I have written WhaleTales for the past eight years now, and have used the information that I collect about the tourism industry as well as my day-to-day hands-on experience in my guest houses to create a topical tourism newsletter that is sent to tourism and hospitality colleagues as well as to Whale Cottage guests.
The newsletter does not carry any advertising, nor does the new WhaleTales blog (www.whalecottage.com/blog). We will not tolerate any editorial input to, nor gagging or censorship of the newsletter and the blog, so as to guarantee our editorial independence and freedom of speech. This is the reason why we moved our blog from CapeInfo.com to our Whale Cottage Portfolio website.
Our Whale Cottages are weathering the global economic crisis remarkably well. While occupancy is down by about 20 % in Franschhoek and Hermanus for November, Whale Cottage Camps Bay remains a winner, having retained its occupancy of previous years at over 95%. One of the reasons is that all Whale Cottage rates have been held at those of last season, despite the current inflation rate of around 13 %.
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Whale Cottage Plettenberg Bay is one year old this month, and is looking forward to a sold-out festive season.
It receives nothing but praise for its location, décor and friendliness. |
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We wish all our WhaleTales readers a peaceful and enjoyable festive season, after what has been one of the most challenging ever for the citizens and businesses of the world.
Chris von Ulmenstein
Owner, Whale Cottage Portfolio
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Downturn lifts B & B popularity |
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There
is
no
doubt
that
the
global
economic
crisis
has
hit
tourism
in
South
Africa,
and
to
the
Cape.
November
was
the
first
month
in
which
the
impact
of
the
credit
crunch
became
apparent.
The
downturn
will
benefit
the
Small
Accommodation
sector
most,
given
its
reasonable
pricing
levels
and
personalised
service.
Bookings
ahead
look
promising.
The
Cape
is
largely
dependent
on
bookings
from
the
UK
market,
and
any
ups
and
downs
in
that
country
will
impact
on
local
tourism.
When
the
British
government
announced
the
2
percentage
point
VAT
reduction
last
week,
the
increase
in
enquiries
and
bookings
was
noticeable
immediately.
What
has
changed
the
most
is
that
bookings
are
very
last
minute,
making
it
impossible
to
predict
what
lies
ahead.
In
previous
years,
for
example,
November
was
close
to
sold
out
in
Camps
Bay
prior
to
the
start
of
the
month.
This
year,
it
was
50 %
sold
out
at
the
start
of
the
month,
the
remainder
of
the
rooms
being
sold
during
the
month,
to
achieve
an
occupancy
on a
par
with
previous
years.
Hotels
are
facing
declined
occupancies,
and
they
are
now
dropping
their
rates
to
unheard
of
lower
levels,
to
attract
bookings.
The
Weekend
Argus
reports
that
Cape
Town
Routes
Unlimited’s
Cape
Tourism
Barometer showed
that
1,68
%
fewer
local
and
international
visitors
had
made
hotel
bookings
in
Cape
Town
for
December.
Bookings
at
bed
and
breakfast
establishments
in
the
city
were
down
by
5,2
%.
The
biggest
drop
is
in
the
self-catering
sector,
with
6,15
%
fewer
bookings
than
at
this
time
last
year.”
This
information
should
be
taken
with
a
pinch
of
salt,
as
the
existence
of
the
Barometer
and
its
results
have
never
been
shared
with
the
industry,
and
its
results
seem
suspect.
If
anything,
the
self-catering
sector
should
show
the
smallest
decline,
as
it
is
the
most
affordable
accommodation. The
current
last
minute
booking
trend
nullifies
the
value
of
this
research
anyway!
Flights
from
London
to
Cape
Town
have
been
observed
to
be
between
half
and
three-quarter
full,
unheard
of
given
the
difficulty
tourists
had
in
past
years
to
obtain
flight
tickets.
Destination
marketing
takes
on
an
even
more
important
role
in
times
of a
global
financial
crisis,
so
that
a
country
can
achieve
awareness
amongst
its
target
market
when
the
global
economy
recovers.
This
is
the
message
S A
Tourism
CEO Moeketsi
Mosola
brought
to
the
tourism
industry,
after
the
August
arrival
statistics
were
released,
and
reflected
a
slowdown
in
the
arrivals
growth
rate,
to 6
%.
Tourism
growth
has
been
double-digit
in
the
past.
Mosola
warned
the
industry
of
difficult
times
ahead,
and
said
that
the
industry
should
not
lose
heart,
even
though
he
acknowledged
that
the
arrivals
information
indicated
that
the
credit
crunch
was
affecting
tourism
for
the
first
time. ”The
industry
at
large
was
reporting
its
worst
results
since
the
outbreak
of
SARS
in
2003″
says
the
S A
Tourism
media
release,
but
is
in
line
with
global
tourism
market
conditions.
In
line
with
its
destination
market
strategy
to
aggressively
market
the
country
in
general,
and
especially
for
the
run-up
to
the
2010
World
Cup,
S A
Tourism
will
be
launching
advertising
campaigns
on
CNN,
BBC,
Eurosport
and
in
cinemas
in
2009.
It
already
has
a
regular
presence
on
SkyNews,
showing
a
hot
air
balloon
over
a
beautiful
landscape.
Mosola
encourages
the
industry
to
use
the
downturn
to
invite
the
media
and
tour
operators
to
experience
their
products
and
services,
and
the
country’s
“variety
and
depth
of
travel
experiences
South
Africa
offers
leisure
travelers”,
to
be
ready
for
the
upturn.
Father
Christmas
cannot
bring
the
tourism
industry
better
news
than
that
of
the
petrol
price
decrease
of R
1,60
per
litre
this
week.
