Industry Blog – Cape Town Tourism

2010 won’t disrupt normal schedules - Grant Thornton

Recent email warnings from travel agents advising South Africans to “stay home” during the 2010 World Cup, from June 11, 2010 to July 11, 2010 because of overbooked hotels, unavailable car hire and impossible airports, are overstated.

Gillian Saunders, director of Strategic Solutions at global audit, tax and specialist advisory services firm Grant Thornton South Africa, says: “The email communication is causing unnecessary panic. Visitors won’t all be in South Africa in the same town all at once and, although there will be certain crunch peak periods, overall it shouldn’t affect South Africans’ daily schedules too dramatically.”

The Vibe from Abroad: Trains, planes and automobiles

A Happy New Year from the frozen north, as we enter a third week of sub-zero temperatures in what is being proudly hailed as the coldest winter in 30 years. On a personal level, I really don’t mind as this is “proper” winter weather, not the grey damp that this season usually brings.

On a professional level, travel, and just how awful it can be when things don’t go according to plan, has been on my mind. This festive season Santa could have brought you an extended holiday on far-off shores as a result of your travel company going into administration; an overnight stay on the M20 motorway, or having to buy a duplicate set of plane tickets.

The Vibe from Abroad: Greed comes back to bite you

A weekend of wonderful destination press coverage for South Africa and Cape Town followed the World Cup Final Draw. There were full-colour pictures of Cape Town and Table Mountain and I thought the coverage very balanced and fair, including those issues we would all rather not have to deal with: crime, availability, cost and negative perceptions.

Which brings me to my latest update from these frozen shores. “Accommodation establishments cash in on the Cup” is a headline from a UK national newspaper published this weekend just past.

Fire at Mangwanani, Zevenwacht

On December 10, 2009, the Mangwanani Spa at Zewenwacht Wine Estate burnt down.

At approximately 16h00, staff noticed smoke coming from an upstairs storeroom. They immediately alerted the spa manager and all staff and clients were evacuated. The overhead sprinklers were activated and all the gas bottles removed from the spa.

Cape Town Tourism offers membership to providers of temporary accommodation during the World Cup

The FIFA Final Draw has determined the fixtures for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and fans from across the world are rushing to book accommodation in the cities where their teams will be playing in June and July 2010.

With many Cape Town residents wanting to convert their homes into temporary rental accommodation during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, two significant problem areas exist. On the one hand, visitors booking temporary accommodation have little assurance that the accommodation they pay for will live up to their expectations and deliver on the promises made. On the other hand, individuals wanting to rent out their homes may have difficulty marketing their accommodation offerings to potential 2010 FIFA World Cup visitors.

2010 accommodation: all you need to know as a Cape Town Tourism member

Now that the Final Draw has determined who will be playing who, and where, in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, fans worldwide are rushing to book accommodation in the cities where their teams will be playing. Cape Town Tourism is committed to offering them a wide choice of reliable accommodation providers in Cape Town, whatever their budget.

Arrivals from Asia way up in September

According to Southern African Tourism Update Online, arrival statistics for September 2009 show a marked year-on-year increase in arrivals from India, China and other Asian markets. The statistics released by Statistics South Africa show a 31,1% increase in arrivals from India and 25,4% growth in arrivals from China.

European markets are not far behind. Arrivals from Italy and Belgium increased by 21,8% and 11,4% respectively.

The vibe from abroad: Reporting the 2010 FIFA World Cup

As preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final Draw in Cape Town on Friday are finalised, I can hear the pencils being sharpened as journalists prepare to file their reports.

There is just so much to criticise – the noise from the vuvuzelas, the potential of having an iPod nicked, stubbing one’s toe on the hire-car door, having one’s lunch snatched by a baboon or, horror of horrors, the broadband connection in the hotel fails…

How 24 Cape Town guesthouses benefit from sharing

I came from a corporate environment where you tried to defeat your competitors. You did not usually consider working with them.

When we started out with our guesthouse we began doing print advertising, because that was the best way get the word out as newcomers at the time. I invited other guesthouse owners – there were about 20 of us at the time – to get together in an informal association, which is now called Camps Bay Accommodation Association. And everyone was happy with that. We were all new to the guesthouse industry.

2010 FIFA World Cup Final Draw: Marketing Guidelines

It will be “business as usual” for Cape Town companies during the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final Draw, according to the City of Cape Town. In response to questions from the media regarding FIFA’s Rights Protection Programme, the City has clarified the position of local businesses when it comes to commercial exploitation of the Final Draw on December 4.