South Africa Travel: September 2006

Friday, September 29, 2006

Tourism boom hits SA shores

A record 2,7 million tourists visited South Africa between January and April, reflecting a 16 percent increase over the first quarter of last year, Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said.

"With just over 2,7 million arrivals from January to April, this is the first time we have broken through the 2,5 million mark in the first four months of the year," he said. "This figure compares very favourably with our first quarter arrivals of 1998, which stood at just over 1,8 million. We have seen a 16 percent increase in arrivals across all territories compared to the same period last year."

"The largest component of this growth comes from the Africa and the Middle East region, which was 21,9 percent higher confirming the importance of this sector to our continued success," he said.

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Tuesday, September 26, 2006

IOL: Cape Town scoops triple win at World awards

Cape Town has received three awards at the prestigious 13th annual World Travel Awards.The Mother City clinched the "Africa's Leading Destination" award, while the stately "Pink Lady", Mount Nelson Hotel, was named Africa's leading hotel.Cape Town International Airport was voted Africa's leading airport.More than 160 000 travel industry professionals from 120 countries were asked to vote for their leading conference centres, travel destinations, airlines, hotels and companies around the world.Dubbed the travel industry's equivalent of the Oscars, the awards celebrate service excellence.

Monday, September 25, 2006

7DAYS » South Africa roars for business travel

South Africa, riding the wave of a tourism boom, is touting Survivor-style business meetings with the aim of turning it into one of the world’s top ten conference venues by the end of the decade. The brand new Business Unusual unveiled at roadshows across the US, Europe and Asia, offered executives a chance to swap their stuffy pinstripe suits for shorts in the bush while chalking out strategy or ironing out problems.“What we’re saying is we can go beyond the usual business conferences and meetings,” Angeline Lue from South African Tourism said.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Travel Video Television News

Tourism Africa has great potential as an annual event to promote international tourism to the continent and to make its vast range of natural attractions better known to the world. It could be a regular date in the travel trade calendar for African suppliers to meet European and world buyers. It could be the greatest opportunity for traders in the field of African tourism to network, to exchange views and meet the press and media.The inaugural Tourism Africa conference was accompanied by an exhibition of tourism and travel operators in the vast space of the Palexpo congress center beside Geneva's international airport. It was wonderful to step off a plane from London and walk through the terminal directly into the event. This seemed a master-stroke of conference organization.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

SAT - (Travel Daily News)

In line with its strategy to position South Africa as a leading destination for the global film industry, South African Tourism and Cape Town Routes Unlimited, together with the Cape Film Commission, have facilitated the shooting of a glamorous multi-million rand Bollywood movie, Cash, in The Mother City. The project was officially launched at a media conference at the Radisson Hotel in Cape Town.Produced by Bollywood great Sohail Maklai and distributed by Metro-Adlabs, Cash is the first Bollywood film whose script / story-line is set in Cape Town. This has given the producers and directors a unique opportunity to truly showcase the icons, the hot spots and the dramatic scenery that make Cape Town and the Western Cape one of the most popular tourism destination cities on the planet.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Eric Nathan: Highlights of South Africa - AfricaNews EN

South African photographer Eric Nathan made a selection of his highlights of the most southern country of Africa. His selection contains images from the lush green hills of the Transkei in the Eatern Cape, the wine lands in the Western Cape, the skyline of South Africa's economic hub, Johannesburg, and the mothercity of Cape Town, were people usually take it a bit more easy. Eric is a self-taught photographer and specialises in travel and landscape photography. He has travelled to over fifty countries worldwide.

e-Travel Blackboard: Australia's Number One Industry Newsletter

As South African Tourism continues to consolidate its mandate to market South Africa as a world-class destination of choice, the organisation is pleased to announce a number of strategic new appointments to its team in Australia.Janaya Birse, who was formerly Trade Relations Manager, has been appointed Marketing and Communications Manager with effect from 1 August. Her new responsibilities will include being the point of contact for public relations / advertising agencies, trade and media in Australia. She will also be required to ensure the accuracy and consistency of South African Tourism’s brand positioning across all messaging and communications.In yet another move, Eric Baravilala has joined the South African Tourism team as International Business Tourism Manager. His principal duty will be to implement South African Tourism’s Strategy to drive incremental and exponential growth for the tourism industry.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

travel.iafrica.com | explore sa | eastern cape | sightseeing hotspots Beaches and beauties

THE SANDS @ ST FRANCIS Beaches and beauties - Richard HolmesSt. Francis Bay is easy to spot from a distance. As you leave the N2 and the dusty streets of Humansdorp behind, the trademark black-and-white roofs of this popular holiday town pop out of the horizon like a giant seaside chessboard along the stunning Eastern Cape coastline.While the town’s calm bays are a popular spot in the summer holidays, the protected beaches exist only in the shelter of the rocky points that are exposed to the full force of the Indian Ocean.Named for the Patron saint of sailors, one of the town’s main attractions is the wind-swept light house out at Seal Point, a rocky outcrop of land which has brought many a ship to grief.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Guardian Unlimited Football | Breaking News | Homeless World Cup gives players new hope

By Olesya Dmitracova

LONDON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - There was not much to link former Liberian child soldiers with a destitute Scot, the editor of a Russian street paper and a Manchester United coach -- until the Homeless World Cup.After months of team trials, travel and training, homeless men and women from around the globe will battle it out in Cape Town from Sept. 23-30 in an annual tournament which for many could become a gateway to a job, a home and new friends.The United Nations estimates there are more than 100 million homeless people worldwide and more than one billion live in inadequate housing in shanty towns or without basic utilities.

