Tourism That Cares Collection

Placement organization

Name of organization: Tourism That Cares Collection
Town/city: Cape Town
Country: Zuid-Afrika
Website: http://www.tourismthatcares.com/

Name of student: Bas van Asperdt

Specialist area: MTT
Placement period: 2013-2014

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Inbound touroperator
Organization’s activities: The Tourism That Cares Collection offers tailor-made travel solutions for various niche markets. We deal with all sorts of clients, from international students and their families, to 5-star VIP clients, film-actors, CEO’s, etc. The Tourism That Cares Collections includes the following brands: Tourism That Cares, Luxury African Safari, Serene Honeymoons. At the end of 2014, a forth brand will be released: Student Travel Africa.
Target group of the organization: Students, families, 5-star VIP’s, etc. (see above)
Company culture: The Tourism That Cares Collection is a small family, which results in a very friendly and informal culture.
Number of employees: 4
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Since Tourism That Cares is a very small company, there are no such things as departments.
Brief description of your daily activities: I’ve been working as an all-round employee. This means my boss showed me all facets of the business, from marketing trips, meeting clients and service suppliers, making personalized quotes, bookings, and finalizing all documentations for clients.
Brief description of your company assignment: I’ve made a marketing research assignment. The goal of my assignment was to analyse some of our competing travel agencies, look which marketing tools they used, and how we could learn from these businesses. The main focus was on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and how we could implement these in our business model. I also made several recommendations about the company’s strategy for the coming years.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Because it is a very small company (only 4 people), supervision was excellent. I got the opportunity to see every aspect of the business, and learned a lot.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? involvement, studious, flexible, well organizes
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office
English: Advanced
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? Car

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes, Exchange permit
Do you need a work permit? Equals Exchange permit as mentioned above
How did you arrange the necessary documents:
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance?

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): € 900
Accommodation (monthly): € 250
Local transport (monthly): € Cheap
General costs of living (monthly): € Cheap
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? Petrol costs for business trips

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
Not. South Africa and especially Western Cape have a large European history. It might be a good idea to check your history facts about South Africa before you come here.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? No

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: basvanasperdt@gmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Just do it. And don’t let people tell you scary things about safety. As long as you don’t act stupid, it is just as unsafe as Amsterdam at night.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Cape Town is one of the most amazing cities I’ve ever visited. Beautiful nature, excellent and cheap nightlife, beaches,..

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link