This
brings
the
price
of
petrol
down
to R
7,11
at
the
coast.
The
price
of
diesel
will
drop
by
about
80
cents
per
litre.
Tourism
to
the
Garden
Route
and
to
country
areas
will
receive
a
positive
boost
from
the
petrol
price
decrease,
having
taken
a
bad
knock
when
the
petrol
price
was
more
than
R 10
a
litre
during
winter.
A
drop
in
the
interest
rate
may
also
occur,
which
will
be a
further
boost
for
tourism.
Cape
Town
Routes
Unlimited
(CTRU)
is
crying
foul
once
again,
in
that
the
Premier
of
the
Western
Cape
and
former
head
of
tourism
Lynne
Brown
is
challenging
the
legality
of
Cape
Town
Tourism
marketing
Cape
Town,
reports
the
Cape Argus.
Brown
has
written
to
Cape
Town
Mayor
Helen
Zille
to
find
a
solution
to
the
funding
problem,
after
the
City
of
Cape
Town
withdrew
its
50 %
funding
of
CTRU
and
allocated
it
to
Cape
Town
Tourism
to
market
Cape
Town.
Brown’s
successor
as
MEC
for
Economic
Development
and
Tourism,
Garth
Strachan,
said
that
Cape
Town
Tourism
was
marketing
both
Cape
Town
and
the
Western
Cape
at
Soccerex
in
Johannesburg
and
at
the
World
Travel
Market
in
London
in
November,
and
that
this
“…would
constitute
a
clear
breach
of
legislation”,
referring
to
the
Tourism
Act
of
2004,
which
designates
this
power
to
CTRU
alone.
Strachan
sees
Cape
Town
Tourism
now
acting
“in
competition
with
CTRU”.
Sometimes
controversial
City
of
Cape
Town
Mayoral
Committee
member
for
Economic
Development
and
Tourism,
Simon
Grindrod, resigned
as
Deputy
Leader
and
member
of
the
Independent
Democrats
last
month,
to
join
the
newly
formed
Congress
of
the
People
(COPE),
reports
the
Cape
Times.
Grindrod
has
lost
his
Mayoral
Committee
position
and
his
tourism
role
as a
result.
Grindrod
first
attracted
the
industry’s
attention
when
he
listened
to
industry
feedback
about
its
dissatisfaction
with
the
inefficiency
of
Cape
Town
Routes
Unlimited
(CTRU)
in
marketing
Cape
Town
and
the
Western
Cape,
and
appointed
consultants
to
investigate
the
organisation’s
ability
to
meet
its
funding
mandate.
The
City
of
Cape
Town
was
a 50
%
funder
of
CTRU
at
that
time,
with
the
province
of
the
Western
Cape.
Grindrod
did
not
like
the
consultants’
report
about
CTRU,
and
last
year
received
the
Mayoral
Committee
support
to
give
CTRU
the
required
12
months’
notice
that
the
City
would
be
withdrawing
its
R 24
million
funding
from
CTRU,
and
giving
it
to
Cape
Town
Tourism
from
1
July
this
year
instead.
The
industry
was
shocked
by
the
boldness
of
Grindrod’s
actions,
yet
has
warmly
embraced
Cape
Town
Tourism’s
ability
to
market
Cape
Town
in a
more
focused
and
efficient
manner.
Excellent
news
is
that
Cape
Town
has
been
named
as
the
UK
Daily
Telegraph
and
Sunday
Telegraph
readers’
favourite
city
in
the
world,
in
its
2008
Travel
Awards.
Cape
Town
beat
Sydney,
San
Francisco
and
Vancouver.
South
Africa
was
voted
as
third
favourite
travel
destination
in
the
world,
excluding
Europe.
More
than
90 %
of
the
readers
of
the
poll
stated
that
they
would
not
downgrade
their
accommodation
on a
next
holiday,
and
would
not
change
their
holiday
destination
choice
due
to
the
credit
crunch.
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Sol
Kerzner’s
One&Only
Cape
Town
is
scheduled
to
open
in
the
V &
A
Waterfront
in
May
next
year,
reports
Luxury
Travel. The
hotel
will
have
131
rooms,
of
which
40 will
be located
on a
specially
created island
in
the
Waterfront.
The
other
special
island
will
host
the
eleven-room
Spa
and
pool,
and
will
be
linked
to
the
hotel
by
means
of
bridges.
Other
facilities
will
include
the
One&Only
Fitness
Centre;
Nobu, Island
Terrace and
Plate restaurants;
the
Wine
Loft
with
more
than
a
hundred
wines
by
the
glass; and
a
KidsOnly
Club.
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Sol
Kerzner,
who
became
a
renowned
hotelier
and
casino
operator
when
he
established
Sun
City
and
The
Palace
of
the
Lost
City
outside
Johannesburg
more
than
25
years
ago,
says
of
his
newest
project:
“One&Only
Cape
Town
will
become
a
significant
landmark
in
Africa
with
its
bold,
contemporary
design
promising
to
make
it
one
of
the
world’s
leading
luxury
resort
destinations.
I am
looking
forward
to
once
again
contributing
to
South
Africa’s
tourism
industry,
which
has
seen
an
incredible
growth
in
recent
years.
I am
very
pleased
to
open
a
spectacular
resort
with
a
fresh
and
exciting
new
concept
in
my
home
country
in
what
I’ve
always
believed
to
be
one
of
the
greatest
sites
in
Cape
Town.
Opening
in
plenty
of
time
for
the
2010
World
Cup,
the
resort
will
appeal
to
the
international traveller
and
play
a
key
role
in
the
local
community”.
Kerzner’s
One&Only
hotels
are
located
in
Maldives,
Mauritius,
Mexico,
Bahamas
and
Dubai.