Monday, September 11, 2006

IOL: Knysna reels as tour operators cancel visits

Knysna is reeling under the impact of the closure of Kaaiman's Pass, claiming 40 percent of tour companies have cancelled trips, and that, overall, tourism is down by 10 percent.Now tourism and business in Knysna and Plettenberg Bay have called on the government to send out a clear message about road access to the region as its crucial peak tourism season approaches.The region is pulling out all the stops to stave off an economicmeltdown.There was some respite over the weekend when the N2 over the pass was opened to vehicles up to 25 tons, thereby allowing tour buses through until tomorrow at 6am.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

SaRugby

One millionth ticket sold for Rugby World Cup 2007 The International Rugby Board is pleased to announce that the France 2007 Organising Committee has sold the one millionth public ticket for Rugby World Cup 2007. The ticket was sold as part of a Saint Etienne city package to a rugby club member from the Loire region.The achievement is a strong endorsement of the Committee’s ticket sales programme that to date has offered affordable city and team packages to the public worldwide via the Internet.“One year from the kick-off of Rugby World Cup 2007 the International Rugby Board is confident the Tournament will be the most successful in its colourful and exciting 20-year history,” said IRB Chairman, Dr Syd Millar. “This belief is backed by the fact that one year out from the Tournament the Organising Committee has already sold its one millionth public ticket which is fantastic news.”“Operational planning, venue logistics, and the commercial and ticketing programmes are all on target as the world of Rugby looks forward to September 7, 2007 when the host nation France plays Argentina at Stade de France, Paris in the opening match of the Tournament.”

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

allAfrica.com: South Africa: SA Tourism Sets Sights On 10-Million Foreigners

South Africa: SA Tourism Sets Sights On 10-Million Foreigners Business Day (Johannesburg)THE local industry had set its sights on attracting 10-million foreign tourists by 2010, after breaking through the 7-million "psychological barrier" last year, says SA Tourism.SA Tourism's forecast comes as global attention increasingly shifts to SA ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.SA Tourism CEO Moeketsi Mosola said last week in the organisation's annual report that the soccer tournament was an opportunity for the local industry to meet and exceed expectations of tourists "and develop a firm platform for tourism growth".Mosola said tourism acc-ounted for 8% of the country's gross domestic product "with the potential to soar to 12% by 2014".He said foreign tourist arrivals last year broke the 7-million "psychological barrier" as a record-breaking total of 7,4-million foreign tourists came to SA.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

sport.iafrica.com | today's news Urban Golf hits Cape Town

Urban Golf hits Cape Town Dan NichollMon, 04 Sep 2006Who wouldn't leap at the chance? If you've ever been on hold for days at a time, had your phone mysteriously cut off, or received a bill roughly equivalent to the GDP of Belgium, then the opportunity to line up in front of Telkom HQ and launch a succession of golf balls at the building is completely irresistible. Now if only they were real golf balls...

