Page 45 - Gondwana Collection Namibia Value Creation Report 2021

GROWING OUR VALUE

We collaborate with various partners to promote Brand Namibia Digital strategy We are developing the skills to drive digital projects, including Introducing The Lab Future strategic focus areas
and reach as broad an audience as possible: The proof of our success dealing with bookings systems, integrations, data management
We monitor online visitor numbers and online behaviour Developing our digital and application development. We are also improving our data The demand for an Regional expansion
Namibian Tourism to increase our conversion rates and to adapt our aggregation and analysis capabilities.
Board sales strategy. We use the TrustYou brand reputation Our CRM system assists with customer segmentation and promoting Our regional expansion plans will
management platform to determine if the Gondwana capabilities is critical Gondwana to a broad range of customers. It allows us to test exceptional customer
brand is strong, vibrant and healthy. different campaigns and better profile potential customers. This diversify our revenues while
Our NamibiaCam webcam subscribers grew from to navigating the Fourth includes keeping track of their progress on our website, including experience is growing, broadening our impact.
CNN 9 000 subscribers in November 2021 to 160 000 by what pages they viewed and how long they spent on each page. The
January 2022. Industrial Revolution. CRM system allows us to disseminate single messages throughout especially among We are considering expansion to neighbouring countries.
our platforms and consolidate data on a single dashboard. The two biggest destinations on our radar are Cape Town
With more travellers booking travel online, the online travel Other focus areas for the year included: millennials. and Victoria Falls. These have world-class tourist attractions.
Fly Namibia market has seen significant growth. We need to invest in our Our regional expansion plans depend on the outcome of our
VISITORS TO THE digital capabilities to participate in tourism over the longer term. ○ Automation and digitalisation: The IT Team considered the In 2021, we established a new department called The Lab to business interruption insurance claim and the speed of tourism
GONDWANA WEBSITE: According to Statista, the global online travel market will nearly benefits of digitalising administration and processes. For focus on customer experience. The Lab is responsible for the recovery in Namibia. This offers us the following benefits:
double in value by 2025, going from $432 to $833 billion. The example, there is an opportunity to automate manual work following: ○ Diversify our risks between Namibia and source markets
233 648 Our IT strategic focus areas include: sales process would also benefit from automation, allowing ○ Customer feedback: This department will collect data using ○ Provide a platform of hard currency income, since tourism
Hitradio Namibia European online travel market will reach €324 billion by 2023. in finance, which will save time and improve accuracy. The
TrustYou, surveys and third-party data providers. Once
salespeople to focus on sales, rather than administration.
in Botswana and Zimbabwe is US dollar-base
2020: 301 445 ○ Improving and optimising our digital marketing capabilities ○ Online web store: The IT Team updated the online web store collected, the department will analyse this data to provide ○ Expand the value of the Gondwana card
Future Media ○ Establishing a Web Development Team, with a changing focus and integrated it with the booking system. This includes meaningful insights to support business decision-making. ○ Move us closer to becoming a one-stop-shop for regional tourism
on direct digital marketing and the ability to update web onboarding the website onto our newly adopted CRM system. ○ Resource library: The Lab is in the process of developing In 2021, we began a feasibility study to develop a property near
GONDWANA BUSINESS assets in-house ○ Payment interface: The IT Team completed upgrades to the a company-wide intranet. On this platform, employees Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. This property will offer a strategic
will access standard operating procedures, style guides,
LISTING VIEWS: ○ Entrenching our CRM system throughout the business, payment interface. This upgrade links our payment points to and the Gondwana Standards. The intention is to make vantage point for travellers to enter Namibia, increasing our
German television including training employees the booking system, replacing an error-prone manual process. accessing resource documents as easy as possible to improve access to new source markets.
7.2 million ○ Producing real-time management reports from our various ○ Systems training: We trained employees on our CRM system ○ Buddy assessments: We use a buddy system to maintain Listing preparedness
performance and deliver on customer expectations.
and recorded videos to assist employees with common issues.
accounting systems
Bank Windhoek ○ Simplifying administration processes, especially in facilitating ○ Database management: We changed to a different database lodges and allow for continuous improvement, transparency We are positioning Gondwana for a
2020: 3.2 million bookings and seamless payment tracking management system with significant cost savings realised. and accountability. The Buddy system consists of Collection
○ Improving our digital infrastructure and WiFi in even our ○ Internet of Things: The IT Team investigated rolling out Managers and Lodge Managers who volunteer to assess potential listing, allowing us to raise
CYMOT cycle and remote lodges to meet our guests’ demands for high-quality Internet of Things connectivity throughout the company. This each other’s lodge operations to provide an additional layer capital at lower costs and broaden
will allow us to remotely monitor and control our equipment,
motor spares ARTICLE REACH: connectivity including solar installations, water purification plants and air- of support aimed at maintaining as well as improving guest
operations. The Lab opted to move away from the traditional
Our IT projects in 2021 conditioning units. The intention is to manage and protect our audit system to rather create an environment of collaboration, our ownership base. We dream of a
45 million assets better while realising savings. For example, we could support and learning. day when all Namibians can own a
Kanaal 7 Our aim for IT is to make switch off air-conditioning units remotely. ○ Consulting: The Lab will consult throughout the business on piece of Gondwana.
2020: 131 million ○ IT governance: We focused on IT risk profiling and restoring IT improving the customer experience.
things seamless, painless systems. The Board and TLC are preparing Gondwana for a listing.

Due to Covid-19, our listing timeline is unclear. We nevertheless
Capricorn Group and efficient. In preparation for a possible listing, we also: see advantages in our preparations for listing. These help us
○ Adopted King IV and continue to update our governance structures and policies formalise our structures, focus on further diversification, and
We traditionally outsourced web development and hosting but hasten our return to profitability.
Michelangelo have largely brought this in-house to ensure better creative ○ Began annually publishing the Value Creation Report
Magazine and functional control and realise cost savings. In 2021, the IT ○ Finalised our Bond Programme Our Bond Programme was approved by the NSX in 2020.
This will allow us to list our bond and issue it directly to
Team re-engineered Gondwana’s online presence with a fully ○ Appointed EY as auditors in 2019 the capital market and asset managers. This is an excellent
responsive and adaptive new website. The added functionalities ○ Delegated our share administration to transfer secretaries first introduction to the listed environment, its players and
The Naturalist on the website unlock more potential to sell online, making the compliance requirements. It will allow us to finance the
Collection website a one-stop travel shop for Namibia. The custom-built ○ Changed our financing model from traditional, rigid bonds over Gondwana properties to a temporary overdraft facility, which opportunities we identify in the marketplace.
will be partially replaced with corporate bonds
e-commerce store enables Gondwana to sell packages, car
rental, and curios, creating a new income stream.

40 VALUE CREATION REPORT 2021 GONDWANA COLLECTION NAMIBIA 41