Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*  It’s World Tourism Day, with a theme focused on water!

*   Klein Constantia has received excellent in-depth coverage on Nederburg Auction 2013 American key-note speaker Joe Roberts’ 1 Wine Dude Blog.

*   The American State Department has issued a world wide travel warning about potential terror attacks.

*   The first ProWein China will be held in Shanghai on 13 November, and all its 500 stands have been sold.

*   Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille is placing pressure on SAA to reinstate a direct route between Cape Town and the USA. and she is routing for Miami, just having returned from a trade visit to that city.  Such a direct route would be beneficial for tourism.

*   Noise is the most common complaint of hotel guests in 19 tourist destinations, but Cape Town hotels are an exception in not receiving complaints about noise.  Modernity, location, and service speed are the most common compliments.  Cape Town hotels also ranked top on GRI (Global Review Index), the average online reputation of hotels, followed by Melbourne, St Petersburg, Sydney, and Dublin.

*   Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir and Chardonnay will be paired with a 5 course dinner at Nobu at the One&Only Cape Town on 2 October, at a cost of R595. (received via newsletter from One&Only Cape Town)

*   Author E.L. James has launched a Fifty Shades of Grey wine range, with a Red Satin blend of Petite Syrah and Syrah, and a White Silk blend of Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc.  ‘Wine plays an important role in Fifty Shades of Grey, adding to the sensuality that pervades a number of scenes. I’ve always had a penchant for good wine, so combining two of my passions to blend Red Satin and White Silk was a natural extension of the series. I hope my readers curl up with a glass as they enjoy the romance between Anastasia and Christian’, said the writer.  Her wines will sell for $18.  Klein Constantia’s Vin de Constance also featured in her book.

*   Franschhoek  has been named the best Local Tourism Authority by the Cape Winelands District Municipality. (via media release from Smart Communications & Events)

*   Nedbank has introduced a Small Business Index, using data from 1300 small businesses (income up to R20 million).  Its initial findings are the following:   Approximately one third of businesses are running at full capacity, but fewer business owners plan to appoint more people and 15% intend shedding staff.   Although half of the businesses said that acquiring finance was extremely difficult, 64% of those that did apply fed back that they were successful. In the next year one third of businesses will try to introduce their products and services into international markets, focusing their attention mostly on the African markets. (received via e-mail from Nedbank)

*   Google has moved from recognising tags in influencing Search Engine Optimisation to quality content, providing the following guidelines for what it rates to be quality content:

• ‘Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
• Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in nature?
• Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
• Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
• Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?
• Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail?’

Google prefers fewer posts of higher quality content, in summary.

*   Visa applications for Chinese tourists visiting South Africa are taking up to two weeks as the South African embassy in Beijing is short staffed, leading to the cancellation of trips in some cases.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage