I lost my virginity in the South Coast
06. Jul, 2009
4 Comments
Recently I was part of a media group invited by Tourism KwaZulu-Natal for the Sardine Festival media launch. My highlight for the weekend was bungee jumping at Oribi Gorge, which was very scary and first ever such experience. I’m proud to have managed to pull it through and can now do it again any time without fear.
To Pinky Radebe at Tourism KwaZulu-Natal and her colleagues, thank you for arranging such an educational weekend, for someone like myself from the inland, it was an eye opener. I can’t stop telling those who care to listen about my bungee jumping experience.
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal utilizes events to address seasonality, length of stay and distribution of tourist throughout the province of KwaZulu-Natal. They exploit key events to drive tourist volume and use events to increase awareness about KZN as a must visit destination. Certain events are supported with a view to ensuring greater brand awareness.
Two years ago, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN), the Ugu District Municipality and Natal Sharks Board launched a sardine festival to encourage visitors to enjoy all the attractions of the country’s best winter beach holiday destination while waiting for the first sardine sightings. The Sardine Festival is amongst other events that are supported to raise the profile and build the image of KwaZulu-Natal as “South Africa’s must see tourist destination”.
TOURISM KWAZULU-NATAL OBJECTIVES
1. To enhance our relationship with the media in order to obtain positive profiling of our destinations and further endorse the Zulu Kingdom brand.
2. To educate, inform the public through media about sporting events and how our destinations have contributed towards such events.
3. Raise the awareness and profile sport tourism events that are supported by Tourism KwaZulu-Natal.
4. To form linkages with provincial and national media, thus promoting the event and the our destination
5. Celebrate our culture, our province and our environment through events.
6. Profile the eight destinations within the Zulu Kingdom
7. To create and publicise broad ownership of sport tourism events by the people of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa
8. Providing media with first hand information on the unique tourism offerings that the Zulu Kingdom has in store for tourists and give credibility to the coverage on the destination.
THE SARDINE FESTIVAL 2009
From June onwards people will be waiting with bated breath for the first signs of sardines along the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, a signal that one of the world’s most amazing and mystifying marine spectacles is taking place.
The migration of millions of sardines – or more accurately pilchards – has been the province’s biggest and best known natural phenomenon for generations. This year the Sardine Festival 2009, began on 13th June 2009 and runs until 29th July 2009.
The Sardine Festival is a large tourism income generator for KwaZulu-Natal, boosting the provincial economy through revenue earned from the provision of accommodation and food as well as the hiring of boats, small aeroplanes and helicopters to maximise the sighting of the Sardine Run. It also creates a great deal of interest from the media, international marine and environmental experts. This, in itself, reinforced the fact that the South Coast is just one of the many areas that make KwaZulu-Natal a prime eco tourism destination.
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal has deemed it important and necessary to share tourism experiences of the province with major personalities in the media industry with a view to gaining destination endorsement.
To give you a sneak preview of what Tourism KwaZulu-Natal had arranged, below is the media itinerary package which highlighted tourist attractions and highly recommend South Coast for a visit:
ITINERARY: 12 June 2000
16H00 Collect from TKZN offices and the airport and shuttle to San Lameer
18H00 Attend TKZN Sardine Festival Launch at Mariners Restaurant
22h00 Overnight stay at San Lameer
13 June 2009
07H00 Transfer to Shelly Beach for Ocean safari in search for whales and dolphins
09H30 Breakfast at San Lameer
10H30 Depart for the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve
11h30 Experience the thrills of the Gorge swing, Wild Swing, Slide or abseil, Off Road Go Karting, Scenic Guided Horse Trail
14H00 Lunch at Leopard Rock with the magnificent views over the mighty Umzimkhulu River Gorge
15H00 Depart for San Lameer
16h00 Freshen up at San Lameer
18H00 Depart for Contemporary Dinner – Days at Sea
14 June 2009
07H00 -09H30 Breakfast at San Lameer
10H00 Depart San Lameer for Botha House
11H00 Educational of the Botha House –Holiday home for the Former President FW Botha.
13h00 Depart for Durban
My name is Muzi Mohale a full-time travel blogger, your host at Travelwires.com responsible for all editorial on this blog. I blog about the travel and tourism industry in Africa. Apart from blogging about tourism, I also run 
Looks like a blast
Indeed, I had a blast, pity my wife was not around to enjoy the activities with me, however I’ll be back with her though she has declared, bungee jumping is not for her.
It must have been a life time experience.I can tell from the pics..you guys were enjoying yourselves.I guess most of your collegues came back stil virgins..hehe.
I want to break my virginity too!
Hehehe, you’ll be disappointed Ceinto guys were too scared to take the jump. Only myself and Suren Naidoo went for the jump, with four ladies taking part…at times guys are BIG on talking and very LITTLE on action.