Tag Archives: business tourism

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 18 August

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*  At the SAACI Congress Wesgro has been named as South Africa’s best Convention Bureau, and the Cape Town International Convention Centre the country’s best Convention venue. (via Twitter)

*   Hanneli Slabber, SA Tourism Country Manager for India, has received the ‘Best Professional in Marketing‘ award at the Safari India National Tourism Awards. Since her appointment in India, there has been a marked growth in tourists from India to South Africa.

*   Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom has praised the role of Business Tourism as well as of Events, in addressing the SAACI (South African Association for the Conference Industry) Congress today.  He said that this sector of Tourism, which has an above average spend when visiting Continue reading →

Cape Town International Convention Centre expansion will be good for Tourism!

Cape Town International Convention Centre sod turningThe sod has been turned for the construction for the expansion to the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), which is certain to boost the Tourism industry in Cape Town specifically, and the Western Cape economy generally.  Green design elements have been planned, to make the expansion section environmentally sustainable.

Western Cape Minister of Tourism Alan Winde said about the expansion: ‘The CTICC is a major economic catalyst and the planned expansion of the venue will significantly increase its capacity for meetings and exhibitions. This will boost business travel to the province and create more employment opportunities in the tourism sector. In the previous financial year, it is estimated that the CTICC created 7 500 jobs. This is an excellent example of infrastructure-led growth paving the way for increased employment for our residents’.  The exhibition space will double by 10000 m², which means that Cape Town can bid for future Indabas, Africa’s largest tourism exhibition.

The Western Cape attracted 28000 conference delegates worth R347 million in the past year.  In the current financial year  this is Continue reading →

SATSA appoints David Frost as CEO, driving Tourism competitiveness!

David Frost SATSAThe Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA), an association of tourism operators, has appointed Economist and Tourism Strategist David Frost as its CEO. Given that SATSA represents a large number of tourism operators, and Frost does not fear speaking out, it will be interesting to see how he will drive his association and members to achieve his goal of enhancing the competitiveness of our country’s Tourism industry.

SATSA has more than 700 members who guarantee ‘quality in tourism‘, its website states.  This is achieved by annual assessments which are done of its members, and that all members are bonded, ‘providing a financial guarantee of deposits held against the involuntary liquidation of a SATSA member‘. Members span the transport, tour operator, destination management, accommodation, tourism broker, adventure tourism, business tourism, and tourism service sectors, the bulk of the components of the Tourism industry.  The main benefits of being a SATSA member are the lobbying done with the government on behalf of the industry, networking with other members, an Employee Benefit and Provident Fund, legal advice offered, member discounts, arbitration services, and newsletters.

Frost has a wide experience in Tourism, having moved into the Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 3 September

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   The Mutual & Federal Agri Wellington Wine Route’s ‘Quest for the Best’  is coming to Cape Town tomorrow at the Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel, at the cost of R60.  Wellington wines will be offered for tasting, with the recently selected ‘Quest for the Best’ Top Ten Wines and Top Spirits. (received via Wellington Wine Route newsletter)

*   There are more than 40000 hotel rooms being built in Africa in the next four years, 10% of these in Lagos in Nigeria alone.  No South African city appears on the top hotel room construction list.

*   Retail sales only grew by 1,5% in the past year, and it is the low income shoppers who are shopping less and closer to home.   This has affected retailers at the bottom end Continue reading →