Tag Archives: film industry

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 23 June

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*  MailOnline has written a flattering article about Franschhoek in the main, entitled ‘Touring South Africa… one sip at a time. Discover a wine taster’s paradise on a trip to Cape Town and Franschhoek‘.  The writer shares her experience on the hop-on hop-off Franschhoek Wine Tram, sampling the wines of Mont Rochelle, La Couronne, and Môreson, eating at The Tasting Room, lunching at La Petite Ferme, and visiting Delaire Graff with its diamond boutique and Tretchikoff’s ‘Chinese Girl‘ (which she defines as being in Franschhoek too!).  In Cape Town she stayed at both the Cape Grace and Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa, went up Table Mountain and to Robben Island, lunched at Baia in the V&A Waterfront, had afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson, bought art at Ebony, and dined at The Pot Luck Club.

*   The Top 12 Shiraz wines have been announced in the 2014 Shiraz Challenge, organised by Shiraz SA, an association which promotes the image of our local Shiraz, and its blending potential.  A total of 191 Shiraz wines was evaluated, and the process audited.   The Top 12 Shiraz list is Black Elephant Vintners Amistad Syrah 2012, Boschkloof Louis 57 Syrah 2012 and its Syrah 2012, Continue reading →

New Immigration regulations: Cape Tourism authorities outraged!

South African travel visaThe Cape Town and Western Cape tourism authorities are outraged by the arbitrary changes which have been made in the newly promulgated Immigration Regulations 2014, especially those pertaining to child tourists, and the effect that this is having already on tourism to our city and province.  The implementation of the Regulations has been delayed from 1 July to 1 October, as a result of the uproar it has generated.

The new Immigration regulations require parents to travel with the unabridged birth certificate of each child, the only country in the world to require this documentation for travel to another country.  The process of acquiring such  a document is a lengthy one, one mother writing on Facebook that she had just collected hers from the Malmesbury offices of the Department of Home Affairs after a 13 month waiting period.  This branch is the most efficient at such applications, she had been advised.  The regulations also require the second parent to agree to the foreign travel by the child if that parent is not part of the travel party.

In addition, the new regulations require that visas be applied for outside the country, which would make Continue reading →

New immigration regulations could affect Tourism and Film industries!

HomelandThe new immigration regulations, introduced late last month, are not only a deterrent to immigrants to our country, but can also seriously affect the R5 billion film industry of Cape Town, reports the Cape Times.  The new regulations differentiate between temporary visas and long-term residence permits, and new procedures have been introduced to change from one visa type to another, amidst uncertainty of exactly how the new regulations are to be implemented.
Garreth Bloor, the new City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee member for Tourism, Events, and Marketing,  has requested the Department of Home Affairs to review the regulations.  He said to the Cape Times: ‘In the tough global economic environment, the country needs to remain competitive in as many sectors as possible‘. The change in the procedures could cost the local film industry R1 billion, and affect the employment of 600 workers in the film industry.
The biggest problem for the film industry is the implementation of the regulations in the case of filming delays.  It is also not clear Continue reading →

‘Bumper year for local film industry’, Cape Town booming!

Cape Town Film StudioThe Cape Town film industry is about to start a bumper year of movie production, with parts of ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’ likely to be shot in Cape Town, reports the Sunday Times.   The Cape Town Film Studio is said to be so busy with productions that it is turning some away!

The ‘Avengers’ sequel is set to star Scarlett Johannson, Robert Downey jnr, and Chris Hemsworth, a multi-million movie which will largely be shot in London.  The Cape Town Film Commission has not confirmed the production, but met with the production company late last year.

Major production companies have approached the Cape Town Film Commission about filming major feature films, international networks from Japan and India, as well as the BBC have made contact with the Commission.  An international reality TV show may be shot in Cape Town or Durban in winter, The New Age reports.

Last year ‘The Giver’, starring Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, and Jeff Bridges, Continue reading →