long time supporter and sponsor of Kingsley Holgate.

Go to www.twitter.com to follow Kingsley Holgate (@kingsleyholgate).

For more information on Kingsley go to www.kingsleyholgate.co.za.

Not for sale to persons under the age of 18. Drink Responsibly.

-ENDs-

Issued on behalf of Captain Morgan Black Label and Brandhouse Beverages (Pty) Ltd

For further information please contact:

FD Beachhead

Sandra Sampayo                              021 487 9000 /079 1676863 sandra.sampayo@fd.com

Dumezulu Maphophe                    021 487 9000 /082 3334659 dumezulu.maphophe@fd.com

The lack of transparency in the way that airfares are published online and in print advertising is stifling the travel industry. This is frustrating travellers and, according to online travel website Travelstart, will only serve to give the entire travel industry a bad name.

Travelstart believes that travel agencies, airlines and tour operators need to keep the customer in mind when advertising fares and is calling for the industry to stop confusing and frustrating its clients by being inconsistent and duplicitous in the way they advertise and quote fares.

Although base fares have remained constant, mandatory taxes, booking fees and fuel surcharges fluctuate, prompting travel agents and airlines to advertise base rates without fees or taxes. This aims to entice travellers into the sales office or website, but once there, they are often disappointed when the agent quotes a completely different and inflated fare. In a recent survey conducted by Travelstart amongst nearly 9000 travellers, 99.2% of respondents said that when they research travel fares, they prefer to see the full price upfront, including all taxes and fees.

“Why not just show the full fare and save the traveller the disappointment from the onset? It is not good business practice, nor ethical, to mislead travellers by advertising rates that do not reflect the full price, and it is going to lead to mistrust amongst customers, which is not good for the industry. At Travelstart, our philosophy is to make it easy for our customers by showing them exactly what they’re paying for upfront, so there should be no reason why everybody else can’t do this as well,” says Travelstart CEO and founder, Stephan Ekbergh.

A roundtrip airfare from Cape Town to London Heathrow, for example, is a reasonable R6500.00 on South African Airways — until you reach the end of the booking process and the fare jumps to R9421.00 as a result of hidden taxes, fees and fuel surcharges.

“A solution would be for government to enforce transparency in the way the industry advertises and quotes fares. This is the case in Europe, where a new transparency legislation was passed in November 2008. It will take a while for this to become a reality in South Africa, but in the meanwhile, customers are suffering and are not getting what they want – and because of this, we believe it is our duty to outline this issue and call on the industry to be more honest,” continues Ekbergh.

Travelstart seeks to challenge the conception of customer service within the travel agent industry. Their push for price transparency forms part of its commitment to ensure customer satisfaction.

“The travel agent’s role is to make dreams comes true, and it is important to remember that relationships are built on trust and ethics.  Misleading clients is like having a one-night-stand, and everyone knows that a once off affair is not likely to produce a second date,” concludes Ekbergh.

Ends

About Travelstart

Travelstart is an online booking site targeting global citizens and travellers. At www.travelstart.co.za customers can search and book flights, hotel, cars and holiday packages in a safe and convenient way. Travelstart’s aim is to provide compelling prices and superior customer experience.

Founder and CEO Stephan Ekbergh established Travelstart in Sweden in 1999. Today Travelstart is a global company with presence in 10 markets, with its South African office located in the heart of Cape Town.