indaba 2011 - daily news - issue 2 - 8 may 2011

INDABA DAILY NEWS 2011 | 1

Tourism is about people,not only numbersAs INDABA 2011, Africa’s biggest travel and tourism show, opened in Durban last night, South Africa’s warm people and their extraordinary ability to enhance the domestic and international tourist experience took centre stage.

With South Africa’s capability as a global mega event host and world-class business and tourism destination now firmly enhanced, the innate human connection of its citizens and tourism industry is now seen as a key factor to continue to appeal to the discerning international and domestic traveler.

“When we talk about tourism, we often talk about policies, statistics and objectives. Tourism is much more than that. Tourism is about people. The magic ingredient that differentiates tourism from every other economic sector is people. As we gather here tonight to open South Africa’s premier tourism marketing event, tourism is poised to play a greater role than ever before on the global stage and in the lives of South Africans. I stand before you after a phenomenal year for tourism in South Africa, to which every one of you made a significant contribution. International tourism arrivals to South Africa grew by 15,1 percent in 2010, with the undoubted tourism highlight being our country’s successful hosting of the world cup. We are ready to turn this new potential into long term, sustainable growth,” said Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk at the INDABA opening ceremony, which featured multi-Grammy award winners Ladysmith Black Mambazo and acclaimed actor John Kani, with messages of welcome from Durban mayor Obed Mlaba and Kwazulu-Natal Premier Zweli Mkhize, setting INDABA off on a high, energetic note.

This year the theme for INDABA is “Playing globally, winning locally”, which encapsulates the ideals of shared and inclusive growth and job creation in the South African tourism sector, to be achieved by establishing a strong international presence in support of becoming a global player.

Van Schalkwyk said the recently announced National Tourism Sector Strategy targets - which aims to increase the number of foreign tourist arrivals to 15 million, the number of domestic trips to 50 million, increase tourism’s contribution to the GDP from an estimated R189.4 billion in 2009 to R499 billion and aim to create 225 000 new tourism jobs by 2020 - was only possible through a collaborative effort by all tourism stakeholders.

“The ball is in our court to take our existing achievements to new heights. We have to take hands to leverage the strength and depth of our industry. We will not be able to achieve our vision for the next decade if we do not embark on this journey together,” he said.

With nearly 3 000 international hosted buyers and visitors attending INDABA 2011, Van Schalkwyk stressed it remained Africa’s most important tourism and business networking gathering, with the thousands of meetings take place expected to generate millions of Rands into the tourism economy.

For South African Tourism, the unique welcoming spirit of South Africa’s people – coupled with its spectacularly diverse tourist attractions – is at the heart of the second phase of its global marketing and advertising campaign “20 Experiences in 10 Days”. The campaign, which launched internationally last night, is set to showcase the destination to one billion people in over 600 million households in the next financial year in television commercials, print media and online. It features the authentic experiences in South Africa of couples and friends from China, Brazil, Angola and Germany – key core and emerging markets.

“We believe that the best way to describe our country is that nothing about South Africa and her people is ordinary and that it is through our people that the destination experience is enhanced for visitors. The global economic crisis and the way it has fundamentally changed the world’s economic and consumer landscape has necessitated a fresh look at how we continue to attract arrivals in the face of fierce competition from other destinations,” said South African Tourism CEO Thandiwe January-McLean.

“Our key marketing strategy will continue to entrench our work in our core tourism markets, while also paying particular attention to emerging markets which have shown considerable potential in the Americas, Asia and Africa in particular. We have to access the new spending power in emerging destinations and provide the experiences that these consumers are seeking,” said January-McLean.

Additional global SA Tourism campaigns this year include the continuation of the National Geographic Adventurers Wanted campaign, aimed at entrenching South Africa’s leadership as an adventure destination in seven key markets - Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and the UK - as well as a new Sho’t Left Campaign encouraging domestic travel by South Africans.

Some of the innovations at INDABA include a unique multi-touch table surface allowing multiple users to view and engage with South African destination information, video content and social media platforms at the SAT stand, a dedicated INDABA TV channel, as well as exciting new networking platforms and a focus on minimum standards in promoting responsible tourism.

“The ball is in our court to take our existing achievements to new heights” - Marthinus van Schalkwayk, Minister of Tourism.

2 | INDABA DAILY NEWS 2011

CUSTOMER FIRSTEzethu Tours is one of 14 products that are accredited by

Customer First UK.

On 12 May 2011, Ezethu Tours will be one of the first 14

products in South Africa to obtain accreditation from Customer

First UK. These products were part of a pilot run by Customer

First in South Africa. They are all based in the Eastern Cape.

