Visitor Stats Prove To Be Interesting

The November 2010 arrivals statistics released by StatsSA have indicated that the beginning of the peak season was a good one with a 9,8% increase in total foreign arrivals into the country.

Overseas arrivals were equally bolstered with an 8,8% increase over the month with key and emerging source markets showing positive growth. India and China showed a dramatic increase while the two source markets that showed disappointing results in November were the UK and The Netherlands, both with significant decreases.

The top overseas source markets for November 2010 were as follows:

UK, down 4,9% from 40 505 to 38 539
Germany, up 3,3% from 25 396 to 26 228
USA, up 19,4% from 16 594 to 19 808
The Netherlands, down 12,2% from 13 641 to 11 982
France, up 24,2% from 9 509 to 11 808
Australia, up 23,9% from 6 886 to 8 530
China, up 73,8% from 4 328 to 7 524
India, up 84,9% from 3 857 to 7 130
Sweden, up 5,9% from 5 053 to 5 350
Canada, up 24,2% from 4 015 to 4 986

It is interesting to see the dramatic increase in tourists from the Indian and Chinese markets and we will keep an eye these stats to see whether we can spot a trend developing.

Sheraton.com Best Website By Far

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that Sheraton.com, the web site for Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, has been recognized as the best hotel website in its class.

The Best Of Web Site Brand Experiences 2010 by Forrester Research, Inc. Forrester Research conducted an independent survey of fourteen consumer web sites in the hotel, automotive, and skin care industries to identify best practices. The survey reveals that Sheraton.com leads the hotel category in Brand Action and all categories in Brand Image ratings.

Forrester first conducted a Brand Action Review of each web site, focusing on the "transactional, informational and usability aspects" of the site. The report revealed that Sheraton.com's design has a "responsive interface" and utilized bullets to display hotel features in a clean, easy-to-read format.
Sheraton ranked the highest across all industries in the Brand Image category. Forrester makes note of Sheraton.com's "unique visual design" and use of a "distinctive color palette, differentiated typography, and superior production values" which offer a "visual experience that transitioned seamlessly from the company's online ads." According to the report, "Sheraton differentiated its site from more than just the competition - it did it across all groups." Through consistent messaging reinforced by visuals and descriptions the Sheraton brand values of "connecting" and "sharing" were very clearly recognized.

Source: ehotelier.com

Denmark Takes Culinay Olympics

Denmark has won the Bocuse d'Or 2011 at the competition's world final held in Lyon yesterday, with Sweden and Norway finishing in second and third places respectively.

The Bocuse d’Or is known as the ‘Culinary Olympics’. Ever since 1987, the Bocuse d’Or contest has been giving young chefs a unique opportunity to demonstrate their skills, offering them a tremendous springboard for their careers. From one competition to the next, its international influence has grown constantly. With the successive creation of contests in Latin America, Asia and Europe, the Bocuse d’Or has become a showcase revealing outstanding talents and gastronomic trends from all over the world.

Beyond the competition itself, the Bocuse d’Or has created its own family: a global network of chefs, future celebrities and famous cooks, and partner companies. They all share the same values of creativity, rigour and innovation, are committed to passing on their skills … and have a passion for fine food and Art de Vivre.

Contestants must prepare 12 portions of both a meat and a fish dish in 5 hours and 35 minutes in small, identical, kitchen cubicles with picture windows that face an audience of more than 1,000 cheering, flag-waving, bell-ringing, foot-stomping, anthem-singing spectators.

Northern Right Whale Rescued

Experts untangled a 13m piece of rope from the mouth and flippers of a young female North Atlantic right whale.

The whale was sedated by the experts before the tricky exercise was attempted. It followed a first rescue bid off Florida, which did not remove all 50m of rope snaring the rare and gentle giant - one of only 400 left of its kind.
Scientists are now tracking the young animal to ensure it makes a full recovery.

No More Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

The official star-rating system used to rank hotels in Britain is to lose state backing this week, after claims that customer reviews posted online are more reliable.


