Tag Archives: Etihad Airways

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 10/11 January

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   SA Tourism is going on another India Road Show this year, visiting Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and New Dehli in February. Franschhoek Wine Valley and Paarl & Wellington Tourism are some of the local Road Show participants. India Country Manager for SA Tourism Hanneli Slabber said that some 24000 tourists from India visited our country between January and March last year.

*   ‘Rear seat kickers’ are the worst type of passengers on an airplane, an Expedia Airplane Etiquette Study has found! Other annoying passengers are inattentive parents, ‘aromatic passenger’, ‘audio insensitive’, and ‘boozer’!

*   Qantas is the world’s safest airline, out of a total of 449, included in the latest Top 10 AirlineRatings.com safe airlines list, which Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 15/16 December

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine new headlines

*      Etihad Airways and SAA have announced one of the benefits of their ‘strategic partnership’, in that SAA is commencing flights between Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi from 29 March, doubling the number of flights on this route.  Abu Dhabi is a hub, with access to India, the Middle East, and Asia.

*   The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts that the profit of its member airlines is expected to grow, due to the lower oil price and GDP growth. Airfares are expected to decrease by 5%.

*   The R 2 million Sun Star sculpture on Signal Hill has unleashed a debate about the role of corporate sponsorship in Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 9/10 December

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*  Tim Harris has been appointed as the new CEO of Wesgro, the trade, investment and tourism promotion agency for the Western Cape, for  three year period Minister Alan Winde announced today. Harris currently is the Investment Officer of the City of Cape Town, and will replace Nils Flaatten from 1 January. (received via media release from Minister Winde’s office)

*   Despite doom and gloom, South Africans enjoy eating out at restaurants and buying food at take-away outlets, according to a survey by Statistics SA.   October was the third best month in respect of food and beverage expenditure in the past four years, with a total expenditure of almost R4 billion.  R1,8 billion was spent at restaurants and coffee shops, and R1,5 billion at take-away and fast food outlets.  Catering made up the balance.  The food and beverage industry grew by 11,5% year on year, with the take-away/fast food side growing at 15%.  Total expenditure on the food and drink industry was R43 billion in the past year.

*   Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown has requested Eskom to communicate its loadshedding schedules more Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 8 December

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Etihad Airways has been named as World’s Leading Airline for the sixth consecutive year.   Ecuador was named as the World’s Leading Green Destination.

*   The Robben Island ferry Sikhululekile has experienced regular damage in the Island’s harbour at low tide from an ‘underwater rocky outcrop’, a survey conducted by the Council for Geoscience has found.  Purchased at a cost of R26 million, the ferry was not tested for suitability inside the harbour prior to purchase!  Now the Robben Island Museum is looking to sell the ferry.

*   The Stellenbosch American Express Wine Routes has launched a Wine Tourism Visitor Centre at 47 Church Street, offering Continue reading →