In order for the companies to obtain accreditation they had

to meet 30 criteria covering Customer Relationships, Market

Awareness and the People in their companies. The process

involved self-assessment by each company, assessment by

an external assessor and verification by Customer First UK.

Any customer dealing with Ezethu Tours, as an

accredited Customer First company, can expect high

levels of Customer Service.

Sithembiso Foster, the owner of Ezethu Tours was

selected, together with representatives of another four

companies, to be used to show the work and impact of

Customer First.

The individual member properties of the Amakhala

Heritage and Aloe Collections and the Lion Roars

Group, are delighted to announce a joint marketing

agreement and rebranding for the Amakhala Game

Reserve in the Eastern Cape, with effect from 1

March 2011. The joint marketing agreement will see all 11

properties within the Reserve come under a

unified marketing umbrella and brand of ‘Amakhala

Game Reserve: A Pride Member of Lion Roars’.

This exciting development will allow the 7,500ha

Amakhala to promote and showcase itself as

the premier Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape.

The unified and rebranded portfolio will boast

11 unique owner-managed properties within the

Reserve, each appealing to different markets and

tastes with traditional Safari Lodges, Tented Camps

and 1800s Settler Country Houses. The named

properties within the portfolio include: Bukela

Game Lodge, Bush Lodge, Carnarvon Dale, HillsNek,

Hlosi Game Lodge, Leeuwenbosch Country House,

Quartermain’s Camp, Reed Valley Inn, Safari Lodge,

Woodbury Lodge and Woodbury Tented Camp.

The Amakhala Reserve is located just 70 km

outside Port Elizabeth, bordering the Shamwari

Game Reserve and Addo Elephant NP and is

renowned for its truly spectacular topography.

It boasts 5 of South Africa’s 7 biomes. With the

meandering Bushman’s River running through it, it

is wonderfully diverse and picturesque too. It also

boasts an abundant variety of wildlife including

the Big 5, and over 250 species of birdlife, thereby

offering amazing wildlife experiences on game

drives, night drives, walking safaris and boat cruises.

The Amakhala Reserve is the only Private Reserve

in the Eastern Cape to have Fair Trade Certified

Lodges, a testament to the emphasis placed

by Amakhala members on social responsibility

and support for the local communities. The

Amakhala Reserve also funds and supports the

well-established Amakhala Conservation Centre,

funded in part by the member Lodges on the

Reserve and other donations. The Conservation

Centre plays an extremely important part on the

Reserve, delivering to its 3 primary objectives:

Research, Monitoring Environmental Education and

Conservation.

For more information about Amakhala Game

Reserve: A Pride Member of Lion Roars,

CONTACT CENTRAL RESERVATIONS

Port Elizabeth +27 (0)41 581 0993

Grahamstown +27 (0)46 636 2750

www.lionroars.com

www.amakhala.co.za

AMAKHALA GAME RESERVE UNITES & REBRANDS

BE SPOTTED WEARING YOURBUFFALO CITY SMILE BADGE AND STANDA CHANCE TO WIN A GREAT PRIZE DAILY

SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUTTourism Buffalo City is set to get tongues wagging at this year’s Indaba, with the launch of their Buffalo City Smile campaign. Perfectly pitched to take Tourism Buffalo City’s “You’re Welcome” slogan to greater heights, the smiley faces are a personification of the local lifestyle and friendliness of the region and its people. Acting MD, Colleen

Durant, says: “The Buffalo City Smile is associated with our leisure tourism offerings: Family, Adventure, Culture, Eco and Sport”.

For more information visit our Tourism Buffalo City stand DEC 2B04 in the Eastern Cape Village. East London. Mdantsane. King William’s Town. Bhisho:

Eastern Cape – South Africa

Exhibition times: 09:00 – 18:00

Today’s programme – Sunday 8 May 2011

10:00 – 13:00 Global Media Face off ICC Auditorium

Immediately Complimentary township

after Global experience to Umlazi Township

Media Face Off Depart from ICC concourse

Booking essential.

Call Mogie reddy on Tel: 031 304 4934

17:00 – 20:00 Welcome Awards ICC Auditorium

18:30 – 22:30 AA Travel Guides

Accommodation

Awards Gala Dinner Durban City Hall

The winners in the 2011 AA Travel Guides American Express Accommodation Awards Programme will be announced at INDABA tonight.

Now in its eighteenth year, this awards programme is the only established mechanism for consumers to voice their opinion about the quality of tourist accommodation in South Africa.