National tourism agencies, such as VisitEngland, grade hotels from one to five stars, but the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) says collective rankings more accurately reflect holidaymakers' concerns. The current system is also considered to work against smaller hotels, which often receive just one or two stars because they cannot offer the same breadth of services as a large hotel, even if their standards of service, accommodation and food are judged very favourably.

A DCMS spokesman confirmed yesterday: "We are going to be publishing our tourism strategy next month and in that we back a consumer-led system like TripAdvisor rather than traditional star-rating systems."
Hotel owners who believe they have been unfairly judged online will be worried by the withdrawal of what they consider to be a more objective system. But the spokesman said: "You do get a broad range of opinions on online reviews. The feeling is that because there are so many reviews and they are so widely used that you do find a mean. You can see what effectively the average opinion is. It is because so many people do them, that is their strength really," he added.

Source: ehotelier.com

Minister Visits World Economic Forum

Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk will be participating in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, from January 26-28.

Besides representing South Africa in various meetings aimed at profiling tourism and South Africa's brand positioning, Minister Van Schalkwyk is also the Chairperson of the WEF's Industry Agenda Council for Aviation, Travel and Tourism. This Council monitors key trends and global risks in aviation and tourism and puts forward ideas and solutions to address these global challenges.

Emerging trends that will be discussed during the Minister’s various engagements include the multispeed recovery of travel and tourism following the financial crisis; the impact on tourism of currency wars and new transport security arrangements; tapping into the post-recession consumer; and new opportunities presented by emerging technologies.

Although travel demand in 2011 is expected to grow at the long-term average of 4%, it will likely be at a slower pace than in 2010 – and unevenly spread between mature and emerging markets.

Source: SA Tourism Update

It's Sink Or Swim For Bayworld Aquarium

On Friday January 21, media reported that the Bayworld aquarium in Port Elizabeth was closing its doors after long-standing financial woes.

On Monday, Titus Chuene, Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism (NMBT) Marketing Manager told Tourism Update that the reports on the closure of Bayworld were incorrect.

Says Chuene: “Bayworld is not closing. They have been given a financial injection of R10,5 million from the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs.” The financial injection was announced at the Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Committee on Friday.

However, Chuene confirmed that some operations at Bayworld would be scaled down. “Some infrastructure that is old and unused will scaled down as it drains money and is unnecessary. The money will be used to revamp and upgrade the facilities.”

Breakfast Tops The Wishlist

Good food and an inclusive breakfast are rated top of the wishlists for hotel guests, according to a survey. Over half (56%) of the 2,000+ respondents quizzed in a Radisson Blu survey chose good food as a top priority, over other indicators such as loyalty points or a recent refurbishment.

Meanwhile, 75% said that breakfast included in the price of the booking represents value for money, with the highest proportion of votes (85%) stemming from the over-55s. Mark Willis, regional director at Radisson Blu UK, said: ‘This research really puts what the consumer perceives as ‘value' into perspective and highlights the importance of providing good quality food for guests. 'Good food is less important to the 18-35 age group, which chose free wi-fi and good location as better indicators of value.

Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel in Sandton is part of the same group of Hotels.

Cape Whale Coast DMO Sanction USA Roadtrip

After weeks of planning a CWC tourism marketing roadshow and presenting a formal proposal to the CWC DMO, Joan-Anne Harris a board member of the DMO, has been given the go ahead to visit chosen cities in the USA to market our beautiful part of the world and our fantastic products and services.

When asked where the funds were going to come from to finance the trip she replied, "The trip will be self-funded to an extent of more than 80%. We have invited all the companies from the Overstrand to participate in the roadshow and have had an overwhelming response." Joan-Anne went on to say that, "Each company wishing to take part will be charged according to which category they fall in, thereby making it quite an affordable exercise. "We have already had confirmation from companies in Stanford, Hermanus and Gansbaai." Joan-Anne went on to say.

Cities Joan-Anne will be visiting are:
New York, Washington DC, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and San Francisco.

Anyone wishing to participate in this marketing roadshow should not hesitate to contact Joan-Anne as it certainly is on a first come, first go basis.

