Barmy Brits And Their Pet Peeves

British travellers resent having to pay for hotel extras, according to research by hotel booking website Hotels.com.

Topping the list of pet peeves among travellers is having to pay to use Wi-Fi in a hotel. Three-quarters (78%) of the 1 815 people surveyed resent having to pay for wireless Internet, believing it should be free.

Car parking spaces are viewed as the second most unacceptable extra among nearly three out of four UK travellers (73%) along with paying for a newspaper in the morning (57%).

Bottled water was in the top three of the things Brits hate paying extra for: 70% of those surveyed said they disliked having to pay for bottles of water left in rooms.
The economic downturn is clearly making cost-conscious Brits think twice before reaching for a cold drink in their room. Three-quarters of those surveyed deliberately steer clear of mini-bars preferring to buy drinks and snacks outside the hotel for their room. In fact, 80% of Brits said they felt ripped off by mini bar costs.
Travellers are so wary of extras at hotels that more than half of them (56%) question the bills at check-out.

Top-five least wanted hotel extra charges:
1. Wi-fi
2. Car parking
3. Bottled water
4. Towels at the gym
5. Toiletries

The Action Adventurer, Camo-Charlie

The most adventurous of all the young whales. Camo-Charlie's favourite spot to get his adrenalin fix is deep in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley. Here he indulges himself with 'wall-climbing', tree top sliding and paintballing.

Vino-Vinni, The Valley's Favourite.

The Valley's favourite whale.

Vino-Vinni prefers the quieter waters of the bay where she can rest and grow into a graceful full bodied lady. She is proud of her subtle nuances of plankton and other tiny sea creatures. As soon as she has blended with another noble suitor (she has an eye on Hiker-Harry) she will be moving off down south and will return next year to present us with a young hybrid.

Shark-Diver Dennis Goes Under

Shark-Diver Dennis just loves strapping his SCUBA gear to his back and going under in the cage. Just metres under the water he searches for the ocean's apex predator - The Great White Shark.

First Official Stats Released By Statistics SA

Statistics South Africa has officially released its arrivals stats for June 2010, which encompasses the first period of the 2010 World Cup hosted by the country.

Total arrivals for June from overseas markets constituted 277 345 people in June 2010, a 118% increase on June 2009’s 126 857. African markets did not swell as considerably as might have been expected, with only a moderate 12% increase.

The most impressive numbers come from the Central and South American markets, with a 925% increase from 4 605 visitors in June 2009 to 47 188 visitors in 2010. The country’s traditional European and North American markets also displayed impressive visitor numbers for the period and smaller, yet important, markets such as Spain and Portugal showed good numbers for the period.

The top overseas markets for June 2010 were as follows:
- USA, up 99% from 22 573 to 44 894

- UK, up 15% from 35 636 to 40 903

- Australia, up 155% from 6 313 to 16 106

- Germany, up 235% from 4 303 to 14 413

- Brazil, up 397% from 2 836 to 14 100

- Mexico, up 5 334% from 221 to 12 009

- France, up 848% from 1 208 to 11 451

- The Netherlands, up 164% from 4 079 to 10 760

- Portugal, up 332% from 1 756 to 7 584

- India, up 50% from 4 373 to 6 561

- China, up 239% from 1 936 to 6 553

- Canada, up 106% from 2 924 to 6 008

- Italy, up 74% from 3 370 to 5 851

- Spain, up 141% from 2 320 to 5 584

- Japan, up 276% from 1 539 to 5 793

The top African markets for June 2010 were as follows:
- Zimbabwe, up 16% from 92 47 to 107 177

- Lesotho, up 5% from 80 667 to 85 018

- Mozambique, up 8% from 77 175 to 83 317

- Swaziland, down 0,4% from 45 777 to 45 591

- Botswana, up 11% from 31 650 to 35 224

Climate Change Conference Comes To Cape Town?

Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg have put in a bid to host the 17th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held in December 2011.
An estimated 30 000 international delegates are expected to descend on South African shores for the annual conference. “This is exactly the boost that South Africa needs to stimulate the tourism industry in general and business tourism in particular,” says Nina Freysen-Pretorius, National Chairperson of the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI).

The summit is expected to inject around R800 million into the South African economy. “We at SAACI welcome this decision and as the voice of business tourism in South Africa, we will do our utmost to ensure that the industry will host a seamless summit; exceeding on the outcomes of the World Cup.