He
opened
his
latest
Atlantis
Palm Jumeirah
One&Only
in
Dubai recently,
with
a
$20
million
opening
extravaganza,
including
the
world’s
largest
fireworks
display
and
a
performance
by
Kylie
Minogue.
VIP
guests
at
the
opening
included
Robert
de
Niro,
Charlize
Theron,
Wesley
Snipes,
Janet
Jackson,
Mischa
Barton,
Yasmin
le
Bon,
Denzil
Washington
and
Shirley
Bassey,
signaling
the
scale
at
which
the
One&Only
Cape
Town
could
be
opening
next
year.
Cape
Town
is
to
have
its
own
Rio-style
Carnival
as
of
March
2010.
The Cape
Town
Carnival
will
run
from
12 -
14
March
2010,
the
weekend
in
between
the
Argus
Cycle
Tour
and
the
Two
Oceans
Marathon.
It
will
be a
weekend
of
music,
dance
and
cultural
expression,
and
“is
a
celebration
of
diversity”,
according
to
its
website
www.capetowncarnival.com
The
theme
of
the
first
Cape
Town
Carnival
will
be
“Rhythm,
Roots
&
Boots”.
It
aims
at
“celebrating
uniting
diverse
communities
through
music,
dance
and
creativity,
show-casing
the
best
of
Cape
Town,
annually…”
says
Dr
Rachel
Jafta,
the
Cape
Town
Carnival
Trust
Chairman
and
University
of
Stellenbosch
Associate
Professor
of
Economics. ”We
wanted
to
create
something
new,
where
communities
interact
and
celebrate
our
uniqueness,
but
also
unite
as
citizens
of
one
of
the
most
beautiful
cities
of
the
world.”
she
added,
reports
the
Cape
Times.
The
Trust
team
are
largely
unknown
to
the
tourism
industry,
and
includes
Clarence
Ford,
radio
presenter
and
previous
owner
of
the
now
defunct
Manenbergs,
Craig
Lemboe,
Eldridge
Moses,
Anton
Liebenberg,
Henry
Hockey,
Themba
Nolutshungu,
Fritz
Marx
and
Programme
Manager
Isabel
Meyer.
It
is
worrying
that
the
Trustees
do
not
appear
to
have
Tourism
or
Event
Management
experience,
and
that
the
tourism
bodies
Cape
Town
Tourism
and
CTRU
are
not
involved.
Cape
Town
has
the
largest
number
of
Blue
Flag
beaches
of
all
cities
in
the
country,
six
of
its
beaches
receiving
the
prestigious
accreditation
last
month.
Nine
of
the
nineteen
Blue
Flag
beaches are
in
the
Western
Cape,
and
include
Lappiesbaai
Beach
in
Stilbaai,
Grotto
and
Hawston
beaches
in
Hermanus,
Bikini
Beach
in
Gordon’s
Bay,
Mnandi
and
Strandfontein
beaches
in
Strandfontein,
Muizenberg
beach,
and
Clifton
4th and
Camps
Bay
beaches
on
the
Atlantic
seaboard,
reports
the
Cape
Times. Four
Port
Elizabeth
beaches
have
also
received
Blue
Flag
accreditation,
while
all
six
Durban
beaches
have
lost
their
Blue
Flag
status.
The
Society
of
Incentive
Travel
Executives
(SITE)
is
to
hold
its
2010
International
Conference
in
Cape
Town.
The
Society
represents
leaders
in
the
multi-billion
dollar
design
and
execution
of
incentive
rewards
industry.
SITE
CEO
Brenda
Anderson
motivated
her
Society’s
choice
of
Cape
Town
as
follows:
”As
a
global
leader
in
our
space, what
better
way
to
live
our
mission
than
to
select
a
destination
that
exemplifies
diversity,
growth
and
an
eye
for
the
future?”. It
will
be
the
first
time
that
a
SITE
Conference
will
be
held
in
Africa.
The
SITE
Conference
will
run
from
4 -
7
December
2010.
The
Cape
lived
up
to
its
reputation
as
“The
Cape
of
Storms”
last
month,
as a
black
south-easter
blowing
up
to
65
km/h
caused
havoc
with and
damage
to
land
and
sea
traffic,
trees,
roofs
and
walls,
and
resulting
in
wide-spread
flooding
throughout
the
Western
Cape
province. The
large-scale
damage
caused
by
the
four-day
storm
has
been
attributed
to
climate
change
by
Lynne
Brown,
the
Premier
of
the
Western
Cape
province.
A
climatologist
at
the
University
of
Cape
Town
said
that
the
storm
was
“the
strongest
cut-off
low
pressure
system
to
have
hit
the
Western
Cape
in
spring
since
1979.
This
confirmed
a
trend
in
the
southern
hemisphere
over
the
past
30
years
of
cut-off
lows
increasing
in
intensity
which
may
be a
result
of
global
warming.” the
Cape
Times
reported.
The
southeaster
was
so
strong
that
it
blew
over
trucks
in
the
city
centre
and
in
Camps
Bay.
Accompanied
by
untypical
heavy
downpours,
the
driving
rain
caused
severe
flooding
near
Hermanus, Robertson, Greyton,
Caledon,
Ceres, Swellendam and
Touws
River.
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Stellenbosch takes over Gourmet crown |
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STELLENBOSCH TAKES OVER GOURMET
CROWN
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Three
Stellenbosch restaurants
have made the 2009
Prudential Eat Out Top Ten
restaurant list, being
Overture,
Rust en Vrede
and
Terroir. The
first two restaurants are
new entrants to the top ten
list. The Stellenbosch
success is at the expense of
Franschhoek, which retains
only one restaurant on the
top ten list, being the
Tasting Room at
Le
Quartier Francais,
slipping from top position
last year to 7th place this
year. Franschhoek’s
Grand
Provence and
Bread & Wine, on the top ten
list last year, fell off the
top list, with the former
falling off the top twenty
list.
