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Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Tourism, welcomed one of the largest tourism industry delegations to the country and expressed his confidence that the delegation would be impressed by South Africa’s depth of offering as a long term investment market.

“Germany is one of our most important source markets in terms of foreign arrivals and we have always cultivated a special relationship with the German travel trade. Germany is the world’s fourth largest source of long haul tourists and South Africa’s third largest source of foreign visitors. Over 162 000 German tourists visited South Africa between January and October 2009 alone. (more…)

With all the hype about the hundreds of thousands of foreign soccer fans who are expected to stream into South Africa for the FIFA World Cup in June and July – what are South African holidaymakers going to do this winter? Especially since many of the country’s hotels and lodges are expecting to be fully booked, prices are skyrocketing in many destinations, and local schools will be enjoying a six-week-long mid-year break?

“They should come and visit us,” said Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm. “Mossel Bay will definitely be open for South Africans during the World Cup. (more…)

Comair Limited, operator of British Airways in Southern Africa and kulula.com announced it will be expanding its African route network and will soon commence with scheduled flights from Johannesburg to Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania and to Walvis Bay in Namibia.

The airline was granted the rights to the two new African routes by the South African Air Licensing Council, which forms part of the Department of Transport and grants licenses to airlines and controls domestic and regional air services. The additional routes will add to Comair’s existing regional African network from Johannesburg to Harare, Livingstone in Zambia, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Windhoek in Namibia and Mauritius.    (more…)

The much anticipated arrival of the Relais & Châteaux 2010 Guide was launched in Johannesburg on 1 February followed by the opening of the first Relais & Châteaux Bureau in Africa at The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel, Cape Town on 2 February 2010 hosted by CEO Jacques- Olivier Chauvin.

The prestigious Relais & Châteaux family continues its growth on an international level by welcoming 31 new members in November 2009 and an additional 6 in January 2010 with 4 new destinations (Taiwan, Macau, Hungary and Peru) and 480 members in 58 countries. Amongst the 31 new members there are: 17 European properties, 6 properties in the Americas, 1 property in Africa – Karkloof Spa, 1 property in Oceania and 5 properties in Asia. 4 of the 31 members have also been accepted as Grands Chefs Relais & Châteaux. (more…)

Mpho Mokgoatlheng has been appointed as a sales executive at the Coca-Cola Dome. She will be responsible for sales of the dome’s main arena area, breakaway facilities and tenant offices as well as for sales of marketing opportunities.

Before joining the dome Mokgoatlheng was a development executive and key accounts executive at Avis Fleet Services.  She completed the academic part of a three-year public relations course at the then Technikon SA.

She took up her position at the beginning of the year.

One of the resolutions that were made at the Tourism Summit which took place in November last year was the fast tracking of transformation of the tourism industry. Following this, the Eastern Cape Tourism Board (ECTB) together with the Tourism Enterprise Partnership (TEP) launched the Tourism Mentorship Programme in East London at an event that was held in East London today (01 February 2010).

The Tourism Mentorship Programme, which was officially launched by the Chairperson of ECTB, Vuyo Zitumane, aims to bring together established business owners and SMMEs to form a dynamic relationship of imparting experience, exchanging ideas, providing encouragement and guidance. Expanding networks in the Eastern Cape’s expanding and steadily growing tourism industry. The project will provide assistance to entrepreneurs in the following business development areas: business planning, best practices, budget management, website development, tour packaging and marketing.  Additionally, mentors and business owners will have the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas about the tourism industry. (more…)

A joint venture between the Thebe Tourism Group and Serokolo Health Tourism was formalised last week in a move that will put the duo in a stronger position to capitalise on the relatively untapped medical and health tourism market.

“I am very, very excited about our joint venture. Many tourism operators shy away from this type of tourism due to the associated health risks, possible post-operative complications, insurance costs and unexpected delays, but Thebe is very comfortable and confident to be working with a medical organisation of the calibre of Serokolo Health,” says Heather Gutierrez, Head of Inbound Tourism at Thebe Tourism Group (TTG). (more…)

Africa’s biggest trade show for the conferencing, events, meetings and incentive industry kicks off in less than a month and exhibitors are gearing up to make an impact at Meetings Africa from 24 to 26 February 2010.

“Meetings Africa is an incredibly powerful tool for exhibitors to network with prospective buyers, grow their business and expose their brands to new audiences, but many fail to make the most of this opportunity and maximise the return on their investment,” says Charles Drewe, industry consultant from Drewe Associates. (more…)

Knysna Tourism facilitated the first of a series of workshops to ensure local crafters benefit from the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Tournament later this year. The first workshop last week focused on the use of official trademarks relating to the tournament and the workshop was presented by Craig Carbutt from the Cape Craft & Design Institute (CCDI) in Knysna.

Knysna Tourism CEO Shaun Van Eck said that the town could expect an unprecedented influx of visitors during the upcoming football tournament. “Knysna will host both the French and Danish football teams and this represents potential economic growth for all sectors of the community. We have a variety of craft markets overflowing with talent and we have to ensure that the local community, from which this talent originates, also benefits from the 2010 festivities.”
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The Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) and South African Tourism (SAT) have joined forces to improve their service to the South African meetings industry.

The organisations have signed a formal memorandum of understanding that will see them work together closely to ensure that Meetings Africa, the annual business tourism exhibition, and the annual SAACI national conference form the cornerstones of the industry in the future. (more…)