Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   The first ever African marketing office of SA Tourism was opened yesterday in Lagos in Nigeria, by our Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk.  Not only will this be good for tourism for our country, but it also aims to create greater awareness and to attract more tourists to Africa globally.

*   The Reserve Bank has increased the interest rate by 50 basis points, the first increase in five years, to curb inflation caused by the weak Rand.

*   SAA made a loss of R991 million in the 2012/2013 financial year, an improvement on its previous loss of R1,25 billion in the previous financial year.  It blames the loss on the ‘weakened rand‘, as 60% of its costs are dollar based.  It announced today that had the Rand not weakened, SAA would have made a profit!  Cost-cutting efforts have been cutting the Kigali (to Rwanda) and Buenos Aires routes.  All long-distance routes are loss-making, admitted CEO Monwabisi Kalawe, but have to be retained for strategic reasons, such as Beijing.

*   The USA has close to 8000 wineries, of which just less than half are in California, by far the  dominant wine production state.   South Africa has about one tenth of this number!

*   The 9000 participants in the Travel Weekly’s Readers’ Choice Awards voted South Africa as the best country in Africa to travel to, an award our country has won every year since 2008!

*   China has become the world’s largest red wine drinking nation for the first time, in drinking 155 million cases, just pipping the previous long-standing number one red wine country France (150 million cases).  Red wine is popular in China for its perceived health benefits, and the colour red symbolising wealth, power, and good luck.

*   The new gourmet trend is insects, French restaurants increasingly serving them with their dishes, to be more environmentally friendly and because they are healthier, contain proteins and minerals.  Beef production affects the environment, while many seafoods are becoming extinct.

*   The European air controller strike started today, and is likely to continue tomorrow, in France in particular.  So far Milan, Rome, Venice, and Lisbon airports have been particularly affected.

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