Lebogang Kgasago, the founder of Leonora Holiday Travel, has set her sights on becoming a household name in the hospitality sector.
The Tshwane-based online travel agency, which was founded in 2022, has grown from just five employees to a staff complement of 20 in a short space of time.
“It was just the three of us as the directors of the company- we are all still here - and we had a dream to make our property management company become Africa’s leading travel company,” Kgasago said during a recent interview.
Lenora started off as a property managment company before becoming a travel agency.
She is also the deputy chairperson of Gauteng Women In Tourism Initiative
Leonora Holiday Travel offers a range of services that include flight bookings, hotel reservations, car rentals and travel insurance. The company also provides personalised itinerary planning and recommendations based on a client’s interests and budget.
“If you’re not feeling like jumping off a cliff, you can definitely let us know what are your vibe is and we’ll put it together for you. For some of the people that enjoy luxury safari, we have those experiences in the Okavango delta, in the Kruger National Park. We also offer ecological travel,” she said.
While Kgasago took tourism as a subject in high school, she did not pursue the subject in university due to a lack of opportunities in the country.
“Tourism found its way back to me,” she said.
Kgasago said being a young black entrepreneur in any industry includes dealing with a lot of red tape and gatekeeping and the hospitality industry was no different. For her, challenges included access to finance to get the business off the ground. As a start, she said she had to dip into her savings to start the business.
However, in 2023 the business received support from the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), an agency of the Department of Small Business Development.
“I was introduced to a business developer and it was the best time of my life. That was when the business began. I started with my mentor with an assessment where they unpacked the informal business that I was operating. They assisted with marketing and developing the business and training,” she recalled.
Seda is currently assisting Leonora with its regulation and certification requirements.
She said working with Seda had dramatically transformed the business and helped her upscale.
“We are currently working towards getting our business in the procurement space where we will be able to solidify our package products to the different industries,” she concluded. ¥
*Additional information sourced from Seda.
To get in touch with Leonora Holiday Travel, visit the company website on: www.leonoraholidaytravel.co.za or enquiries@leonoraholidaytravel.co.za. You can also follow them on Facebook (Leonora Luxury Holiday Travels), Instagram (leonoraholidaytravel)
For more information about Seda, call 0860 663 7867 email info@seda.org.za or log on to www.seda.org.za
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