The December 2009 summit in Copenhagen was attended by more than 22 000 politicians, officials, reporters and NGO's. Planning for the summit started more than two years in advance and more than 100 meeting rooms were established for which 2 500 meetings were booked during the 13-day summit.

Source: SA Tourism Update

Whalewatcher-Walter Watches Whales

Whalewatcher-Walter just loves the open seas and normally hangs around at the new harbour in Hermanus.

He's not one to get sea-sick I hear and offers sundown cruises when the other little whales leave our shores at the end of the season.

Coachman-Paul, Our Nearby Cousin

I say, I say old chap. No, you've got it completely wrong, he is not English but French...

Coachman-Paul lives under the majestic and protective mountains of Houw Hoek near Grabouw and Elgin. He was so keen to visit Hermanus and the Whale festival he could not wait for the team of horses to be tethered to the coach. Coachman Paul cracks a mean whip when he wants to get going I might add.

Adrenalin Junkies Spread The Word About SA

South Africa could be bracing itself for an influx of adventurer travellers after a group of young adventurers have declared SA to be unsurpassed by any other destination on its variety of adrenaline thrills.

The seven, each of a different nationality, have declared their ten-days in South Africa to have been an experience that they will never forget and an epic adventure that is unlike anything else offered anywhere in the world.

“South Africa made us laugh, scream, stare open mouthed and jump for joy together so many times that I’ve given up counting. South Africa changed us” Ben Dowman, UK adventurer.

The group were in South Africa as winners of South African Tourism’s ‘Adventurers Wanted’ campaign in partnership with the National Geographic Channel. The winners were chosen from thousands of entries from seven countries: UK, Australia, Italy, France, Netherlands, USA and Germany.

None of the visitors to South Africa are strangers to adventure travelling as between them have done everything from climbing Everest to kayaking the Colorado River. They have each recorded their time in South Africa for the world to share on www.adventuresouthafrica.net which included shark diving and bungee jumping.

Source: SA Tourism Update

Hiker-Harry, The Happy Chappy From Hermanus

He is the eldest of the CWC Whales. His name is Hiker-Harry and he just loves the champagne air of Hermanus.

You would most likely meet up with this enegetic local along the cliff path as this is where he enjoys relaxing the most. Keep a lookout for him just before sunrise.

Hiker-Harry's favourite message is: "Stay out of the sun and use blockout number gazillion at all times."

Dubai-style Island Proposed Off Coast Of Cape Town

A man-made island, similar in style to other similar projects such as the The Palm in Dubai, has been proposed off the coast of Cape Town between Robben Island and Dolphin Beach in Table Bay.

Besides the possible negative environmental effects of such a development, tourism could be adversely affected by the development, which has been named Peace Island by developers, TCD International.

The website for the development does indicate that, although the project is only in the initial phases, it would be a beneficial addition to the city as it would improve social and economic conditions for disadvantaged individuals as well as create employment for both skilled and unskilled workers.

With regard to the environmental impact of the project, developers have said that a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be conducted to establish what negative effects Peace Island could have on the natural environment and proposals will be made to negate these. It adds that the island could actually improve the surrounding marine environment by introducing new habitats or marine and bird life in the area.

The island is set to have a luxury residential complex as well as an international trade centre, hotels, retail facilities and a maritime-themed entertainment complex. To visit the Peace Island website, click here.

Source: SA Tourism Update

My response:

It's not the 1st April, is it?

Remember how unsuccessful Marina Da Gama was? Why not just remove Table Mountain and use the 'fill' to bridge the gap between Robben Island and the mainland? That way we will not require a ferry that breaks down every other month and we can all sleep 'Peacefully'.

Competition Time Again?

We'll run a competition to decide on the shape of the island. A calabash, assegai and sword, peaster bunny (sorry, that was a typo). The list is endless and the mind boggles.

27 September Is World Tourism Day

Local tourism agencies have arranged a busy schedule to celebrate WTD.

Kleinmond Tourism has arranged a Safari Dinner and Treasure Hunt. Gansbaai Tourism has arranged Quad Bike Rides and Wine Tasting between 14h00 and 18h00.

The day aims to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values.

Let's Vote For Table Mountain

Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Tourism, was the first person to use his cellphone last week to vote for Table Mountain to be recognised as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The minister announced the new voting platform in an effort to drum up national public support for Table Mountain’s campaign.