082 442 6545

028 316 1868

jaharris@mweb.co.za

Domestic Tourism On The Increase

The Cape Whale Coast can attest to the trend below as figures recorded by Kleinmond Tourism show a definite increase in caravan holidays which by-and-large are for locals.

Palmiet Caravan Park. Figures up 30% on 2009
Kleinmond Caravan Park. Figures up 24% on 2009

A definite trend towards domestic tourism led to a surprisingly prosperous holiday season for a large number of Eastern Cape tourism products. Members of Ectour, the private sector group marketing organisation for the Eastern Cape, were very positive about the increase in tourist numbers over the December 2010 - J anuary 2011 period.

Despite the unusually rainy weather in some parts of the province and the drought in others, some Ectour members experienced a very positive increase in bookings compared to 2009,” says Ectour Chairperson, Anleen Louw.

According to Annabelle Hobson, Owner of the Angler and Antelope near Somerset East, holiday makers are now including the ‘journey’ as part of their holiday. “Travellers are breaking up their trips into smaller distances and finding places to stay overnight,” says Hobson. “Once visitors have experienced our product, they tend to stop over on the way back too.”

Hobson also noted that the number of spontaneous bookings had increased. “A number of our bookings were not pre-planned. We attribute the success of these spontaneous bookings to our strong Internet marketing campaigns, as a lot of these bookings were made using the Internet or other mobile devices while the guests were on the road.”

Where Have All The Tourists Gone?

To be sung to the delightful tune by Pete Seeger and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger.

Where have all the tourists gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the tourists gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the tourists gone?
The weather has p'd them every one
When will they ever return?
When will they ever return?

The December tourist rush has come and gone and some establishments are asking, "Where were the tourists?"

Whilst some retailers are boasting of 'the best December ever' others are licking the wounds and trying to regroup. My advice to the latter is 'hang in there' and re-assess your marketing strategy as all is not lost. The Overstrand DMO is working extremely hard and has some exciting initiatives in store to woo back the visitor to our neck of the woods. More news on this later after confirmation with the DMO.

The second week of January was hectic with a group of celebrities visiting Hermanus, Stanford and Gansbaai. This was reported on in the YOU magazine and those companies which chose to participate received a fantastic amount of exposure. The YOU has a subscriber base of over 180,000, and considering a multi-readership of 4-1 that equates to 720,000 readers pouring over the action photo's in the current issue.

Now for the good news - The YOU magazine will feature a 4-page article on sharks and how they fit into our delicate eco-system. This bumper article features the Cape Whale Coast and mention will be made of our leading shark cage diving company situated on Marine Drive. This article will also be featured in the HUISGENOOT and DRUM magazines on the 3rd February.

That equates to a total subscriber base of over 1 million readers! Remember the 4-1 rule? The CWC will be marketed to 4 million readers in the next two weeks. Look out for this article as when I had a look at the proof I was lost for words, it is simply awesome to say the least.

Your Cape Whale Coast DMO has truly made us proud.

The Western Cape’s tourism stakeholders are more determined than ever to get the famous Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe back up and running after its closure last year.

Western Cape Minister for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde, has stated his dismay at the train remaining idle over the past few months after the expiry of its licence to transport passengers and has taken on the task of re-instating its services. Although the line requires large amounts of repair, Winde has proposed to national government that the train and the line it runs on be turned over to the provincial government for it to be put out to tender.

The process has, however, been slowed with the replacement of the Public Enterprises Minister. The new minister, Malusi Gigaba, has been requested to attend a meeting with Winde to discuss the transfer of the Choo-Tjoe.

FOOD & WINE PARING IN THE CWC

Creation Wine and Season Restaurant sponsored a Food & Wine Paring and luncheon on Saturday 8th January during our "Celebrity Weekend in the CWC".

It was interesting and thoroughly enjoyable! Thank you, Caroline and Andre

Shark Lady Adventures gets "Thumbs Up"

Kim from SharkLady Adventures "pulled out all the stops" this past weekend as one of the sponsors of the "Celebrity Weekend in the Cape Whale Coast".

