Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Chef Heston Blumenthal has temporarily closed his Michelin 2 star Dinner restaurant in London due to an outbreak of the norovirus, which affected 24 patrons and 21 staff. It follows the closure of his The Fat Duck restaurant five years ago for the same reason!
* Despite making a close to R1 billion loss in the latest financial year, SAA has bid to take a share in Senegal Airlines, which is facing bankruptcy!
* Facebook is celebrating its 10th anniversary today, and is a lucrative communication platform for tourism. The official Australia page has attracted 5,5 million ‘Likers’, while Love Great Britain has 2 million ‘Likers’.
* Wines of South Africa (WOSA) is celebrating the 2oth anniversary of our country’s democracy by means of a series of videos showcasing how the political transformation has touched people in the wine industry. A new video will be released on the WOSA website weekly, for a six week period. ‘From fifth-generation labourer to co-owner of a major farming venture, from refugee to nurseryman, from scholarship student to renowned winemaker and role model, from drug-addled gangster to farrier, each of the intimate stories in WOSA’s The Democracy Series movingly charts a journey of progress‘, states the media release. Each video ends with a quotation by the late Nelson Mandela. (received via media release from De Kock Communications)
* Bubbly Isabella Niehaus is celebrating the two year anniversary of the Palms Market at the PalmsDecor & Lifestyle Centre with a ‘Spectacular Cook-Out with Spekko Rice‘ on Saturday 15 February. Six top foodies will have their cooking challenge (the dishes have to include Hermanuspietersfontein wine and 1 packet of Spekko rice) and judged by five judges, including Ingrid Jones from Mango Airline’s Juice magazine, Carmen Niehaus from You/Huisgenoot, Eloise Pretorius from Smile Radio, Pieter Arno du Toit from Cederberg Wines, and yours truly. The Foodies participating in the challenge are Kokkedoor Finalist Marinda Engelbrecht, Sarie Food Editor Herman Lensing, RSG Cuberchef Nina Timm, My Basaar owner Bernice van der Merwe, Expresso Show‘s Zola Nene, and Johnny Hamman from Aleit Weddings. (received via e-mail from the Palms Market)
* The UAE is introducing a tourism tax on all accommodation establishments, to generate funds to market the country, and to fund its building of EXPO2020 taking place in Dubai.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage
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