Reubens
did not manage to make the
top ten list, but was on the
top 20 list.
Competition for the top ten
list was tough, with many
new restaurants making the
top twenty list, from which
the top ten restaurants were
selected. Seven top
restaurants are in the
Western Cape, of which three
in Cape Town, three in
Stellenbosch and one in
Franschhoek.
The winners, in order, are
as follows: La Colombe,
Jardine, Terroir, Overture,
Restaurant Mosaic
at The Orient in Pretoria,
Rust en Vrede, The Tasting
Room at Le Quartier Francais,
Roots at Forum Homini,
Bizerca and Hartford House.
La
Colombe was
selected as Restaurant of
the Year and its chef Luke
Dale-Roberts the Chef of the
Year. Terroir won the
Service Award, while the
Lifetime Achievement Award
was made posthumously to
Frank Swainston, who was at
Constantia Uitsig until his
death earlier this year.
Notable upsets were the
exclusion from the list of
The
Showroom and
Aubergine. Ginja
was a top ten winner last
year, but did not even make
the top twenty list this
year.
The judges selected the top
restaurants on the basis of
operating for a year or
more, the chefs
demonstrating a passion for
their business, showing a
dedication to uplifting the
industry, where chefs source
their ingredients, and
consistence and excellence
in all aspects of their
business. Food quality
counted for 70 points,
service for 20 and ambience
for 10 in judging the top
restaurants.
Franschhoek sees three new
restaurant openings this
month. Bertus Basson, of
award-winning Overture in
Stellenbosch, has opened
Genot on
Klein Genot.
Fyndraai opens on
Solms
Delta, and L’Hermitage,
owned by ex-Chamonix chef
Dane Newton, opens on the
Franschhoek Estate at the
foot of the Franschhoek
Pass.
South Africa won
Gold in the
Restaurant of
Nations section of
the
Internationale
Kochkunst
Ausstellung at the
Culinary Olympics in
Erfurt, Germany last
month, reports
Travelwires.
They won Gold
alongside the chefs
from Singapore, the
only two countries
to be awarded gold
medals.
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The
Culinary Olympics
take place every
four years. Cooking
for 110 persons, the
team of ten top
South African chefs
prepared a
three-course meal
reflecting South
Africa’s unique
cuisine.
The menu
consisted of a
crayfish starter,
springbok loin and
shoulder as main
course, and was
crowned with a naartjie and
chocolate malva
pudding. Bertus
Basson, co-owner of
Overture in
Stellenbosch, was
one of the chefs in
the South African
team. |
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Well-known Franschhoek tapas
restaurant
Bouillabaisse is
to open a sister restaurant
in the new Epicurean Food
Emporium in Cape Town this
month. Chef and owner Camil
Haas previously owned
Klein Oliphantshoek, the guest
house at which he and his
wife Ingrid prepared
award-winning tasting menu
meals for their guests. Not
only will a new
Bouillabaisse open in Cape
Town, but a new restaurant
Crepe Suzette will also be
opened by the Haas duo.
The
Epicurean Food Emporium has
been designed by Conrad
Gallagher Consulting, and
will open in The Rockwell,
an apartment building in De
Waterkant. It will be set
up as a neighbourhood food
market, with 15 food and
beverage stores selling
freshly baked bread,
homemade jam, chutney,
pesto, olive oil, wine,
gourmet sandwiches,
chocolates, ice cream,
confectionery and
cheeses. It is to become a
one-stop market synonymous
with fine food, outstanding
service, quality and food
trends, reports
Supermarket & Retailer.
Further restaurants, in
addition to Bouillabaisse
and
Crepe Suzette, are set
to open.
Other
restaurant news is that
onewaterfront, the
restaurant in the
Cape Grace
Hotel in the
Waterfront, which became
famous when Bruce Robertson
was the chef, is changing
its name to Signal, reports
eatout, in
honour of Cape Town’s
traditional noon day gun on
Signal Hill. The
restaurant will serve Cape
food, reflecting the French
Huguenot, British, Dutch and
Asian heritage of the Cape.
Christophe Chabanel, who set
up the new restaurant, has
since left the hotel.
The
Roundhouse in Camps Bay,
which has set itself the
lofty goal of becoming the
best restaurant in
Africa, has also lost its
chef, 6 months after
opening, and has appointed PJ Vadas as its new chef.
The service staff of The
Roundhouse also walked out,
due to complaints of
ill-treatment it is said,
and the restaurant had to
close for a few days. It is
ironic that Fasie Malherbe,
owner of the restaurant, as
well as of the staff service
training company
Let's
Sell Lobster,
should have lost his key
staff!
Bruce
Robertson, now the owner of
award-winning restaurant
The Showroom, is
opening another restaurant,
located in the
Grand Daddy
Hotel, previously The Metropole Hotel, in Long
Street, called
theshowroomcafe, reports
eatout.
The menu will be casual,
local and “unfussy”, and the
chef is Simone Rossouw.
Richard Carstens, top 10
restaurateur when he was at
Lynton Hall in KwaZulu-Natal
and Bijoux in Franschhoek,
is not moving to
Franschhoek, as speculated,
but is relaunching Relish in
New Church Street, which is
now called Nova, reports
eatout.
A tasting menu and an a la
carte menu will be offered.
