SOUTH AFRICA: Travelcheck.co.za Starts In South Africa

Online travel agency Travelcheck has launched in South Africa. The new company is a privately funded venture and offers flight and hotel bundles, online booking for all major airlines, and more than 300 000 hotels around the world.

Travelcheck.co.za differentiates from other online booking websites with a dynamic packages feature which enables travellers to custom create holidays.

Pre-defined packages are available to book should travellers desire recommendations.

“We are excited to launch Travelcheck in South Africa,” said CEO, Odette Faling. “Travellers can save up to 25 per cent by booking flights and hotels in a bundle rather than reserving these components separately, and features such as dynamic packages will give South Africans more choices when booking travel online.”

The flight search engine features ‘Quick Share’ to facilitate seamless itinerary and price sharing to third-party messaging apps such as WhatsApp directly from the search results page.

Mix & Match allows travellers to book more than one airline in the same ticket – for example, travellers can choose to fly from Cape Town to London on British Airways and return on Turkish Airlines without booking separate segments.

Travelcheck has partnered with third parties to offer useful ancillaries which can be added during the online booking, including: lost luggage insurance, a cancellation and refund policy and flight ticket amendments.

The website takes EFT and credit card payments (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diners Club), and customers can also complete payment over the phone. Travelcheck customer service agents are active from Monday to Sunday inside business hours, and after-hours support is available around-the-clock to assist with urgent reservations.

Dynamic packages and bundled bookings have helped travellers in more developed markets save time and money. We’re enthusiastic about being the first to bring this technology to South Africa, said Faling.

Travelcheck is a proudly South African online travel agency that offers innovative international technology to simplify the travel planning and booking process, for you, our valuable client.

Travelcheck, provides you with the convenience of comparing and booking flights and hotels that are perfectly suited to your travel needs.

Thanks to a smart search engine, you now have a travel gateway right at your fingertips and can search, customize and build your very own holiday package. There are multiple accommodation and flight options to choose from; you will be spoilt for choice.

Travelcheck allows you to tailor your accommodation and flights to suit your individual needs perfectly.

The price range of the trip, the type of flight, the flight duration, the location of the flight layover, the flight departure and arrival time, luggage allowance, meal preference and so much more can all be arranged, in one single place, our website.

Once your trip has been selected, you can simply complete the reservation process, by proceeding with payment, which is simple, straightforward, and safe. Payment at Travelcheck.co.za is secured by the most reliable security and is fully Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant.

We at Travelcheck aim to bring South Africans a seamless experience by dynamically packaging their travel needs in an affordable and convenient way.

You will have complete control over selecting exactly what you want. The ticket reservation process at Travelcheck.co.za is simple and fast, giving users an enjoyable, hassle-free purchasing experience.

We look forward to delivering a dream holiday to you and yours. Your next vacation is as close as a click of a button.


Tourism Observer

INDIA; Pakistani Envoy For Liberal Visa Regime For Religious Tourism

Pakistan would like a liberalised visa regime with India to facilitate pilgrimages across the border and boost religious tourism, according to Abdul Basit, Pakistan's High Commissioner to India.

"We would like to see our visa regime liberalised in the context of religious tourism so that people can visit easily and freely from both sides," Basit said here today.

The Pakistani envoy was speaking at the launch of a book "Lost Heritage: The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan" by Singapore-based author Amardeep Singh.

According to Basit, religious tourism is scheduled to be one of the major talking points once the two countries resume dialogue, in an attempt to enable more Indians to travel to the neighbouring country for pilgrimage.

"There have been many proposals as to how to facilitate more Sikh pilgrims going to Pakistan and in this context I can tell you that recently the two governments agreed that they will have religious tourism as one of the main subjects of the dialogue process.

"So, we hope as and when our dialogue resumes, religious tourism will become an important subject of our discussions.

The two sides will be able to take concrete steps towards promoting religious tourism because there is deep mutual desire to facilitate religious tourism," he said.

Referring to several failed attempts towards having a "corridor" for easier travel of citizens across the border, the Ambassador said it could materialise only if the two countries "stick together and work together".

"Unfortunately for decades now, we have been reflecting on this but so far we have not been able to move ahead into implementing the proposal of having a corridor," he said.

Urging for support from India, he said, "I can assure you that our incumbent government under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is very much committed towards doing this. Now it takes two to tango."

The book "Lost Heritage: The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan" chronicles the author's month-long travel in Pakistan and gives an insight into the Sikh heritage in the neighbouring country between the 15th and the 21st centuries.

Disagreeing with the author over the "lost" heritage, Basit said the Pakistan government takes minorities "very seriously" and has been preserving their heritage.

"Although they form 2-3 per cent of our total population, they are an important part of our national mosaic. And, there is simply no reason we can dispense with our minorities.

"We are proud that all minorities including Sikhs are contributing immensely to our national development. We share this heritage and we take great pride in it. So, there is no question that Pakistan should do anything that would be against the interest of the minorities," he said.

The Pakistani envoy said his government had formed a separate ministry for minorities and given them quota in government and educational institutions.

He said the Hindu population in Pakistan had gone up from 1.3 per cent to 1.6 per cent since Partition.

"Out of the 23 per cent of the Hindu population in Pakistan, more than 21 per cent were in the then East Pakistan and not West Pakistan. So, today you will be surprised to know that Hindu minority in Pakistan has actually increased from 1.3 to 1.6 per cent contrary to what the general opinion of the facts are," he said.

