Category Archives: World Design Capital

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 16 April

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   The Peace Table 2014 will take place on Tafelberg Road  below Table Mountain on 25 May, with a 3-course lunch for 700 prepared by Chef Peter Tempelhoff of The Greenhouse at Cellars Hohenhort in conjunction with Myatt in the V&A Waterfront.  There will be live music and a fashion show too.  Cost R480, all proceeds go to charity. (received via e-mail from The Little Black Book)

*   Schengen visa applications are likely to become more tourist-friendly from next year, reports Travel News Weekly.   The European Union wants to reduce the processing time of a visa, and to introduce a one-year touring visa in the 26-country Schengen area in Europe.   Regular travellers may receive multiple-entry visas for a three year period.

*   30000 Two Oceans Marathon runners are participating in the 45th race on Saturday, offered as a half and a full marathon and themed ‘Designed to Run‘ in recognition of Cape Town hosting World Design Capital 2014.  Western Cape Minister of Tourism Alan Winde is estimating the event contributing R200 million to the province’s economy.   The province has sponsored R350000 for the event. There appear to be mainly local runners participating this year, with few accommodation bookings received. (received via media release from Minister Winde’s office)

*   All Nippon Airways (ANA) will be serving Cederberg Merlot Shiraz 2010 in Business Class. Continue reading →

City of Cape Town ‘Summer tourism’ performance feedback misleading and meaningless!

Cape Town StadiumThe media release issued by the City of Cape Town last week appeared like a PR exercise to make its Tourism, Events, and Marketing Directorate look good after the sudden departure of the Directorate’s Grant Pascoe, former Mayoral Committee member for Tourism, Events, and Marketing.  The Directorate was blamed by Mayor Patricia de Lille for not performing well under Pascoe’s leadership.
Odd too was that the media release was issued by the City of Cape Town, and not by Cape Town Tourism, which has a PR agency, and usually is the spokesperson for the tourism industry in Cape Town.  Whilst quoting Cape Town Tourism CEO Enver Duminy towards the end of the release, its main spokesperson in the release was Anton Groenewald, the Tourism Directorate’s Executive Director, who has never been quoted in a media release before, all communication expressed by Pascoe in the past, even in Cape Town Tourism releases at one stage!   In releasing the statement via the City, the Cape Town Tourism media list did not receive the media statement.  We requested a copy from Groenewald, but have not received it yet, almost a week later!
If the City of Cape Town and Cape Town Tourism had the tourism statistics relating to the period ending February 2014, one wonders why they waited four weeks to release the results, and why they were released the day after Pascoe’s departure!  Ironic is the Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 10 April

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   South Africa only has one visa official in India, in Mumbai, to process visa applications for travel to South Africa.  The backlog is as large as 850 applications, taking about a month for a visa to be processed.  The travel and tour operator industry is saying that the situations is causing a very damaging image for South Africa, and that business could be lost to other countries!

*   Sean Penn was sighted in the pedestrian Dias Tavern in Cape Town yesterday.  Making media mileage of the sighting was Cape Town Design NPC CEO Alayne Reesberg, managing World Design Capital 2014.  Reesberg  is reported to have said that Penn is charming, having waved back at her when she waved at him, when lunching at the same restaurant!  Last week Penn and Charlize Theron were seen at the Augrabies Falls.  Penn is said to be in Cape Town to look for locations for a new movie.

*   Bo-Kaap featured in the New York Times yesterday, with the headline ‘In Cape Town, Local Color comes in Bright Shades’,  mentioning Luvey ‘n Rose, Atlas Trading Company, Bo-Kaap Food and Craft Market, and Agua Dreamz. Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 9 April

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 9 April

*   Former footballer David Beckham is endorsing new Haig Club single grain Scotch whisky, in a partnership with Diageo,  packaged in an unusual bottle resembling aftershave rather than an alcoholic beverage!

*   In the past year ‘Bargain Brits‘ bought 80% of their wines in UK supermarkets at under £6 (just over R100) per bottle!  Supermarket wars, which reduce prices of wines, are blamed for this purchase pattern.

*   The Roca brothers, who own El Celler de Can Roca, the top World’s 50 Best Restaurant in Girona in Spain, will be pairing their food with single malt Scotch whisky The Macallan, one of them being 67 years old.  Six $10000 per head dinners, in aid of charity, will be held in June and July.

*  Eco-tourism is reversing the trend of young people leaving rural areas to find jobs in the bigger towns and cities.   The Continue reading →