“Following on from the massive success of the 2010 World Cup, South Africans can now focus on 2011 and a completely different contest. This is a race that aims to preserve the top seven wonders of nature for future generations and which gives South Africa the opportunity to be written into the history books for thousands of years to come.” Minister van Schalkwyk said.

To vote for Table Mountain, fans can SMS the word TABLE to 34874. SMSes cost R2 each and voters can vote as often as they like.

Table Mountain is on a shortlist of 28 natural sites from around the globe competing to be named one of the official New7Wonders of Nature. The final seven wonders will be determined entirely by votes from the public, with the organisers aiming to attract more than 1 billion voters across the globe.

Table Mountain is competing against other iconic sites including the Grand Canyon, the Amazon and the Great Barrier Reef.

Voters who participated in the preliminary rounds of the contest and helped to catapult Table Mountain on to the top-28 shortlist in 2009 can vote again in the final round to ensure Table Mountain makes it into the final list of seven. Visit www.votefortablemountain.com or SMS TABLE to 34874 to vote.

Wayward Whales For Cape Whale Coast

The competition is moving further afield folks and we have been commisioned to design a 'Wayward Whale' for Houw Hoek Inn. Wow, stand back as I don't know how big this thing is going to get.

Just to let you know, Birder-Basil and Vino-Vinni are up for grabs. Don't delay, this is a fantastic opportunity for you to showcase your company and have thousands of people scouring your website and the YOU MAGAZINE for clues.

Phone Joan-Anne or Dave today to book your 'Wayward Whale'.

It's that simple...

PS. or just ask the kids to help you :-)

One DMA For Western Cape

FEDHASA Cape Chairperson Dirk Elzinga comments: FEDHASA Cape has warmly welcomed the inititive of MEC Alan Winde, Westem Cape Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, to create one Development and Marketing agency for the Western Cape.

Particularly the Minister's statement that he has taken this initiative with the intention to increase the efficiency of all present agencies, rather than to rationalise the costs was well appreciated by FEDHASA Cape.

Also the Minister's plan to streamline the promotion of tourism in the Western Cape for the benefit of all seems to be the right thing to do in a time where we need all hands on deck to bring synergy in the marketing of our destination and tourism product offering. Many FEDHASA Cape members have invested seriously in new or extended accommodation and restaurant facilities in the period leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Now the time has come that collectively we must make sure to maximise the return on these investments for our city and province. There will of course still be many details to be worked out and FEDHASA Cape would like to be part of that process.

Source: Travel Wires

Another Whale Of A Sale

Well folks, Aviator-Arnold has been booked. Don't delay as they will all soon be gone.

Phone Dave or Joan-Anne to book your Whale. Good news is that Engine-Ernie, Hiker-Harry and cheeky Chef-Cherel amongst others are still available.

Translate Your Website Today

A total of around 3 million Germans visit South Africa each year. Considering that the average stay is 14 days with a daily average spending of EUR 55 or ZAR 500 per person, the German market alone has a value of R 2,1 billion per annum.

Yet how many guests houses, hotels or other tourism establishments in South Africa market to the largest spending group of tourists visiting our shores - hardly any. Statistics show that 49% of all reservations are done directly on-line. Would you anticipate a German sitting at their PC typing search words into a search engine in English or German?

Any business spends thousands of Rands on marketing and on the development of a web page - yet why not make your web page work correctly and target the audience that spends most of the tourism Rands in South Africa?

A copy of the your web page translated into German, with German search engine modification will attract, without any doubt, far more clientele and a lot more bed nights, and is far less expensive in regards to marketing than expensive ad's.

British Airways Increases Capacity To Cape Town

British Airways has announced that it will reduce some of its Johannesburg capacity from the end of October.

The airline will still operate its double-daily services between London and Johannesburg but will suspend flight BA34, which operates as a third daily flight on the route five days a week.
At the same time it will introduce an additional six services to Cape Town to offer 13 weekly flights from London over the South African summer period.
Sue Botes, British Airways’ commercial manager in South Africa, explains that some capacity had been withdrawn from the global network during the recession but that South Africa had been protected because of the World Cup.
“Now that the tournament is over, we’re adjusting our capacity to better match demand. That’s why we’ve increased services to Cape Town, where we’re expecting bumper demand this summer.”

Source: SA Tourism Update

27 September World Tourism Day

Kleinmond Tourism has arranged a Safari Dinner and Treasure Hunt. Gansbaai Tourism has arranged quad bike rides and wine tasting between 14h00 and 18h00. The day aims to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values.