Madame Zingara, Cape Town’s
“eccentric dinner theatre
circus”, is on its way to
London, and will set up its
Spiegelpaleis at the
Battersea Power Station this
month. From March the
Theatre of Dreams will move
to Dublin and Edinburgh,
reports the Cape
Argus. Griffin’s
team will be serving South
African wines and springbok
to the 400 patrons every
night, and says: “We are
going as the greatest South
African product.”
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Given that many of
the
Madame Zingara
staff could not get
work permits to join
the Madame on her
journey to London,
owner Richard
Griffin decided to
obtain a second
dinner circus venue,
which will stay
behind in Cape Town.
Its name is Mojolena,
in honour of two top
staff members Mojo
and Sweetlena. The
opening event was
disappointing,
resembling On
Broadway in a circus
tent, on a blustery
south-easterly
evening, without
enough seating nor
food for the invited
guests. |
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South
Africa won five Gold Awards
at the annual World Cheese
Awards, against 2 400
cheeses from around the
world. Gold Award winners
are Dalewood Fromage
Huguenot, Fairview Roydon
Camembert, Clover Mascarpone
Cheese, Clover Medium Block
Cheddar, and Clover Extra
Mature Cheddar, reports the
Sunday Times.
Silver Awards went to
Foxenburg Estate’s Foxtail,
Lourensford Estate’s
Healey’s Gold, Kimilili
Farm’s Witzenberger,
Simonsberg Creamy Blue and
Fairview Blue Tower. Gay’s
Dairy Prince Albert Royal,
Lancewood Superior Cream,
Lancewood Plain Chunky
Cottage Cheese and Fairview
Camembert 40 % reduced fat
won Bronze Awards.
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Game rules for MATCH change |
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S A
Tourism
resigned its seat on the
Advisory Board of
MATCH, the FIFA accommodation and ticketing
agency, early last month. S A
Tourism CEO Moeketsi Mosola
expressed his dissatisfaction
with
MATCH’s pressure on the
pricing of accommodation for
2010. He motivated his
organisation’s withdrawal from
the Board on the basis of the
“unfavourable trading terms
placed on local accommodation
establishments”.
“As
we move towards 2010, we want
you to know (as the South
African tourism industry) that
we at S A Tourism are on your
side”, Mosola told the delegates
at the 7th Annual National
Tourism Conference in
Johannesburg. He added that
MATCH should be expected to pay
market related prices for
accommodation.
Mosola highlighted that
MATCH
was using “bullying tactics” to
move block bookings made with
hotels at the time of the bid
announcement across to MATCH,
according to TravelHub.
He said that the threat by
MATCH
to bring in cruise ships for
additional accommodation, and it
stating to FIFA that the country
was short of accommodation, was
an unacceptable means of getting
tour operators to release their
accommodation holdings to
MATCH. He added that S A
Tourism was defending the rights
and interests of the tourism
industry, and felt that it could
communicate more effectively
with MATCH from outside its
Board than from within.
The
MATCH contract set the 2010
accommodation rates utilising a
formula of the 2007 rate + 16
%. The inflation rate this year
alone is 13 % ! MATCH then adds
on its 40 % commission fee to
this rate.
MATCH has not used the small
accommodation industry for any
previous World Cup event.
Last week
TravelHub announced that
MATCH and S A Tourism had met in
a meeting moderated by Marthinus
van Schalkwyk, Minister of
Environmental Affairs and
Tourism. Both parties reached
a “common understanding”, Mosola
said. “ S A Tourism will
continue to work with MATCH
based on fair pricing and terms
in an effort to make the 2010
Soccer World Cup a success.”
In the meeting fair
accommodation pricing and terms,
a transparent tour operator
programme, and the
implementation of a tourism
advisory forum were discussed.
Van Schalkwyk said: “The tourism
industry has a very good working
relationship with FIFA and
MATCH. We remain committed as
partners to assist MATCH in
achieving their target and we
will continue to encourage
players in the industry to sign
up their facilities. Our
working relationship is one of
mutual respect and partnership
and I would like to encourage
all role players to ensure that
nothing detracts from this.” No details have been released to
the industry as to the specifics
of the discussions between MATCH
and S A Tourism.
At an
industry presentation in Cape
Town last week, Vivienne
Bervoets, Senior Accommodation
manager of the FIFA
Accommodation Office, described
the publicity surrounding S A
Tourism and MATCH as
unfortunate, and said that it
had damaged MATCH’s marketing.
She intimated that S A Tourism
had wanted to protect the
industry’s interests, when it
did not wish them to be
protected! She indicated in
question time that the MATCH
accommodation pricing formula
was now completely flexible, and
that every establishment could
set its 2010 pricing at the
“fair” level it wishes to.
This is a major breakthrough for
the small accommodation
industry, and reflects the power
of resistance and critique,
which has been expressed in the
past two years. WhaleTales has
been very vocal in its criticism
of the MATCH pricing. What
is odd is that the wording in
the MATCH contract regarding
pricing has not been amended,
and therefore unsuspecting
establishments may still use the
pricing formula of 2007 rates +
16 %, as specified in the
contract. No other aspects of
the MATCH contract are flexible.
Soccer fans wanting to buy
tickets for the 2010 World Cup
matches are not obligated to buy
accommodation via MATCH.
More than
800 000 soccer fans will travel
to South Africa in 2010 to
support their team at the World
Cup event. Of these soccer
fans, 57 % will buy tickets for
matches, while the remaining 43
% will see the matches at fan
parks. This is the estimate by
Gillian Saunders of Grant
Thornton Strategic Solutions,
reports
Business Report.
