Tag Archives: Webtickets

Book Franschhoek Literary Festival before it’s too late!

FLF2As the 8th Franschhoek Literary Festival draws near, it is advisable to book the writer panel sessions as soon as possible, as they get booked out well in advance.  The more well-known the writer/s on the panels, the quicker they are booked out.   In addition to an intensive programme of talks from Friday until Sunday this coming weekend (16 – 18 May), entertainment is also available in the evenings.

The Festival is noble in generating funds for the Franschhoek Literary Festival Library Fund, for the following:

*  donating books to schools and creches

*  employing a librarian to work with four primary school libraries in the Franschhoek area, and part-time library assistants

*   visiting schools, reading and story-telling

*   Book Week for Young Readers, which is being held this week

*   Wine Writers prizes of R12500 each, in two categories: six to eight short pieces of 1000 words each, from a blog or column; and a long piece of 1000 – 4000 words. Winners to be selected by a panel, usually chaired by John Maytham.  Last year the prize was Continue reading →

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

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Indaba will have 23 African countries promoting their countries’ tourism products, making it the first comprehensive Africa tourism exhibition.   A total of 400 exhibitors has been signed up for the show, held in Durban from 10 -12 May, with more than 1000 visitors confirmed to date.

*   Mozambique and South Africa have signed a biodiversity and an anti-poaching agreement to combat the poaching of rhino in the Greater Limpopo Cross-Border Park in particular, which is a culmination of the Kruger Park, the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, and the Gonarezhou in Zimbabwe.  The number of rhino killed due to poaching has grown almost 300-fold in the last seven years!

*   BBC Worldwide will not be doing a fourth season of ‘Come Dine with Me South Africa‘, despite attracting 5 million local viewers.  The broadcaster is looking at doing a more localised program.

*   ‘Cook Franschhoek‘ will be held in Franschhoek from 13 – 15 June, with Franschhoek chefs doing cooking Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 19 March

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   SA Tourism may be feeling threatened by the World Travel Market Africa expo taking place in Cape Town a week before Indaba in May.  To date Indaba has been the dominant tourism expo in South Africa and on the African continent. Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk issued a statement, in support of Indaba (logical as it is organised by SA Tourism)!  In it he reflects that (the very negative) feedback about Indaba 2013 was heard and taken into account in planning Indaba 2014, scheduled for 10 – 12 May. Key is the increasing attendance of African countries at Indaba, 22 to date, with a total of 1242 buyers having booked to attend to date.  The Minister announced that a new bidding process will commence after Indaba 2014.

*   Bistrot Bizerca appears to be in liquidation.   The restaurant has been a Top 10 and Best Bistro restaurant in the past, but appears to have lost energy when it moved into Heritage Square over a year ago.  (Note: See Comments for response on behalf of Bizerca, not explaining its liquidation in 2012, when it moved to the new premises)

*   South Africa’s tourism growth is estimated to be 3,6%, below the global growth rate Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 11 March

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Speculation about the reason for the stepping down of Koos Bekker as CEO of Naspers at the end of last month is that Bekker may be planning to create the world’s largest global internet, media, and digital group.

*   Bloomberg Businessweek has highlighted Cape Town as the jet set holiday destination of celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey, paying R50000 per day to stay in the new villa at Ellerman House, which houses owner Paul Harris’ art collection and new Wine Gallery (a serious one, not a six bottle one like that of the petite Pendock Wine Gallery)! Unfortunately the article contrasts the opulence of the villa and its guests with the poverty of the inhabitants of the townships in Cape Town, and highlights the city’s poor reputation as the ‘most violent city in Africa‘!

*   Top UK chef Michel Roux Jnr has resigned from the BBC produced ‘MasterChef: the Professionals’ and ‘Food and Drink‘, describing negotiations with the BBC as a ‘frustrating process’, the corporation not having an appreciation of Roux’s commercial relationships.

*   Moderate wine drinking could help prevent heart attacks and reduce heart-related deaths amongst Continue reading →