For more info contact:

Gansbaai Tourism Bureau at 028 384 1439

Kleinmond Tourism Bureau at 028 271 5657

CWC Goes Gaga At Getaway

CWC wins 'Best Destination Stand' at the Getaway Show.

The Getaway Show is an informative and interactive 3D experience of everything the Getaway brand epitomises - beautiful and unusual destinations, affordable accommodation, the latest outdoor gear and gadgets, 4x4 vehicles and accessories, an array of camping equipment and incredible adventures – all under one roof.

The 18th Getaway Show takes place from 10-12 September 2010 at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg. This show is still considered the No 1 Travel and Outdoor Show in Africa.

In 2009 the show attracted 19 500 show goers, and 250 exhibitors. The show also includes a number of activities that take place alongside the exhibits, including:
• Photography and GPS Workshops
• Adventure Arena
• Beer Tent
• Kiddies Area
• Spin & Win
• R1 million worth of prizes
• For the past 5 years the show has had a 4x4 vehicle (in 2009 a Honda CR-V) as the main prize.

HSI Supports Shark Finning Workshop

PUNTARENAS, Costa Rica (September 10, 2010) – A two-day international workshop on shark conservation, hosted by Costa Rica’s Fisheries Authority INCOPESCA and supported by the NGOs Pew and Humane Society International, took place in the Costa Rican port of Puntarenas. The workshop, which focused on the technical aspects of landing sharks with their fins naturally attached to their bodies, was attended by delegates from 13 North, Central and South American countries.

The “fins-attached” method has gradually been gaining international recognition because it is the best response to end the practice of shark finning and ensures fewer shark catches. The United Nations General Assembly, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the review process of the UN Fish Stocks agreement have all recommended “fins-attached” policies.

Facts:
Sharks are apex predators whose survival affects all other marine species and entire ocean ecosystems.

"Finning" refers to the act of cutting off a shark's fins and throwing the rest of the shark back into the sea. It is estimated that tens of millions of sharks are killed to supply the wasteful demand for shark fin soup every year.

For hundreds of years, shark fin soup has been served as a symbol of social status and a traditional way for the elite to display their wealth in Eastern Asian. Countries such as China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong), Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Thailand import thousands of
metric tonnes of shark fins each year.

The practice of shark finning is global and has led to severe declines in shark populations. Unlike other fish species, sharks produce very few young and mature slowly and consequently, overexploited populations can take years or even decades to recover.

Most fishing nations do not have finning bans in place, while others require that carcasses be retained, but allow the fins to be removed from the carcasses at sea provided that, when landed and weighed, the fins weigh no more than 5 percent of the weight of the shark. This has resulted in lengthy disagreements over the 'correct' weight ratio of the fins. Furthermore, doubts have been raised about the availability of sufficient resources to monitor compliance, which would require the weighing of every shark catch that arrives at dock.

Fins-attached policies require no weighing, therefore facilitating compliance. Shark conservation is greatly enhanced by fins-attached policies, as fishers have to store every shark that they catch, reducing the total catches and ensuring full usage of the carcasses and decreased wastage.

The CWC Whales Are Being Snapped Up

Our Cape Whale Coast competition is taking off folks. Putting-Pat was snapped up by Pebble Beach Guest House and Whale-Watching Walter has just been sold to Southern Right Charters.

Don't delay, as they say, "You snooze, you looze". If you would like me to customize a whale with your corporate identity or reserve one from our gallery please don't hesitate to contact me on 082 411 6588 or 028 316 1868.

It's A War Out There

A price war is raging among top-end hotels in Cape Town with all players jostling for their share of a depressed market resulting from a sharp increase in inventory, a slow pace of business and an overall slump in tourism after the Soccer World Cup.

Average online five-star room rates on September 2 were R2 400 per night, with at least 12 five-star properties charging less than R2 000 a night, the lowest being Bantry Bay Luxury Suites at R1 000 per night.

The average room rate of four-star hotels was R1 300 per night, with at least 10 properties charging less than R1 000 a night, the lowest online rate being R550 per night at the Harbour Bridge Hotel & Suites.

The average three-star room rate was R736 per night, the highest rate of R1 035 per night charged by Protea Hotel Cape Castle and the lowest rate of R370 per night offered by the Ritz Hotel.