Great service, superb staff, delicious foods and a great attitude ensured that all the celebrities confirmed they will be back soon again!

Thank you, Kim, you did the Cape Whale Coast proud!

Chinese and International Animal Protection Groups Say “No” To Seal Slaughter Cruelty

Chinese and Canadian animal protection groups are calling on Canada’s Fisheries Minister Gail Shea and Canadian sealing-industry representatives to leave China. Minister Shea is in China attempting to promote inherently cruel seal fur and other products to Chinese consumers.

This visit comes just weeks after a Beijing media conference at which Humane Society International joined Chinese animal protection groups and presented graphic footage of the Canadian commercial seal slaughter.
“The Canadian sealing industry is mistaken if it believes that China will willingly become a dumping ground for products of cruelty the rest of the world has rejected,” said Lu Di, director of China Small Animal Protection Association. “Chinese people care just as much about animals as the citizens of Europe and America. My organization and many others will work to ensure China never becomes a significant market for Canadian seal products.”

“I cannot believe that a civilized nation like Canada would consider promoting this cruel and outdated industry in China,” said Qin Xiaona, director of Beijing’s Capital Animal Welfare Association. “We are confident that Chinese people will join the world community in saying no to the products of this baby seal slaughter.”
“Canadians are opposed to the seal hunt, and so the sealing industry has to rely on the international community to sell its products, said Ha Wejin, Nanjing Ping An Animal Protection Group. “But we know what happens on Canada’s ice floes, and we are not prepared to perpetuate this horrific industry. We urge Gail Shea and her colleagues to leave China immediately along with their seal products.”

Baboons Discover New Citrus Variety

Alwyn van der Merwe, production director of ALG Estates near Citrusdal -- 200km north of Cape Town -- said on Wednesday the new fruit has proven not only to be sweeter than normal oranges, but will also lengthen the season by at least three weeks.

"Year after year the farm has been struck by a troop of baboons which descended from the mountains," van der Merwe said. "The troop always selected one tree amongst thousands of trees in one of our orchards and devoured all the fruit before our season really got going. At closer inspection we discovered that the brix [sweetness grade] of this particular minneola, a soft citrus variety, was much higher than the rest of the orchard and that it started bearing fruit at least three weeks earlier than expected."

The farmers set about grafting some shoots of this tree onto standard root stock and passed it on the Citrus Growers Association (CGA) at Uitenhage where the trees are now being multiplied in greenhouse tunnels. It was clearly a case of a spontaneous mutation in the orchard, which would have gone unnoticed were it not for the baboons.

Source: Sapa

Keeping It In The Family Does Not Work

Because of the budget constraints and misconception of social media, businesses often think that they can put their social media campaign in just about anybody's hands. This is not true.

Just like a shop window, your social media account is the face of your company. It is your first-hand connection with your past, present and future costumer, so it is extremely important that you make a spectacular first impression. Your nephew or front desk person may have a personal Facebook account or make a good impression on you, but this really doesn't mean that they know what they are doing .

The exact same philosophy goes for your company website.

Don't put the face of your company in the hands of the amateur.

Thank You "Celebrity Weekend" Sponsors!

Thank you to all our Sponsors who made the "Celebrity Weekend in the Cape Whale Coast" not only a reality but an AWESOME experience :

Shark Lady Adventures, Gansbaai
Cubana Restaurant, Hermanus
Pebble Beach Guesthouse, Hermanus
AVIS Car Rental, Hermanus
Misty Waves Hotel, Hermanus
Hermanus Forest Adventures, Hermanus
Pelagus House, Hermanus
Harbour House Hotel, Hermanus
On the Cliffs Guesthouse, Hermanus
Klein River Cheese Farm, Stanford
Creation Wines, Hemel en Aarde Valley
Season Restaurant, Hermanus
Burgundy Restaurant, Hermanus

We look forward to working with you all soon again to promote the beautiful Cape Whale Coast!

