Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* UK hotels are concerned that they may have spoilt tourists by offering discounts to counter the recession of the past few years, and that this is a standard expectation of their customers now.
* The Minister of Finance Pravin Ghordan has announced stringent cost-cutting measures in respect of travel and entertainment, including a ban on first-class air travel (Business Class allowed for Ministers, Directors General and their deputies), B group car rental only, withdrawal of official credit cards, restricting the size of travel delegations, and banning hotel accommodation, rental accommodation to be used; and banning the purchase of alcohol for state events.
* Confidence in the Tourism industry is at its highest ever since the Tourism Business Council of South Africa and FNB introduced their Tourism Business Index in 2010, reaching 116 in the third quarter of this year. However, the Accommodation industry is lagging far behind, at an index of only 111. The outlook for 2014 is regarded as being negative by the Accommodation industry. (received via e-mail)
* Western Cape Tourism Minister Alan Winde said that SAA’s hub strategy focusing on Johannesburg is wrong for Cape Town: ‘Argentinian and Indian visitors to South Africa fly into Cape Town, go up the Garden Route and perhaps as far as a private game reserve in the Eastern Cape. They do not go north, and this is a problem with SAA’s central hub strategy’. The Minister spoke at the Western Cape Tourism Plenary Session in Mossel Bay recently.
* South Africa and Poland are important trading partners, and also is a key market for tourism to South Africa Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe told visiting Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
* South Africa, Panama, Thailand, and Hungary are attractive markets for Americans for Medical Tourism.
* South Africa is hosting a South Africa Tourism Day in Sofia in Bulgaria tomorrow.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage
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