Tag Archives: Namibia

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 16 May

May 16, 2014

Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

* British Airways has launched a You Tube video ‘On Top of the World’, which probably is a TV commercial for its A380 flights to South Africa (it does not say if they are flying to Cape Town too), and was filmed exclusively in Cape Town, including on top of Table Mountain, on Camps Bay beach, with Lion’s Head as a backdrop, at Boulders Beach, and showing a Cape Town flower seller, a rugby player, and a cyclist.

* SATSA (Southern African Tourism Services Association) CEO David Frost says that tourists should be encouraged to see more of South Africa than the Big Five, Cape Town, the Kruger National Park, Johannesburg, and the Garden Route. Attractions in other provinces are not known to travelers. Repeat visits to our country should be increased, and the deceased time spent should be reversed, he added. He encouraged SA Tourism to develop trade deals that draw visitors to lesser known attractions. Travelers are not only visiting South Africa, but are also incorporating Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique into their itineraries.

* Wellington Wines is planning to treble its sales of bulk wine to the UK to 6 million litres by next year, and projects Continue reading →

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

May 8, 2014

Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

* The New York Times has listed Cape Town as its number one ‘52 Places to go in 2014′. Cape Town is linked to the late Nelson Mandela, and how Table Mountain was his beacon of hope. World Design Capital 2014 is also highlighted. ‘Cape Town is again reinventing itself, and the world is invited to its renaissance’. The other top ten Places to Go are Christchurch, North Coast in California, Albanian coast, Downtown Los Angeles, Namibia, Ecuador, Quang Binh in Vietnam, Perth, and Rotterdam.

* In a surprise move, the City of Cape Town and Golden Arrow Bus Services have signed two memorandums of understanding, agreeing to work together, in the bus company will form part of the MyCiTi Bus service, utilising the City’s bus company branding, and having a common integrated schedule. In the past the Golden Arrow Bus Services has taken the City of Cape Town to court.

* An American property site’s vacation page recommends Cape Town as one of ten destinations around the world in which to celebrate Mother’s Day! In Cape Town they recommend going up Table Mountain, visiting the V&A Waterfront, Cape Point, having a picnic on the False Bay coastline, and having dinner at any of the city’s ‘great Continue reading →

World Travel Market Africa 2014: Day 1 huge vote of confidence in Cape Town’s tourism industry!

May 3, 2014

I returned to my guest house all charged up after a full day spent at the Cape Town International Convention Centre yesterday, to attend World Travel Market (WTM) Africa, the first time ever that a travel and tourism exhibition of such a stature has been held in Cape Town.

World Travel Market has been held in London for years, and is the second largest travel and tourism exhibition in the world, after ITB in Berlin, and larger than Indaba, which is held in Durban. At the press conference yesterday afternoon it was said that Reed Exhibitions must have had tremendous confidence in Africa generally and in Cape Town specifically, to have brought the exhibition to our city, partnering with Thebe in hosting it. One was surprised at the many stands that had been sold, not only to Cape Town and Western Cape tourism players, but also to national brands (including Durban Tourism, which was interesting, especially as it was not manned on Saturday!) as well as a host of international brands such as Lufthansa, Singapore, Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH, Dubai, Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, Turkey, Reunion Island, Seychelles, Zambia Tourism Board, Namibia Tourism Board and Airports Company, Mozambique, and many more brands, there being about 150 stands in total. Even the Whale Crier from Hermanus paid a visit!

The communication with WTM Africa had been efficient, attendees being invited to register in advance, so that one could attend for free, which must have led to the good attendance yesterday. While the service at the registration desk could have been friendlier, it was efficient in general. Other than visiting many of the exhibitors, and bumping into numerous tourism players on the floor, an important benefit was the interesting programme of talks over the two days of the exhibition. By the time I could get to the exhibition, at about 11h15, the talk on Mobile Apps was fully ‘occupied‘ with 100 attendees, as one of the WTM Africa staff said, which meant that we were not let inside initially, for ‘health and safety reasons‘! After calling for a senior Continue reading →

Peninsula All-Suite Hotel Wine & Dine interesting pairing with Steenberg wines!

May 1, 2014

On Thursday evening I was invited by Communication Services Africa (CSA) to attend The Peninsula All-Suite Hotel monthly Wine & Dine at its Sunset Restaurant, paired with Steenberg Wines, both clients of the PR consultancy. We had a fun evening, with a lot of banter from both the host Chris Godenir and Steenberg General Manager and Cellar Master John Loubser.

Chris Godenir has been at Three Cities for a number of years, and has a special relationship with his staff at The Peninsula All-Suite Hotel, not losing his cool easily. One has to get used to his sense of humour, which he surrounds himself with continuously, making one unsure whether he says something in jest or is serious. Poor John and I both were on the receiving end of Chris’ jibes, and I decided to take the positive out of his comments, which in my case showed that he reads my blog!

Chris announced that the Wine & Dine was the first opportunity for their new chef Hajierah Hamit to cook for a special group, the dinner being sold out. I sat next to Chris’ vivacious wife Alison, and she told me interesting stories about integration in the workplace, the challenge no longer between different cultural groups, but rather between age groups, quoting generation Y and X behaviours in the workplace, and how these can cause conflict. She is a consultant smoothing over such age related conflict in the workplace. At the media table too were Joanne and Patrick Gibson (Joanne writes for the Sunday Times Food Weekly about wine), Cayleigh Bright of Glamour Online and her friend Will, and Megan Drury from CSA. Chris introduced John, the most creative interpretation of a CV John has probably had to endure, but it raised many laughs, and Continue reading →