Saunders is quoted as saying:”
It’s a big thing. People are
not saying they are not going to
travel, but what is likely to
happen is that they will look
for cheaper accommodation and
there will probably be fewer
tours. The expectation is that
by 2010 it will be the beginning
of the upturn. Others say
(that) for South Africa things
will start to change in the
second half of 2009. The
outlook should be more positive
and travel proved to be more
resilient even when the markets
are down.” Danny Jordan, head
of the Local Organising
Committee, warned that the
attendance of World Cup 2010 may
not meet expectations due to the
global financial crisis, as
fewer fans may be able to afford
to come to South Africa.
The Cape
Town Station is soon to get its
long promised upgrade, for which
the first plans were designed
more than ten years ago. The R
480 million upgrade is planned
to be completed for the 2010
World Cup, as trains will be an
important source of transport
for soccer fans. Station site
owner Intersite is promising to
develop “a creative Cape Town
station”, reports the
Cape
Times.
Based on market research
conducted amongst commuters, the
plans include more focus on
better quality family
restaurants and retail
outlets, tourism activities, and
recreational facilities.
Informal traders will be
restricted to the station
deck. Cape Town Tourism is set
to open an office in the new
station building.
Platter
premium pick
The
2009
Platter Wine Guide has been
released, and its record 33
five-star wines were
announced. Kanonkop scooped
the prestigious honour of being
recognised as the best wine as
well as best winery. Only
Boekenhoutskloof and De
Trafford have two five-star
wines in the top wine list, and
almost double the number of red
wines than white wines received
the coveted 5-star rating.
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Wine of the Year was
named the
Kanonkop
Cabernet Sauvignon 2004,
and Kanonkop was
selected as
Winery of the Year. Five star white wines
are Ken
Forrester The FMC 2006,
Ataraxia 2007, Jordan
CWG Auction Reserve
2006, Uva Mira Single
Vineyard 2007, Quoin
Rock The Nicobar 2007,
Constantia Uitsig 2007,
Cape Point Vineyards
Isliedh 2007, Nederburg
Ingenuity White 2007, Sterhuis Astra White
2006, and Tokara White
2007.
Top Platter red wines
are Meerlust
2004, Buitenverwachting
2005, Boekenhoutskloof
Cabernet Sauvignon 2006,
Kanonkop 2004, Thelema
The Mint 2006, Simonsig
Redhill 2006, De Toren
Fusion V 2006, De
Trafford CWG Perspective
2005, Kaapzicht Steytler
Vision 2005, Morgenster
2005, Vilafonté Series C
2006, Waterford Estate –
CWG Auction Reserve
2004, Boekenhoutskloof
Syrah 2006, De Trafford
Shiraz 2006, Eagle’s
Nest 2006, Hartenberg
The Stork 2005, and
Signal Hill Clos
d’Oranje 2006. |
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Other Top winners are
Fleur du Cap – Noble
Late Harvest 2007, Klein
Constantia Estate –
Rhine Riesling Natural
Sweet 2006, Tulbagh
Mountain Vineyards Vin
Pi Two (NV), Mons Ruber
Estate Muscat
d’Alexandrie Jerepigo
1997, Boplaas Vintage
Reserve 2006 and De
Krans Vintage Reserve
2006
Abrie
Beeslaar, Kanonkop winemaker,
has been named Best
International Winemaker 2008 at
the International Wine and
Spirits Competition, reports the
Cape
Times.
Fifty wine-producing countries
were represented at the
competition. At the
Competition Kanonkop also won
the Chateau Pichon Longueville
Comtesse de Lalande trophy for
best blended red wine for its
Paul Sauer 2003, and the David
Hughes Trophy for Best South
African Producer.
The
Winelands hosted representatives
of the major wine tourism
centers of the world in
November. Visiting members of
the
Great Wine Capitals Global
Network came from Bilbao,
Bordeaux, Florence, Mainz,
Mendoza, Porto, and San
Fransisco-Napa, and discussed
the promotion of international
wine tourism, as well as greater
economic, academic and cultural
links amongst each other. The
South African wine tourism
industry is worth close to R 7
billion. Its future growth in
terms of jobs, skills and
turnover was discussed. South
Africa’s leadership in
sustainable wine production has
been recognised by the Global
Network.
Controversy reigns after the
announcement of the Diners’ Club
Winemaker of the Year Award had
to be cancelled. Duncan Savage
of Cape Point Vineyards had been
honoured with the 2008 award,
until he had to admit that he
does not have 3 000 bottles of
Isliedh 2006, a requirement for
award eligibility. The
winemaker has been described
as “disingenuous” by
WINE
magazine, the organisers of the
Award. The wine is a 2008
five-star Platter winner.
Franschhoek La Vigne winemaker
Ossie Sauermann has been
announced as 2008 Diner’s Club
Young Winemaker of the Year. Last year Marc Kent of
Boekenhoutskloof was selected as
the Diner's Club Winemaker of
the Year.
More South African wine in the
UK is sold to British tourists
that have visited South Africa,
or who have friends or family
living there, than to South
Africans living in the UK,
according to research conducted
by S A Wines Online. Up to 80 %
of S A Wines Online’s British
customers have visited the Cape Winelands, reports
BizCommunity.com.
More than 500 000 British
tourists travel to the Cape,
including Cape Town, the
Winelands, and the Garden Route,
every year.
S A Wines Online has teamed up with
South African Direct, a British
TV channel available to SKY
viewers, to market this
country’s wines. “Wine tasting
and dining out is a big part of
the cultural and emotional
experience for travelers to
South Africa. We have found
that when they return, they seek
to recreate that experience and
thus become regular consumers of
South African products such as
wine and food”, according to
South African Direct. The
company markets the lifestyle
and culture of the Cape Winelands, and not only its
wines, thereby boosting tourism
to the Cape.