AWESOME "Celebrity Weekend in the CAPE WHALE COAST"

Thank you to all the Celebrities who joined us in the Cape Whale Coast this weekend, to discover a few of the "treasures" that we have to offer visitors : shark diving, excellent accommodation, delicious wines, yummy food, beautiful flora & fauna and some fun activities - quad biking and tree top sliding.

A BIG "Thank You" to Brigitte Willers for helping us round up a FANTASTIC group of people : Vanessa Marawa, Edith Venter, Ard Matthews, Landi Swanepoel, Johnny Schwartz, Rod Labuschagne, Jared Orlin and Megan Miller as well as Mark Bayly and the All Access TV crew that filmed a few interviews with Vanessa Marawa on various locations during the weekend.

We had an awesome weekend and look forward to welcoming everyone back to the Cape Whale Coast!

Letter To Our Visitors And Sponsors

Hi All,
I hope you all got home 'safe and sound'.
Thank you so much for joining us on a F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C 'Celebrity Weekend in the Cape Whale Coast'.

We hope you had as much fun as us, the Cape Whale Coast team, sharing our 'treasures' with you. A big 'Thank You' to Brigitte Willers for helping me to get everyone together:
Vanessa Marawa, Ard Matthews, Edith Venter, Jared Orlin, Rod Labuschagne, Landi Swanepoel, Johnny Schwartz with Mark Bayly and the All Access TV crew and Megan Miller (YOU photographer).
Please promote our sponsors as well as our beautiful area on your Facebook pages, Blog and Twitter as it will be great to give our beautiful area some superb exposure. Please follow our links:

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=100001614103307
BLOG: http://capewhalecoast.blogspot.com/
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/capewhalecoast

Please let us have your contact details so we can 'follow' you as well!

Thank you to all our 'Celebrity Weekeend' Sponsors:

Shark Lady Adventures: kim@sharklady.co.za : http://www.sharklady.co.za/ - Thanks, Kim
Cubana Restaurant, Hermanus: hermanus@cubana.co.za : Assisted by Braam de Klerk from Adventures SA - Thanks, Rob and Braam
Pebble Beach Guesthouse: info@pebblebeachguesthouse.com : http://www.pebblebeachguesthouse.com/ - Thanks, Pat and the team
Misty Waves Hotel: mistywaves@mweb.co.za : http://www.mistywaves.co.za/ - Thanks, Clinton and Maxie
Hermanus Forest Adventures: hfadventures@gmail.com : http://www.hermanus-activities.co.za/ Thanks, Clinton and the team
Pelagus Guest House: pelagus@hermanus.co.za : http://www.pelagus.co.za/ - Thanks, Jurgen and Melt
Harbour House Hotel: info@harbourhouse-hermanus.co.za : http://www.harbourhouse-hermanus.co.za/ - Thanks, Mariane and the team
On the Cliffs Guest House: onthecliff@telkomsa.net : http://www.onthecliffs.co.za/ - Thanks, Charmaine
AVIS Car Rental, Hermanus: hermanus@avis.co.za : http://www.avis.co.za/ - Thanks, Santa and Alistair
Creation Wines: Food & Wine Paring : info@creationwines.com : http://www.creationwines.com/ - Thanks, Caroline
Season Restaurant: Food & Wine Paring : info@seasonrestaurant.co.za - Thanks, André
Klein River Cheese Farm, Stanford: Picnics : kleinriver@telkomsa.net : http://www.kleinrivercheese.co.za/ - Thanks, Shelley
Burgundy Restaurant: Breakfasts : info@burgundyrestaurant.co.za : http://www.burgundyrestaurant.co.za/ - Thanks, Ryno
Southern Stroll Marketing: Organisers : Joan-Anne Harris & Dave Snoek : southernstroll@mweb.co.za : http://www.southernstroll.com/

Velvet Sky, A New Airline?

The rumour mill is working overtime that a new airline by the name of Velvet Sky is gearing up to begin business.