Source: SA Tourism Update

PRINGLE BAY CONSERVANCY FESTIVAL

Pringle Bay Community Hall 11 September 2010 08H30 - 16H00

Events include: TruCape Kogelberg Mountain Challenge - 5km Fun Run - 10km - 21.1km - Conservancy Auction - Indigenous Plant Auction and Sales - Great Variety of Stalls - Spitbraai - Beertent - Food and Wine Area - and much more!

Spitbraai: R45.00 - Please buy your tickets in advance from most Pringle Bay shops or contact Bernard on 0788155708. Lunch starts at 13H00.

Stalls include: Plant Nurseries - Winecellars - Handmade Goods - Art - Jewelry - Solar Heating - Beauty Products - Organic Products and many more. All stalls open at 08H30.

Conservancy Auction: Plants - Landscaping Services - Wine - Art - Household Appliances - B & B and Restaurant Vouchers - Massage & Reflexology Vouchers - Auctions at 11H00 and 12H30.

All funds raised will go towards the Pringle Bay Ratepayers Associations Security Project.

For more information please contact Bernard on 0788155708. For information on the TruCape Kogelberg Mountain Challenge please visit www.hangklipathletics.co.za.

This year's World Water Week theme is: The Water Quality Challenge – Prevention, Wise Use and Abatement. A forum for learners highlighting the importance of looking after our environment for the benefit of tourism.

The finalists of Stockholm Junior Water Projects Competition will showcase their national winning projects during the week. The international winner will be announced at the award ceremony on Tuesday.

For more information on the 2010 World Water Week, please visit http://www.worldwaterweek.org/

Visit the Tourism Bureau at 14 Harbour Road in Kleinmond to view the display of water wise plants and interesting facts on water.

Where Are The Cape Whale Coast Whales?

In a bold and innovative manner, the Cape Whale Coast Destination Marketing Organisation (CWC DMO) has embarked on a novel competition to increase awareness and encourage holiday makers to visit the Cape Whale Coast.

When we go live, all you'll need to do is visit the CWC website and look for the clues to the whereabouts of the whales. The competition was created to encompass the entire family, from Grandchild to Grandparent.

The baby whales are up to mischief in the bay as usual and playing 'Hide and Seek'. Camo-Charlie is chasing Engine-Ernie and all mayhem is about to break loose. Visit the Cape Whale Coast website often to search for all the clues and keep an eye open for the Cape Whale Coast competition in the YOU magazine as well. Oh dear, Putting-Pat just missed another shot...

Early Arrival For Lufthansa A380

Lufthansa has confirmed that it will introduce its newest A380 aircraft to Johannesburg six weeks ahead of schedule.

From September 12, the Airbus A380 will depart Frankfurt for O.R. Tambo twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays returning to Germany on Mondays and Fridays. The remaining five days will be operated using the Boeing B747-400.

The Airbus A380 has 526 seats in the best and most modern service classes offered by Lufthansa. The completely revamped First Class, with eight generous seats on the upper deck, promotes a sense of individuality (I'll say). Business Class, with 98 seats on the upper deck, and Economy Class, with 420 seats on the main deck, provide unprecedented comfort and an impressive feeling of space.

Lufthansa operate a daily non-stop service between Johannesburg and Frankfurt. From October 26 until end of March 2011, a further daily non-stop flight from Cape Town to Frankfurt will be added to the airline’s timetable.

Source: SA Tourism Update

Want A Dream Career?

The National Tourism Careers Expo (NTCE), in its third consecutive year, is becoming one of the exciting trademarks of the tourism industry, harnessing official support from its three partners, the National Department of Tourism (NDT), the Tourism, Hospitality & Sport Education Training Authority (THETA) and the the Department of Economic Development and Tourism in Kwa-Zulu Natal (DEDT – KZN).

The Expo’s primary objective is to create a platform for the youth, especially young learners in high schools, tertiary students and unemployed graduates, where they can interact with education and training providers, tourism organizations, public and private employers and the government in the tourism sector.

This platform had the aim of enhancing the appeal of tourism careers among these students in order to increase the pool of graduates entering the tourism sector, which would in turn stimulate already one of the dominant sectors in the South African economy to grow even further.

The maiden campaign in 2008 was a success, with a total of 17 223 visitors to the expo. There were also a total of 65 exhibitors and four sponsors representing some of the biggest names in the industry, including the likes of Southern Sun, SABC, Nandos, the DTI and SAA among others.