Tag Archives: MTN

Take a trip at home, urges S A Tourism

The struggling local tourism industry, which is feeling the pinch due to the strong Rand and the depressed United Kingdom economy, is delighted that the country’s tourism marketing body is to spend R 30 million in encouraging locals to travel in South Africa, and not go overseas, reports Biz.Community.com.

The SA Tourism TV, radio, print, online, mobile and outdoor advertising campaign is to encourage locals to go on affordable ‘domestic’ trips more often, Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, said at the launch of the campaign.   The Minister described ‘domestic tourism’ as the ‘backbone of the industry’, and quoted figures that show significant growth from 22% to 31 % of percentage spend on holiday travel in just twelve months.   In passenger numbers, domestic tourists represent 79% of tourists traveling in the country. In 2010, 29,7 million domestic trips were undertaken by South Africans, generating an income of R21,1 billion.

“The message is clear here: tourism and culture are related and we are going to increase our marketing resources this year to showcase our hidden treasures to our citizens.  South Africa has a very young population that has begun to travel”, said S A Tourism CEO Thandiwe January-McLean.  SA Tourism’s partners in the domestic tourism marketing campaign include MTN, Pick ‘n Pay, Kulula.com, Flight Centre and Thompsons Holidays.

At the launch function, the Cycad Modjadji Nature Reserve with more than 10000 cycads, some as old as 6000 years, was launched.

At the recent Western Cape Tourism Destination Conference  the message was loud and clear: maintain the international source markets, but focus on domestic tourism, due to the economic downturn, reflecting S A Tourism’s marketing action. 

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

Music Revival Sweet and Google Sour Service Awards

The second Sweet Service Award goes to Christopher Duigan from Music Revival in Pietermaritzburg, for spoiling Franschhoekers and others with a most wonderful Spring Classical Music Festival last weekend, the fifth such Festival to be held in Franschhoek.      Not only does Duigan organise the musical content of the weekend-long programme, but he also performed at all six concerts.   Bravo to performers Christopher Duigan, Joanne Rozario, the Kerimov Trio, James Grace and Federico Freschi, as well as to the sponsors Ebony, La Fontaine, Clarins, and Nedbank, for making the Music Festival possible! 

 

The Sour Service Award goes to Google, represented by Carnelian Event Management, for cancelling a Google Adwords workshop for members of Cape Town Tourism a day before the workshop, earlier this week, without informing the members of Cape Town Tourism, despite a promise to Cape Town Tourism Operations Manager Bronwen d’Oliviera that they would do so.   The Cape Town Tourism, S A Tourism and MTN brands, which were sponsorship partners of the workshops, have been negatively affected, and the delegates that booked for the workshops severely inconvenienced.    Cape Town Tourism did send an sms to its members, but forgot to inform those members that have opted to not receive their intrusive sms-messages.  Carnelian Event Management did not respond to an invitation to comment. 

 

 

 

The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog.  Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com.