Few details are available at this stage, but it seems the airline will be based in Durban (head office adjacent to Gateway) and initially look at flying the Durban-Johannesburg-Cape Town route. A website has been registered at velvetsky.co.za, which links to a site where recruitment is being done for cabin crew, B737 pilots and other staff.
Well, Airtime Airline was the last airline which threatened to start operations from Durban – I hope this turns out better than that saga.

Source: Travel Wires

Southern Right Whale Rescued

A Southern Right whale was disentangled from rock lobster ropes near Dassen Island, north of Cape Town, the SA Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) said on Friday.


“At 10.30am the SAWDN launched two sea rescue craft from Yzerfontein harbour to search for a 12 metre Southern Right whale entangled in rock lobster rope and floatation buoys,” spokesman Steven McCue said.

The whale was first spotted by rock lobster fishermen at about 8am who reported it to the Transnet National Ports Authority which then contacted the SAWDN. On finding the whale McCue said it appeared to be “exhausted and distressed and was hardly moving.”

“We anchored the small sea rescue craft to the tail end of the whale and worked our way from the head, to the mouth, to the torso and finally the tail, gently cutting rope, using poles with specialised cutting knives. Once freed the whale swam off confidently, appearing to be healthy and vibrant.”

SAWDN is a specialised unit made up of volunteers from the National Sea Rescue Institute, the department of environmental affairs, SA National Parks, the police, and other organisations.

Source: Sapa

Six Months To Go As Gautrain Construction Rides Into 2011

Construction of the R26-billion Gautrain rail project has entered its last few months, with the full system expected to be operational at the end of June.

The first phase of the system – OR Tambo International Airport to Sandton – is already up and running, with the second phase, linking Sandton to Johannesburg, and Sandton to Pretoria, now the last bit of the 80-km puzzle to fall into place.

Residents within the borders of the Tshwane metropolitan area can already see the Gautrain running up and down the track as the rail cars and the system undergo extensive testing before the service starts.

The last unit of the rapid rail link’s 96-strong rail car fleet arrived at the public transport system’s Midrand depot in December. Eighty-one of the cars were assembled at the UCW Partnership plant, located in Nigel, with the initial 15 units coming from Bombardier Transportation's Derby rolling stock plant, in the UK.

Source: Engineering News

Seychelles, SA Join Hands To Market To South Americans

In conjunction with Argentina´s leading boutique outbound specialist in South Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands destination wholesaler - Sundance Tours - the provincial tourism marketing entities of Cape Town Routes Unlimited (Cape Town and the Western Cape), Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks Agency, and the National Office of Tourism Seychelles have formed a joint destination marketing venture, pooling their marketing resources in what is a first-ever campaign in South America.

These prominent and progressive entities have joined together to inaugurate the campaign by way of the delivery of a travel industry seminar promoting a series of six set itinerary programmes under the banner of ‘Unforgettable Places’ to the major retail travel agencies in Buenos Aires.

This campaign will encapsulate both travel trade and consumer marketing initiative and is expected to deliver substantial new business in what is South Africa´s closest international tourism source market outside of the African continent.

“With Cape Town as South America’s natural gateway, a mere seven hours and 15 minutes flying non-stop from Buenos Aires, and with demand for destination South Africa peaking after the coverage that the World Cup brought to the nationwide football fanatical Argentine population, the timing could not have been better for launching such an ambitious, creative, all encompassing regional tourism marketing campaign,” said the Seychelles Tourism Board in a statement.

The Unforgettable Places campaign is aimed directly at giving the Argentine traveller and the travel trade compelling reasons to visit and combine the regional destinations of Cape Town and the Cape Garden Route, Mpumalanga´s natural wonders such as the Blyde River Canyon and world-beating safari activities through the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve and the globally iconic Kruger National Park, plus the relaxation and lure of the Seychelles with their pristine white sandy beaches, distinctive Creole culture and cuisine together with a natural eco-system.

“This campaign is the realisation of creative destination marketing combining the unique beauty and cosmopolitan lifestyle of one of the world’s globally iconic cities and regions with some of Africa’s top safari experiences together with an idyllic tropical island destination boasting some of the world’s most beautiful beaches and marine environments,” says David Frandsen, Executive Manager for International Marketing at Cape Town Routes Unlimited.

