25 March 2008

Dollar rate prompts operators and others to promote South Africa

When even Canada is too expensive  --   not to mention London and Paris  --  where do US travelers head for when looking for an oversea destination?

One answer is South Africa.

That country retains a very favorable exchange rate of approximately 8.17 Rands per US Dollar as of the middle of this month.

ââ¬ÅâœThatââ¬â¢s up from about 7.1 Rand per US dollar just six months ago, and compared with the slide against myriad other currencies, quite a bargain, indeed,ââ¬~ says a news release.

US travelers find South Africa offers a variety of luxurious vacation options, including hotel and game lodge accommodations, restaurants and recreation comparable to the finest offerings from Europe.

Wine-lovers also find the countryââ¬â¢s wine regions are known around the world, and thereââ¬â¢s a 1,790 mile coast.

Tourism officials say TripAdvisor.com search found a four-star hotel room in Paris could run between $750-800 USD per night for a standard room. Current rates at The Westcliff, a world-renowned four-star hotel in Johannesburg, start at $459 USD with the current exchange rate.

In keeping with the theme of saving American travelers money on their South African vacation, many tour operators are offering affordable, air-inclusive packages.

One such example is from South African Airways Vacations, the official vacations package division of South African Airways in North America, which is offering their ââ¬ÅâœSouth Africa In Styleââ¬~ package for $1,999 USD. This package includes roundtrip economy airfare from New York or Washington; 4 nights accommodations at a choice of five-star hotels, and 2 nights at Jackalberry Lodge, a luxury game lodge in the Timbavati Private Game Reserve.

The package also includes six breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, game drives at Jackalberry Lodge, ground transfers, and domestic flights within South Africa.

Report by David Wilkening

• PRINT
• SEND TO A FRIEND
• SHARE

Post your comment

Your Comments (1)

, be the first to post a comment.
Your email:

Your comment title:


Your comment:

Email other comments made to this story

5 characters

• Questionable costs?
  
  

  Are travellers who think $459 USD a night a bargain, that price sensitive? And do these same travellers - the ones who pay $459 USD a night - buy economy flights to South Africa? That's a good 15 hours in the air from JFK. You might pay these rates if you're booking yourself, but surely to god, there's a travel agent out there who can do better for you. There's something about the price comparisons that doesn't make sense. If the average price of a hotel room in Paris was $700-$800 a night I suspect the lights on city tourism would soon be turned off. Given that the bulk of people who go to Paris only return to their rooms to sleep and shower, it seems disingenuous to only look at four-star accommodation. This seems more like a comparison between a banana and crepe.

  By Allan Lynch, Thursday, March 27, 2008