Terroir is
equally important in producing
award-winning olive oils as it
is in making good quality
wines. The
2008 S A Olive Oil
award winner
Burgundy Bourgogne in Franschhoek attributes its
gold medal to the terroir of the
Winelands Valley, offering a
unique combination of the
region’s soil, climate, slope
and wind. The olive oil
variety harvested, and the
timing of the olive harvest can
also influence the quality of
olive oil.
Burgundy Bourgogne’s
award-winning olive oil was
described as :”A fresh rich
rounded aroma, full of nuances
of fresh salad and nuts. The
nuttiness is carried through to
the palate with a rich mouth
feel. The gentle bitterness and
piquancy linger on, leaving a
very pleasant after-taste.”
The S A
Olive award for best table
olives went to Karoo Olives from
Renosterkop outside Beaufort
West, winning silver for their
black, flavoured and dried
olives. Reni Hildenbrand from
Wellington was recognised for
her passion and contribution to
the development of the industry,
winning the ABSA Achiever of the
Year Award. Rio Largo won the
gold medal in the Delicate Extra
Virgin Olive Oil category, with
Tokara: The Olive Shed and
Willow Creek winning silver
medals. In the Medium
Intensity category Burgundy
Bourgogne, Foxenburg Estate and
Olyfberg won gold, and Southern
Right and Waterfall River
winning silver. In the
Intensely Fruity category, gold
winners were Olyven Houdt and
Vesuvio, while Cascade Manor,
Morgenster and Groote Vallei won
silver.
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Wedding bells ring for Franschhoek
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The
Franschhoek Wine Valley may soon
change its name to the Franschhoek
Wedding Valley, if the trend to an
increasing number of weddings taking
place in and outside Franschhoek
continues!
The value of
wedding tourism has never been
calculated for Franschhoek, but
could easily be in the region of R
25 million in direct venue and
catering income, and double that
when expenditure on accommodation,
wine, restaurant meals and shopping
in Franschhoek before, during and
after the wedding is added.
Wedding
Tourism has become a vastly
important source of revenue for the
Western Cape, and for Franschhoek
particularly, and the valley may
soon also be called the Wedding
Capital of South Africa, in addition
to being the Gourmet Capital.
Between 50 – 100 weddings take place
in Franschhoek per month in summer,
it is estimated. Some wine estates
have indicated that their revenue or
profitability is greater from
weddings than it is from wine
production!
An increasing
stream of young South African school
leavers have left to do a gap year
in London, while university
graduates have also sought greener
pastures there. Many have opted to
stay in London, due to their earning
ability. The young South African
ladies get engaged to their British
beaus, and get to choose the wedding
venue back home. Nostalgically,
they think of the Cape Winelands,
and the Cape Dutch gable buildings
on them in particular, even if they
did not grow up in the area.
| Wedding tourism benefits tourism
generally in that 50 - 100 British
friends and family will come to
South Africa to attend a wedding,
and this introduces the country to
many first-time visitors, who would
not necessarily have chosen this
country as a tourism destination.
The value of
the Wedding Tourism industry in the
Western Cape has been estimated at R
120 million, according to
The South African.
The United Kingdom is the major
source of wedding business, with the
bride usually being South African
and the groom from the UK.
For the price of a wedding and
reception in the UK the couple is
able to hold a lavish wedding and
enjoy their honeymoon in South
Africa.
Local weddings
are attractive as the weather is
guaranteed to be better than in the
UK, they cost less, and offer a
variety of appealing venues in the
Winelands and at top
restaurants. While Stellenbosch
used to be the premier wedding
destination just a few years ago, an
increasing number of weddings are
taking place in Franschhoek. |
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Jenny
Prinsloo, CEO of the
Franschhoek
Wine Valley Tourism Association (FWVTA), says Franschhoek is well
placed to be the perfect wedding
venue for large and smaller
weddings, offering an exclusive and
personalized service to wedding
guests wishing to make the most of
their most memorable day. “It is
an exotic destination” she added,
and well set to provide top quality
catering, wines, professional staff
and beautiful settings.
Has the credit
crunch affected the wedding industry
in Franschhoek? Most wedding
venues state that the number of
weddings they have hosted this
season, and bookings ahead, show
that the number of weddings will
remain roughly the same. However,
what has changed is a shift in the
period in which they are being held,
the days of the week on which they
are held, and the number of persons
attending a wedding.
What does a
wedding cost? It can range from
R 150 000 for a wedding of around
150 guests, up to R 500 000 at the
exclusive
La Residence, and this
includes the wedding venue, food and
wine only. All other weddings
services such as décor, music,
photography, the wedding cake,
special wedding cars, flowers, etc
are contracted out and paid for
separately.
The largest
wedding venues in Franschhoek are
Allee Bleue, Le Franschhoek
Hotel,
Boschendal,
and
Vrede & Lust.
Allee Bleue’s
Ashley Whaley says that weddings
earn more revenue, and are more
profitable at this stage than the
estate’s wines. Wedding bookings
have increased year on year, and she
sees an increasing number of
international brides and grooms.
The estate prides itself on being
the largest wedding venue in the
Valley, in that up to 220 wedding
guests can be accommodated. Up to
ten weddings are hosted per month in
summer.
The
Le Franschhoek
Hotel is a popular
wedding venue, especially as it can
accommodate a large number of the
wedding guests in its 79 rooms as
well, being the largest hotel in the
Valley. Sunette Pringle, Head of
Banqueting, says the hotel’s wedding
business is growing year on year,
and the hotel hosts one wedding per
weekend. She is not seeing a
reduction in wedding business for
the season ahead, but does see
“international” weddings becoming
smaller, with about 30 – 80
guests.
