AFRICA’S LEADING HOTEL BOOKING PLATFORM LAUNCHES OFFICE IN DAR ES SALAAM
(Posted 17th April 2015)
The new age in travel is taking Africa by storm as the growing internet penetration by business and society at large keeps growing in leaps and bounds. e-Transactions, like mobile money use which was pioneered in East Africa, are set to take over from the conventional methods of bookings services with airlines, car hire and hotels and it is the latter where thousands of hotels, resorts and safari camps have signed up with Jovago.com to become visible and allow potential guests to book, pay and get an instant confirmation, on their phone, tablet or from their laptop or home computer.
It was perhaps this recognition which prompted Jovago.com to set up shop in Dar es Salaam – rumour has it that Kampala will be next – to tap into the Tanzanian market with a vigour.
Wrote Lillian Gaitho, PR Manager of Jovago.com in East Africa, when she passed on some of the information a few hours ago:
Africa’s largest Online Hotel Booking Portal-Jovago.com, announced today the opening of an office in Dar es Salaam this May. The office will be the company’s first in Tanzania, in a move aimed at bringing service development and business management closer to the Tanzanian market. Drawing its human resource from the young and skillful Tanzanian youth, it will add to the existing 13% of Tanzanian workforce who rely on the tourism industry.
Jovago’s presence comes in response to the regional demand and growth in online bookings. This is well indicated in a recent regional survey which placed online hotel bookings at 37% while a report by UNWTO put online travel related activity at 59% worldwide. Tanzania has also shown great interest and potential in growing this tech-savvy-tourism sector, with more than six hundred (600) hotels in Tanzania now partnering with www.jovago.com hence creating the largest network of hotels in Tanzania.
‘This new proximity to both our customers and partner-hotels is a key driver in both business development and effective customer service´ said Estelle Verdier, the Managing Director of Jovago.com East and Southern Africa, ‘Dar es Salaam is a favourable location in the East Africa region since, in addition to offering a gateway to diverse continental touristic destinations and playing a big role as one of the region’s port cities, the Swahili hospitality and language offers a platform to bring unique service to the Tanzanian population’.
The offices will have a fully-fledged Customer Service team serving both English and Swahili clients, as well as the needs of the Tanzanian Hotel Industry stakeholders.
Jovago.com’s office will be located along Garden Road, Mikocheni to join the rest of Dar-based ventures by Africa Internet Group. Jovago’s further expansion to Dar es Salaam is evidence that the region’s tourism industry is determined to grow despite numerous challenges. The new offices joins the rest of the three African capital offices in Nairobi, Lagos and Dakar at a time of record growth, well reflected through the numerous recent corporate Partnerships with Tigo Pesa, UNICEF and Precision Air as well as in the 20,000 plus hotel partners in Africa.
‘This is a positive step in achieving the set target of hitting 2 million tourist arrivals in Tanzania by 2017’ added Verdier while noting that it’s also an advantage for Dar residents, expatriates and tourists who choose the beautiful city for both leisure and business.
The company would understandably not comment on other offices being set up in East Africa, like in Kampala as has been suggested, but it is only a matter of time before a physical presence will be established in more capitals across the region, if for nothing else by to make sure that the pole position the company now occupies remains theirs for some time to come.
