Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
*. Wesgro is inviting investors to capitalize on the depreciation of the Rand in investing in the Western Cape, and to buy exported products from the province. Wesgro CEO Tim Harris said that the province’s skilled workforce would offer investors better value for money. Investors would benefit from the lower costs created by the weaker Rand in setting Continue reading →
I have not attended a #TweetandEat event for a long time, and when the invitation came from FIVE STAR PR to attend one at the Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa presented by their sister property Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat last week, it was a yes immediately, not having experienced the contemporary Cape cuisine of Executive Chef Floris Smith before.
Bushmans Kloof GM James Basson came to welcome me immediately, and it is clear
to see why he was named the Best GM in the Red Carnation Group earlier this year. He is bubbly, friendly, and vivacious, and one feels that one has known him for years. I asked him what he does to have won the award, and he immediately said that it his team that makes a difference. His staff stay for long, and many couples work there, given that they are in the middle Continue reading →
Travel bloggers who charge for their service ‘have lost touch with the true spirit of travel blogging‘.
While blogging is a noble form of recording one’s experiences, it should at all times be honest and reflect the full travel experience, good and bad. Bloggers receiving payment gush about the beautiful scenery, and their experiences, and never criticise. In addition, they rarely declare receiving a gift or an experience for free, let alone being paid for writing about the experiences.
‘However, I fear that as tourist boards and travel principles have shifted some of their emphasis from traditional media reviews to blogger press trips, and blog posts about their products, the spirit of blogging Continue reading →
‘Hayden Quinn: South Africa’ focused on the Overberg last night, visiting Hermanus and Stanford, as well as Elgin, but this was not mentioned, being described as being just outside Hermanus! It was a whale of an episode highlighting the Southern Right whale visitors, the sustainable apple and pear farming in Elgin, and Marianna’s sustainable restaurant in Stanford. No mention was made however of Hermanus’ produce nor its world-renowned wines in the Hemel en Aarde Valley!
Hayden raved about the Southern Right whales, which visit Hermanus’ Walker Bay from July, he said incorrectly (they arrive from the Antarctic from May onwards) until early December. On the Facebook page of ‘Hayden Quinn: South Africa‘ it is incorrectly claimed that Hermanus is the ‘Whale Watching Capital of the World‘, copywriting nonsense. Hermanus is however known as the offering the best land-based whale watching in the world, which is something different, and Hayden did say words to this effect in the episode!
To add some real adventure to his visit to Hermanus, Forest Adventures’ Clinton Lerm (infamous for wanting to change the name of the village to ‘Lermanus‘ when his family tried to take over the tourism management of the town, to their own Continue reading →