Boschendal fits the Cape Dutch gabled building
requirements of wedding couples most
perfectly, and is steeped in
tradition and history. The ceremony
is usually held at the nearby St
George’s Anglican Church, drinks are
served outside under the oak trees,
and the reception is held in the
restaurant. The wine estate sees
itself as a restaurant first and
foremost, and does not actively
encourage weddings.
Vrede & Lust is one of the most sought after
venues, and is trendy since
Johannesburg socialite and TV
personality Gerry Rantseli married
her second husband on the estate
last year. Wiena Riedel,
Hospitality Manager, sees a definite
reduction in the size of their
weddings this season, down from
around 120 guests to about 60 – 70,
and attributes this to the global
credit crunch. It is one of the
most active wedding estates, with an
average of six weddings per month,
which can increase to twelve in
March
Smaller
weddings are held at Grande
Provence, Mont Rochelle, Haute
Cabriere, Dieu Donne, La Petite
Ferme, Rickety Bridge, Le Manoir de
Brendel , Franschhoek Country House,
and La Petite Dauphine.
Dieu Donne has
only been open for a year, but is
seeing a steady increase in its
wedding bookings, with one to two
per month and up to 140 guests per
wedding. The ceremony is held on
the downstairs terrace, with the
superb backdrop of the Valley, and
the reception in the restaurant
upstairs. Rickety Bridge Winery
can cater for up to 85 guests. Cindy
Muller says that the Winery offers
its wedding clients good value for
money. Franschhoek is attractive
because of its beauty and proximity
to Cape Town, and the village “is
steeped in romance”, she says.
Le Manoir de
Brendel has its own chapel and spa,
and is a popular venue because of
this feature. Shirleen Waskis, who
co-ordinates the estate’s weddings,
says that the last two summer months
have been on par with last year as
far as wedding bookings go, but sees
a decline for this month. She says
that the next three summer months
will be back in line with the past
year. Wedding sizes have reduced,
and bridal couples are becoming more
demanding, wanting more for less.
.
La Petite
Dauphine is one of the newest
wedding venues, and caters for small
intimate weddings, of around 30
wedding guests. Marie-Louise
Oosthuizen says that her clients are
mainly locals, from Cape Town. The
venue only hosts day-time weddings,
and February and March are
particularly good wedding months.
She says that for smaller weddings,
her guests are likely to book the
accommodation over a four day
period, and a series of
wedding-related activities are
planned for the wedding guests. She has also seen a trend of an
increasing number of same-gender
weddings being held at her venue.
Haute Cabriere is one of the few Franschhoek
restaurants focusing on weddings.
Nicky Gordon says Franschhoek is a
popular wedding venue because of its
natural beauty and setting, which
makes for good wedding photographs,
and it offers a good spread of
accommodation, from 5 star
indulgence to 3 and 4 star value for
money accommodation. The
restaurant has 2 – 3 weddings per
month from November to mid-year, and
is a popular venue for winter
weddings, given that it can host the
service in the wine cellar, and the
reception in the restaurant. An
increasing number of foreigners are
getting married at Haute Cabriere,
with one of the couple being from
South Africa originally. Gordon
does not see a decline in the
wedding business due to the credit
crunch, whilst the restaurant is
seeing the downturn for meal
bookings.
Wedding
tourism is a huge contributor to the
tourism industry, and Franschhoek
benefits from it in the summer
months. It is not only the wine
and wedding estates that benefit
from weddings, but also many other
tourist sectors. The South African
bride recommends the accommodation,
car rental, restaurants, and trips
to take before and after the wedding
to her wedding guests, thereby
making the planning of the trip to
South Africa easy. The bridal
couple offers more than just a
reception, to “compensate” for the
far distance the friends and family
have traveled, and the money they
have spent on the ticket and the
trip - often a wedding in
Franschhoek will be followed by a
picnic at Boschendal the day after,
and a sailing trip may precede a
wedding whilst the group of guests
is in Cape Town prior to the
wedding.
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Sweet & Sour Service Awards |
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A month ago the Sweet & Sour Service
Awards were introduced on the WhaleTales
blog
www.whalecottage.com/blog. Every
Friday a Sweet and a Sour Award is
presented. Nominations are sought from
readers for the awards, and can be sent
to
info@whalecottage.com
The Sweet winners of the past month are
the following:
•
Dieu Donne for hosting the
accommodation industry of Franschhoek
and Paarl ...
read more
•
S A
Tourism
for for taking a brave stand against
FIFA accommodation and ticketing agency
MATCH
on behalf of the local accommodation
industry ...
read more
•
Music Revival for spoiling
Franschhoekers and others with a most
wonderful Spring Classical Music
Festival ...
read more
• James the Plumber, who arrived
within half an hour of being called to
deal with a burst geyser at
Whale Cottage Camps Bay ...
read more
•
On the Dot, a mail order company
for a most amazing service recovery ...
read more
• Robert Roofing Renovations, who came
out on a stormy night an hour after
being called out by
Camps Bay guest house Villa Surprise ...
read more
Sour Awards went to :
•
Melissas
for cheekily asking for a tip when
payment was made for a bill at the
counter...
read more
• Le
Franschhoek for sending out an “invitation” for a food/wine pairing
evening despite the dinner
already having been sold out ...
read more
•
Five Flies restaurant in the Cape
Town city centre ...
read more
•
Google
for cancelling a Google Adwords workshop
for members of Cape Town Tourism a day
before
the workshop ...
read more
•
HBR Personnel
for supplying a fraudulent CV for a
candidate, who had been fired by her
previous
employer but did not state this in the
CV ...
read more
•
Dogon Group Properties, for threatening
to stop the transfer of a property by
means of an interdict
due to a commission dispute...
read more
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