Independent Online Edition > Crime

Tourists blamed for illegal trade in animal parts By Terry Kirby, Chief ReporterPublished: 05 September 2006An attractive set of black and white striped drinks coasters, an exotic spiky lampshade and a hairbrush with a polished brown handle are just some of the items that anyone might be tempted to pick up while on a holiday abroad.In fact, the coasters are made from zebra skin, the lampshade's exoticism comes from the quills of a porcupine and the hairbrush has a handle once part of a sea turtle - all animals either protected from, or threatened by, the boom in the trade in souvenirs made from wildlife.Trinkets and jewellery made from elephant ivory, rhino horn, animal teeth and claws as well as clothing and accessories made from big cat skins and reptile skins are among the items bought in markets and curio shops and brought home.A survey published yesterday suggests that international legislation has failed to stem the numbers of animals being slaughtered to service the trade, with more than 600,000 Britons alone returning from holidays in the past five years with such souvenirs. Now the British travel industry is backing the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) in a campaign to halt the trade.The survey revealed that 26 per cent of travellers had seen animal items for sale and 7 per cent had purchased at least one of them. Ifaw estimated that this represented 1.5 per cent of all those who travelled abroad in the past five years - 600,000 across the UK. The most commonly spotted items for sale were coral (16 per cent), reptile skin items (14 per cent), animal teeth, claws or jaws (12 per cent), elephant-related items (8 per cent) and sea turtle shells (5 per cent).Robbie Marsland, from Ifaw, said: "If 600,000 British tourists are bringing back parts of dead animals as souvenirs, think how many millions must be dying internationally. It's far better to buy alternative mementoes, such as local handicrafts instead of items that harm the very animals that people have travelled so far to see."Ifaw is concerned that tourists are confused by regulations governing the sale of such items, many of which require export or import licences under the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites). Tourists often believe that if something is on sale openly, it is acceptable to buy it and take it out of the country, said Ifaw. Many do not bother to check on the regulations and omit to declare their purchases on return.Rosa Hill, who conducted an investigation for Ifaw in South Africa, said: "In South Africa it is not illegal to sell some elephant ivory items, but it is illegal to bring them into Britain. There are no regulations governing porcupine quills, but the vast numbers on sale suggests porcupines are being killed in their thousands to feed the market." She added: "Tourists don't know that certain licences are needed or are often given the wrong advice. In one market in Cape Town, we were told that it was acceptable to sell anything as long as it did not have a head attached, which is patently untrue."Keith Richards, from the Association of British Travel Agents, said the organisation would brief its members on the issue. "Unless the travel industry acts now some of the very animals so many people go abroad to see may soon only be found on our mantelpieces or in our jewellery boxes," he said.Souvenirs to avoid* Decorative items derived from coral. Most species of coral are protected under Cites.* Handbags, shoes, watch straps, belts, clothes or accessories from reptile skins. Many species are protected and it is difficult to distinguish them from non-protected species.* Ornaments, jewellery and "trophies" made from sharks' teeth or jaws. Although onlywhale, basking and great white sharks are protected, there is a global decline.* Jewellery, hair slides, brushes and pins made from elephant ivory. Their import into the United Kingdom is illegal.* Glass frames, brush handles or jewellery made from "bekko" or tortoise shell. Tortoise shell usually means the shell of sea turtles, most of which are endangered.An attractive set of black and white striped drinks coasters, an exotic spiky lampshade and a hairbrush with a polished brown handle are just some of the items that anyone might be tempted to pick up while on a holiday abroad.In fact, the coasters are made from zebra skin, the lampshade's exoticism comes from the quills of a porcupine and the hairbrush has a handle once part of a sea turtle - all animals either protected from, or threatened by, the boom in the trade in souvenirs made from wildlife.

Monday, September 04, 2006

South Africa travel & tourism search directory - Traveldex

South Africa travel and tourism search directory Traveldex is your first stop when visiting South Africa, this search directory lists websites for all areas of the travel and tourism industry. All links to websites are verified to check authenticity, and that they are listed in the correct travel related category. Only links to websites of a travel and tourism nature are permitted in the directory. All websites must of course be for resources in South Africa.Have you added your url?Are you involved in the tourism industry in South Africa? Website owners are encouraged to add their url with a description of the establishment or service they provide. Only registered members are permitted to submit links to their websites, registration at this time is free to all. Click here to register now!If you are unable to find a suitable category for your link, then email us to suggest a new category.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

FREE WEEKEND? FLY TO SOUTH AFRICA!

GREAT ESCAPE
FREE WEEKEND? FLY TO SOUTH AFRICA!
Nigel Thompson

I'M not proud of it but as an example of getting one over on the bloke next door it's a masterpiece. And, after all, he did ask.

"Good weekend?" "Yes, not bad thanks. You?" "Oh you know. Fixed that leaking tap. Tidied the loft. Did you get up to much?"

"Well, as it happens... I went to Cape Town. Brilliant it was too. Here's how I did it..."

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Friday: To Heathrow airport and South African Airlines flight 221 takes off just after 9pm.

Saturday: Twelve somewhat cramped hours later - but having slept all the way from Spain to Angola except during some rather spectacular turbulence over the equator - we land under an African sky at 10am local time. Only one hour ahead so no jet lag. Hurrah!

Click here for the full story

Saturday, September 02, 2006

South Africa travel and tourism search directory - Traveldex

Traveldex the South African search directory that caters to the tourism industry in South Africa.Travellers to South Africa:Traveldex is your first stop when visiting South Africa, this search directory lists websites for all areas of the travel and tourism industry. All links to websites are verified to check authenticity, and that they are listed in the correct travel related category. Only links to websites of a travel and tourism nature are permitted in the directory.Have you added your url?Are you involved in the tourism industry in South Africa? Website owners are encouraged to add their url with a description of the establishment or service they provide. Only registered members are permitted to submit links to their websites, registration at this time is free to all. Click here to register now!

Friday, September 01, 2006

travel.iafrica.com | flights BA launches special summer fares

BA launches special summer faresThu, 31 Aug 2006British Airways has launched a World Offer to London with fares to Europe starting from R3990, valid for travel until September 22.Low-season World Traveller fares, for travel between November 1 - December 3, 2006 and from January 14 - March 26, 2007 are R3990 from Johannesburg and R4250 from Cape Town. The high-season fares, for travel between December 4, 2006 - January 13, 2007 are R6310.