The Unforgettable Places campaign began in November 2010 and will run initially through to the end of May, with the likelihood of its being extended, based on and measured purely on the success and results of the first seven months’ marketing returns.

Source: SA Tourism Update

Stanford Wines Stand Proud

Platter Ratings for Stanford:



Brunia: 2009 Shiraz 4 Star
Springfontein: 2008 Johnathans Ridge Pinotage 4 Star, 2009 Jil's Dune Chenin 4 Star, 2007 Red 4 Star, 2009 Terrior Selection Chenin 4 Star
Jacksons: 2009 Pinotage 4 Star
Sir Robert Stanford: 2009 Sauv Blanc 4.5 Star, 2009 Hansom 4.5 Star
Misty Mountains: 2010 Sauv Blanc 4 Star
Raka: 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon 4 Star, 2008 Malbec 4 Star, 2008 Merlot (Barrel) 4 Star, 2008 Biography 4.5 Star, 2007 Figurehead 4.5 Star
Boschrivier: 2007 Shiraz 4 Star

CONGRATULATIONS STANFORD WINES, YOU MAKE US PROUD!!

Wet Weather Does Not Dampen A Wimpy Breakfast

Famous Brands, which owns the Wimpy, Steers and Debonairs brands, fared well over the festive season, despite the Christmas rush being far later than usual.
Famous Brands chief executive Kevin Hedderwick said yesterday: “It does look like sales will be nicely up on the previous year with real growth of between 4 % and 5 % in December.”

But the holiday season was a mixed performance for the group as inclement weather and a late exodus to the coast meant beachside outlets did not fare as well as those in shopping malls.
Hedderwick said: “Jo'burg took a long time to empty out.” Where the group has a high density of stores, trade was brisk up to Christmas, but slowed for sites on major motorways until December 26, when it picked up. Hedderwick said one of the best performers was Mugg & Bean, which also benefited from the wet weather. Four Mugg & Bean outlets along major routes to the coast “astonished us as to how well they have done”, Hedderwick said.

For other businesses banking on the festive season, early indications point to a better performance in December 2010 compared with 2009, but the gains appear to be modest. Abri du Plessis, the chief investment officer at Gryphon Asset Management, said although retailers had not yet commented in detail on festive season sales, it was expected that food and liquor would have outperformed other categories.

Dennis Cope, the chief financial officer at Pick n Pay, said trading during the festive season was reasonably strong, particularly the last two days before Christmas. He added that consumers were treating themselves again, encouraged by lower interest rates and low inflation. In food categories, convenience and fresh products fared well while clothing and audiovisual equipment showed good growth.

Woolworths said trade over the festive season has been in line with expectations. Top sellers were convenience foods such as the ready-to-eat cooked gammon and un-iced round Christmas cake. Other popular items were toys for toddlers, Christmas décor, crackers, gift wrapping products, gadgets and beauty products.

Source: Cape Argus

Something Fishy Holds Hope For Angolan Tourism

Post-war Angola may not stand out as a top African tourist destination but adventure anglers fishing for the giant tarpon look set to put the country back on the visitors map.

The powerful game fish, which can weigh more than 100kg, is mainly found in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, a prized catch among avid sport fishermen. The area around the mouth of the Kwanza River, which spills into the Atlantic, has been bracing for a flurry of activity since the fishing season got under way in November. Adventurers and fishing enthusiasts travel from as far as Namibia and South Africa to Angola, in search of the ultimate catch -- a major boost for a lethargic tourism industry crippled by almost three decades of civil war. "People come here for only one thing: to catch the tarpon. That is every fisherman's dream, it is a catch of a lifetime," said Many Milner, the manager of Kwanza River Lodge, south of Luanda.

Although the fishing season only lasts for about five months, Milner says the influx has created a peak season for the fledging tourism industry. "Fishing requires patience and there is no guarantee that you are going to catch anything on your first or second day. So visitors stay for a minimum of two to four weeks," said Milner.

Source: M&G