LONDON-- April 21, 1999 -- Pierre Kleinhans, CEO of Leisureplanet,
was one of the featured speakers at the Goldman Sachs "E-commerce Comes
to Europe" conference in London, Friday 16th April.
Mr. Kleinhans addressed the topic of the impact of e-commerce on the
travel industry, identifying the $150 billion leisure travel industry as
the area to be most significantly impacted by e-commerce. Introducing his
company, Mr. Kleinhans stated that Leisureplanet was
the first travel e-commerce company to sign multinational contracts
with major Internet portal companies in Europe. In his opinion the only
proven model to secure dominant Internet distribution was through a combination
of portal deals and building a strong affiliate network.
He stated that Leisureplanet would continue to aggressively pursue this
strategy.
According to Mr. Kleinhans, other key areas that will determine industry
leaders are:
-
On-line brand development, which is enhanced by the portal e-commerce partnerships,
and the large-scale advertising buy this provides on the web;
-
Superior customer service, which in a demanding 24-hour shopping environment
such as the Internet plays a crucial role in brand development. Leisureplanet
is working to enhance this process through a number of proprietary personalization
techniques;
-
A focus on ease of use and product range to ensure optimal functionality
while meeting a wide range of user needs. Leisureplanet will continue to
exploit its competence in content to build customer confidence and brand
loyalty by addressing these issues on a continual basis.
In
summary, Mr. Kleinhans stated that the Internet has created an environment
where traditional travel agency companies have lost the first mover advantage.
Consumers are attracted to the new medium as they identify Internet players
like Leisureplanet as a source of empowerment. Leisureplanet's understanding
of the new medium will enable it to retain and develop consumer loyalty
through one-to-one relationships with the aim of continuing to create a
rapidly growing pool of registered users.
Founded in 1995, Leisureplanet is an Internet-based international travel
services company with the world's largest image-rich hotel database; flight,
car and hotel reservation facilities; and comprehensive proprietary travel
guides for more than 180 travel destinations. Leisureplanet is committed
to achieving leadership in global travel e-commerce through offering tailored
services in European and other international markets. Operations include
multi-lingual call center and customer support facilities, two electronic
publishing units, an information system and web site development unit,
a hotel recruitment center in addition to a local travel agency partner
network.
Leisureplanet offers choice, competitive price and customer service.
The company is in the process of deploying localized web sites supported
by local customer service agents in European and other international markets.
Each local web site will provide a
comprehensive selection of competitively priced travel products for
local consumers, presented in the local language.
Leisureplanet is 81%-owned by First South Africa Corp., Ltd. (Nasdaq:FSACF),
a publicly traded investment company whose holdings also include businesses
in various industries, including value-added convenience foods and leisure
products. First South Africa plans to
seek shareholder approval to change its name to Leisureplanet Holdings
Ltd. at its next Annual Meeting of Shareholders on April 29.
The statements contained in this press release that are not historical
facts are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties,
including but not limited to risks associated with the uncertainty of future
financial results, additional financing requirements, development of new
products, regulatory approval processes, the impact of competitive products
or pricing, technological changes, the effect of economic conditions and
other uncertainties detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. |