PERU: EU Eliminates Schengen Visa Requirement For Peru, Colombia

The European Union has eliminated the visa requirement for Peruvians and Colombians who want to visit countries belonging to the open-border Schengen pact. The deal will now be sent to each member state for ratification.

The elimination of the visa requirements will allow citizens of Peru and Colombia to skip a lengthy administrative process before being able to visit family members in countries like Italy and Spain.

Once the E.U. member states ratify the deal, along with Peru and Colombia, citizens from the South American countries will be able to freely travel to most of Europe receive a 90-day tourist visa upon arrival, just as European visitors are received in Peru.

“This is a historic day for Colombia and Peru,” said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos after signing the treaty at the European Commission offices in the Belgian capital of Brussels.

Eliminating the visa requirement is effectively an endorsement by the European Union that opening its borders to Peru and Colombia will not stoke crime and illegal immigration. Peru and Colombia are two of the last large Latin American countries whose citizens still require a visa to visit mainland Europe. Countries whose citizens will still need to apply for a visa before traveling include Bolivia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Ecuador.

“Peru has maintained important economic growth, reducing poverty and inequality,” President Ollanta Humala said. “This is an acknowledgement of our country, which is working and moving forward thanks to the effort of the people.”

While the signing of the pact may be historic, it does not imply Peruvians can begin traveling to Europe. First, the deal will have to be translated into the dozens of languages of the 26 Schengen countries after which each country’s parliament has to individually ratify the pact. This process can last months, and it is unlikely the visa exemption will take force before December.

The Schengen countries include almost all of continental Europe. Non-E.U. member states which are members of the Schengen pact include include Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus are currently not included but are in proceedings to join the visa-free travel union.

E.U. countries which do not participate in the free-travel Schengen-visa area include the United Kingdom and Ireland.

TANZANIA: Tanzania Visa Requirements For Nigerian Travelers

Contrary to what most people think, a visa is required by Nigerians as well as many other countries including the United States for entry into Tanzania.

Visa is issued at the Tanzania High Commission in Abuja ONLY.

This grants tourists and other type of visitors the authorization to enter the country through designated entry ports; airports and harbour stations.

However, for travelers coming from countries that do not have designated embassies or commissions, they will be issued visa at the entry ports in Tanzania.

There are no direct flights from Lagos to Dar Es Salaam. Airlines like Ethiopian, Emirates and Kenya Airways ply that route from Nigeria for as low as N120,000 depending on the travel dates.

Below are the visa requirements for Nigerians;

Two passport photographs
A valid International Passport (Valid for at least 3 months from date of application)
An introduction letter.
An Invitation letter (If you are being invited over) or Confirmed Hotel Reservation.
Confirmed Flight Reservation
Visa Fee: ( Cash Payment is made at the High Commission)
A valid Yellow Fever Card (This is mandatory and cannot be excused)
All copies of any previous Visa Rejection Notice from any other Embassy
Bank statement (Not compulsory though)

Visa Fee(s)

Regular Fees: ₦11,150 for holiday, visit, conference, workshop and official. ₦19,800 for business
Express Fees: ₦15,500 for holiday, visit, conference, workshop and official ₦25,500 for business

Opening days: Monday to Friday from 8:00am – 3:00pm

Visa Fees should be paid at any UBA Bank Plc after verification of visa application documents at the Tanzania High Commission

Note:

The commission do not have an office in Lagos, only in Abuja.
Yellow fever vaccination card id required
All refusal notice from other embassies are required
Courier applications are not acceptable
Application should be made in person except for Government Officials, Agencies and Religious Groups
No Visa appointment booking is required
All applications should be submitted before 12:00 noon
Passport collection will be done from 2:00pm Monday – Friday
Visa process/issue will take two working days upon submission

Abuja High Commission:

No 21, Yedseram Street (Opposite ALGON Building, by IG House), Maitama, Abuja

Note: you can contact visa@flynaija.com if you need us to help with the hotel and flight reservation or help with entire process.

KAZAKHSTAN: Air Astana To Fly To Dubai In October

Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s flag-carrier, has confirmed it will re-launch services between Astana and Dubai on October 25th.

The non-stop flight will be operated four times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays using an Airbus A320.

The service from Dubai to Astana offers greater convenience to Dubai based passengers as well as those located in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Additionally, timely connections will be offered to international transit passengers travelling from Urumqi (China), Omsk (Russia) and Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan).

“Air Astana is fully committed to expanding the route network from Astana, with the re-launch to Dubai following the recent introduction of new services from the capital to Paris, Seoul and Tbilisi,” said Peter Foster, president, Air Astana.

“With Kazakhstan and UAE enjoying strengthening links in business, finance, tourism and culture, I’m confident that the new service will be extremely popular with passengers travelling between Astana and Dubai.”

The minimum cost of a round trip economy class ticket from Astana to Dubai, including all fees, is US$ 468 and a business class ticket is US$ 2,107 during low season and US$ 2,667 during high season.

Tickets can be booked at the Air Astana website www.airastana.com, where UAE visas can also be issued.

Air Astana commenced regular flight operations on May 15th 2002 and currently operates a network of over 60 international and domestic routes from hubs in Almaty and Astana.

Air Astana operates a fleet of 30 aircraft including three Boeing 767-300ER, five Boeing 757-200, thirteen Airbus A320 family aircraft and nine Embraer E-190.

Both accolades were repeated in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Air Astana is a joint venture between Kazakhstan’s national wealth fund, Samruk Kazyna, and BAE Systems, with respective shares of 51 per cent and 49 per cent.