WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 27 March

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Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

* Tourism numbers from traditional source markets (USA, UK, Germany, France, and Netherlands) for our country showed good growth in 2014, but emerging and BRICS markets, especially China, reflected plummeting figures, reports the Department of Statistics. International tourist numbers grew by 2,9% in total, to 2,2 million, in 2014 relative to 2013. The UK remains the largest source market (402000), followed by the USA (300000), and Germany (275000), the German increase being the highest at just over 10%. Tourism from China declined by 25%, from India by 8%, and from Brazil by 15%.

* Riedel has launched a new set of ten handmade and mouth-blown lead-free extra-light Superleggero glasses, more expensive than its Vinum range, and almost as expensive as the glass in its Sommeliers Collector’s Edition Black Series. The new range has the wine style each glass is designed for on the base of each glass.

* In the aftermath of the tragic Germanwings crash earlier this week, airlines are changing their cockpit policies, by demanding that two pilots or airline staff be in the cockpit at all times. Following 9/11, cockpits have been sealed off from entrance from outside, entry only being allowed from inside the cockpit by one of the pilots.

* The South African Reserve Bank left the repo rate unchanged at its monetary policy meeting yesterday, but has warned that an interest rate hike will come due to the rising rate of inflation!

* The Easter Bunny will hopping on top of Table Mountain on Easter Sunday morning, with hourly Easter egg hunts.