Tag Archives: hotel industry

Michelin inspectors: dining detectives or normal diners?

 

South Africa does not have the Michelin Star Restaurant rating system, because there are not enough Michelin tyres sold in our country, it is said.

Yet when travelling overseas, eating at Michelin one, two or three starred restaurants has an intrigue,  because they appear to be far better than our own local best restaurants, which is not necessarily the case at all.

We are proud to have two South African chefs linked to two Michelin star restaurants: Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen owns one star JAN Restaurant in Nice, awarded for the seventh time earlier this year, and Chef Jean Delport heads up the one star Restaurant Interlude at Leonardslee Gardens in the UK, the star having been awarded for three years running. Co-incidentally both chefs studied at the former Chefs School at Zevenwacht.  Continue reading →

Cape Town tourism to cruise with new cruise liner terminal!

Excellent news to warm up a depressed tourism winter is the announcement in yesterday’s Cape Times that a new cruise liner terminal is finally being planned for Cape Town’s port.

Transnet owns the harbour, and last week called for ‘submissions of interest in the funding, construction and operation of a terminal’. The tender notice calls for interested parties to meet on 6 June, and submit their tenders by 29 June.

The poor state of the current temporary facilities for cruise line tourist embarkation in the Cape Town harbour has been heavily criticised, making it less attractive for cruise liners to call on Cape Town as a result.  Until January this year, cruise liners were preferring to dock in the V&A Waterfront, but a Department of Home Affairs directive forbade this due to security concerns for passengers visiting Cape Town. Since then the V&A Waterfront has been calling for support in getting the cruise liners back into its quays again, as it is good for their tenants’ business.  Western Cape Minister of Tourism Alan Winde has been working on the issue too, recently meeting the national Minister of Home Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, who told him to call on national Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk, it being a tourism issue.  It was her department, however, which issued the directive as to the docking of cruise liners, and forbade the future docking in the V&A Waterfront. City of Cape Town Tourism, Events and Marketing Mayoral Committee member Grant Pascoe promised in January to address the cruise liner issue, but appears to not have done anything to date!

Some ships like the Queen Mary 2, which has visited twice in recent months, is too large to be accommodated in the V&A Waterfront, and therefore a new cruise liner terminal in the main port would be first prize.  It has been suggested that due to the relatively small number of cruise line visits to date, that the new cruise liner terminal be developed as a multifunctional venue, suitable for weddings and conferences too.  FEDHASA Cape Chairman Dirk Elzinga welcomed the news: ‘the hospitality industry would be delighted if a cruise liner terminal was built. It’s long overdue. At the moment the cruise liner facilities are non-existent. If there’s a good cruise terminal then operators will definitely do their best to bring more business to Cape Town‘, which would benefit Cape Town’s hotel industry.

One hopes that tenders for the development of the Cape Town cruise liner terminal will be found, despite the continued economic depression, even if it were to become a joint project between the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape government, as is the Cape Town International Convention Centre.  Cape Town is perfectly positioned to play a far greater role in cruise tourism, and currently is a shabby competitor to Durban, which harbour has developed good facilities to welcome cruise liner tourists to its city.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter:@WhaleCottage

World Cup accommodation rates decrease

For the first time ever accommodation rates for a major sporting event have decreased, in the face of the kick-off to the World Cup, say hotel booking engines, according to a report in Southern African Tourism Update.

HotelsCombined.com and Expedia.com have both observed how accommodation rates have declined since the over-supply of accommodation, resulting from the cancellation of rooms booked by MATCH, as well as the low accommodation demand, became known in April.   “We’ve never expected the hotel industry to drop prices during a peak sporting event.  It’s most unusual that prices have dropped this significantly.  We reject claims that hotel prices are rebalancing due to a stronger US dollar over the last weeks – which hasn’t moved the rand as strongly as other currencies.  Clearly, media reports of violence are affecting demand, which hotel chains and sole operators are reacting to in the form of competitive re-pricing” Michael Doubinski, General Manager of HotelsCombined.com is quoted as saying.

Expedia.com says the discounted rates have dropped back to 2009 low-season rates.   Accommodation establishments that had rooms returned to them by MATCH signed up with the two hotel booking engines, it is reported.

MATCH is reported to be blaming the global economic crisis for the reduced demand for World Cup accommodation, which led the FIFA accommodation and ticketing agency to cancel thousands of booked rooms, even in official FIFA hotels such as the Durban Hilton, reports Travelwires.com. Many soccer fans have chosen to stay in Johannesburg, being close to five stadiums, and will fly to Cape Town, Durban and other South African cities on match days.

Cape Town is trying to attract last minute bookings, and Cape Town Routes Unlimited has launched a campaign to create awareness for the Mother City.   Soccer fans booked in Gauteng, as well as South African residents wishing to travel over the 5-week school holiday are being targeted.  Accommodation establishments have already dropped their rates, and are hoping to attract these tourists.

Cape Town Routes Unlimited has launched a joint campaign with Thompsons Holidays, and has also partnered with travel agents such as e-Travel, Flight Centre, and Club Travel.  Information is being handed out at Cape Town and OR Thambo International airports, at the Tourism KwaZulu-Natal office and at uShaka Marine World in Durban, and at information kiosks in North Western Province.   A group of 200 Dutch fans travelling between Johannesburg and Cape Town will carry the branding of Cape Town and the Western Cape.   Footage of Cape Town and the Western Cape will be shown on SAA’s domestic and international flights.   A Google Adword campaign is targeting soccer fans in Gauteng, Rustenburg and Durban.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com