Nqobile Tours & Safaris

Placement organization

Name of organization: Nqobile Tours & Safaris
Town/city: Blantyre
Country: Malawi
Website:

Name of student: Mona Weischnur

Specialist area: ITTI
Placement period: 2013-2014

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tour Operator
Organization’s activities: Nqobile Tours & Safaris is a travel service in Blantyre, Malawi. The company specializes in creating tailor made tours in Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania. Since its founding in 2007 Nqobile has been able to enjoy a steady growth and has partnered up with many successful tour companies in Malawi. Nqobile books accommodations in lodges, hotels and also at campsites for its clients. In addition, they provide transport to and from tourist destinations like game reserves or national parks in Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania. Also, vehicle transfers to and from these destinations are available. Activities that can be enjoyed at each destination are booked as part of the travel packages.
Target group of the organization: Europe
Company culture: Nqobile Tours & Safaris was founded by Annie Virtanen in 2007. She is the directing manager of Nqobile Tours & Safaris. Next to her, her husband Joonas Virtanen is co-manager at Nqobile. Both Annie and Joonas live in Finland and try to visit the local office in Blantyre once a year. Nqobile’s team also includes Victoria, she is the newest tour consultant at Nqobile Tours & Safaris. As Nqobile Tours & Safaris is a small company every employee has a high responsibility for every department. Moreover, the relationship between the employees is very informal and family like.
Number of employees: 3
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? I worked in all departments as I was not treated like an intern I was in charge of all office activities.
Brief description of your daily activities: Check/answer emails, answer phone calls, book transfers/accommodation, request rates, create itineraries, create invoices/receipts, customer handling, day-to-day transactions, company facebook/skype (marketing), visit to partner companies, weekly reports to manager,… etc.
Brief description of your company assignment: Nqobile Tours & Safaris company assignment was to research if the company could expand their current product range by adding a rural tourism trip to their products. This project was done in cooperation with the Nqobile Foundation. Annie Virtanen founded the Nqobile Foundation which aims to empower women and children of a small African village named Thondoya through support in education through nearby schools. The new product should also be profitable for the people of Thondoya.
The research report (company assignment) determined how a rural tourism trip to Thondoya could be well executed and which target group it addresses. Moreover, it explained how it benefits the local community of Thondoya and the tour operator.

Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: I had two supervisors: One was my boss Annie Virtanen who was communicating with me through skype whenever it was needed. The other one was my local supervisor at the office, Victoria. Moreover, I stayed with Annie’s family for the period of the placement and the building in which Nqobile’s office is located is owned by her family. Therefore, the whole family was always present at the office and at home.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, Stress-proof, Flexible
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office
English: Intermediate
Spanish:
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages:

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Company
How did you go to work every day? By car (with the boss’s family)

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: Immigration Office in Blantyre, Malawi
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes
How long in advance? 2 Months

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? No

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 1000
Accommodation (monthly): € 200
Local transport (monthly): € 0
General costs of living (monthly): € 100
Costs of visa: € 80
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? I did not receive any compensation. I did go on a one-day trip on the companies expense. However, with the 200€ rent I paid to my boss’s family each month they provided me with transportation to/from work, all meals/drinks, accommodation, and wifi.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
Read two books before departure, google, youtube, boss’s instructions
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? Yes, Malawians are very religious so their religion plays a big role at work. Also, English is not their strong language so sometimes there were communication difficulties.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: mona.weischnur@web.de

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Malawi is a beautiful country with so many places to visit. I would definitely recommend travelling before/during/after your placement. I did have an amazing placement concerning what I learned about the tourism industry. I was basically in charge of everything due to some unfortunate circumstances. However, it is difficult to make friends as you are not able to leave the property when its dark outside due to safety reasons. Annie’s family is wonderful and very caring and loving but you will have a lot of time on your own. Therefore, I recommend bringing lots of books with you. You should be able to be with yourself a lot and also have an open mind when it comes to religion. Also electricity, internet, and water supplies struggle occasionally and can be expected. It is definitely best to stay with Annie’s family as they are able to introduce you to many African traditions and beliefs.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: There is a beautiful pool in walking distance which costs less than 2€ to stay at for the day. Moreover, the city of Blantyre offers a shopping mall, movie theater, and many national parks and mountains surrounding it.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link