A survey conducted by STR Global Hospitality research firm has found that Cape Town is the fourth most expensive accommodation city on the African continent, and is more expensive than Johannesburg!
Addis Ababa in Ethiopia was found to be the most expensive African city for Continue reading →
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Only two South African hotels have made the Conde Nast Traveler list of 60 Hot Hotels, on the basis of ‘Good Food’. This is a surprise award for the Mont Rochelle Hotel & Vineyard (now owned by Sir Richard Branson, but not much is new or ‘hot’ in this restaurant, having the same chef and waitron staff since he took over!). The Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff has also made the list in this category, with a chef unknown to most.
* Travel agents and tour operators are no longer marketing South Africa as a destination due to the new Continue reading →
Yesterday I met Chef Reuben Riffel for a Day of Reconciliation coffee at Crisp in Franschhoek, around the corner from his Reuben’s restaurant, a follow-up from our reconnection at the Mercedes-Benz Eat Out Restaurant Awards.
As he sat down, Chef Reuben apologised for not feeling 100%, starting a cold, and expressing that he is exhausted after a very busy year, but seems to have enjoyed every minute of it. Ironically he and his wife Maryke had planned 2014 last year, wanting it to be a less busy year than 2013, but looking back, he said it was even busier. In the past year he has done the following:
* filmed MasterChef SA Celebrity Edition, a series we are yet to see, in January 2015, in which he cut his MasterChef judging teeth, apologising that he was still new at being a TV cooking show judge. Food24 reports that the 10 celebrities, cooking for a prize to be donated to charity, are Singer Patricia Lewis, Comedian Chris Forrest, Comedian TolAssMo, Continue reading →
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* The 2014 MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index shows Johannesburg as being the most popular ‘destination city in Africa’, the second time that the city has won the accolade two years running. The city is expecting 4,3 million visitors this year, a 5% increase on last year, with an estimated expenditure of $3,2 billion. Cape Town follows in second place, Durban in 3rd place, Cairo in 4th, and Casablanca in 5th place. Cape Town is expected to receive 1,6 million international visitors this year, with a spend of $2,2 billion.
* It is ironic that SA Tourism CEO Thulani Nzima could not attend World Travel Market (WTM) in London this week, to represent our country at the second largest travel and tourism exhibition in the world, because he did not have a valid visa for the UK!
* Cape Town will host the 2015 Responsible Tourism in Destination Conference, the City of Cape Town has announced, forming Continue reading →