More than 41 000 consumers commented on

approximately 1 100 AA Quality Assured or star graded establishments across the country this year, either electronically or by completing guest critique forms.

A total of 160 finalists in 36 categories were announced recently, including guest houses, bed & breakfasts, self-catering apartments, game lodges and different types of hotels.

Guests commented on aspects such as service levels,

the quality of facilities, cleanliness, ambience and food.

Convenor Vanessa Sand says all information received from guests, whether positive or negative, is sent back to participating establishments. “This assists owners or managers to improve certain aspects of their operations or to maintain existing high standards. The awards programme is therefore a very effective tool to respond to the needs of consumers and gives

establishments a definite marketing edge.”

High-scoring establishments were examined carefully and were visited by qualified and experienced assessors to verify that the scores were justified.

The awards programme is supported by American Express Card, Sealy, BnB Sure and Avis.

See tomorrow’s INDABA Daily News for the results.

Today sees the 50th edition of INDABA Daily News, published on behalf of South African Tourism by the Pretoria-based Junxion Communications team.

The first edition saw the light in 1998, when INDABA was a lot smaller - as was international travel to South Africa.

Editor Martin van Niekerk says the paper has grown over the years, increasingly gaining advertising support from Indaba exhibitors and becoming an important communications channel at Indaba. “The first issue had 4 pages, of which one was a full page advertisement, and we were stressed out of our minds! Of course technology then wasn’t what it is today, and the production process was a lot slower, with not everybody using e-mail and actual scanning of photographs taking up a lot of our time.

“Quietly, in our back office, we saw INDABA grow and our paper becoming an INDABA tradition. To this day it feels really good to see exhibitors and delegates read the paper in the morning. We have also made

many friends and acquaintances over the years, which makes these four days in May very special to us.”

He says the production of the paper would not have been possible without experts in the field who join the team every year – most notably graphic designer Heidi Amrouni, photographer Roy Reed, journalists Ben Rootman and Estelle Walmsley, office manager Preston Chetty and print consultants Basil and Yvette Norris. “Every year we also have support from the Durban University of Technology, with tourism students joining our team to distribute the paper on time each morning.”

In 2008 the INDABA Daily News was an overall finalist in the annual corporate publication competition of the South African Publications Forum.

The INDABA Daily News team is based on the mezzanine level in the Durban Exhibition Centre. Contact them on [email protected], or follow them on Facebook.

Accommodation awards to be made tonight

INDABA Daily News – 50 editions

INDABA Daily NewsThe INDABA Daily News, official newspaper of INDABA, is published by Junxion Communications.

Finalist Best newspaper, Best Communication, Best Design SA Publication Forum competition.

Today is the 50th edition of your daily!

We would like to hear from you ...

• e-mail:[email protected] • Facebookfanpage INDABA Daily News

• Twitter-IndabaDailyNews

Also read INDABA Daily News on www.indaba-southafrica.net.

In partnership with Digital Publications – watch out for your e-mail.

Printed on environmentally friendly Sappi Tripple Green gloss 115g/m².

The INDABA Daily News team celebrates 50 editions today.


"we are the same"

CITY OF TSHWANE"we are the same"

CITY OF TSHWANE

Celebrating the vibrancy of

of

South Africa's cultural diversity The former National Flagship Institute (NFI) now has a new name. It is called, “Ditsong: Museums of South Africa” and it was launched in May 2010. “Ditsong” is a Setswana word meaning “a place of heritage”. Not only does the new name signify our culture and heritage, it also marks the geographic location of Ditsong as a northern institution. Coupled with the phrase “Museums of South Africa”, it boldly states that the Ditsong museums are part of a larger national patrimony. This new umbrella identity is designed to incorporate the descriptive names of all the museums of the amalgamated institution. “Ditsong: Museums of South Africa” is a combination of eight national museums, seven of which are from the City of Tshwane, namely, Ditsong: National Museum of Natural History (formerly Transvaal Museum); Ditsong: Tswaing Meteorite Crater; Ditsong: Kruger Museum; Ditsong: Sammy Marks Museum; Ditsong: National Museum of Cultural History; Ditsong: Sammy Marks Museum; Ditsong: Pioneer Museum and Ditsong: Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum. The remaining two museums, namely, Ditsong: National Museum of Cultural History and Ditsong: National Museum of Military History, are found in Johannesburg. These museums are the custodians of diverse collections, covering cultural history, geology, anthropology, archaeology and art.

The name and the logo represent the values and beliefs embodied in museums. The mission of Ditsong museums is “preserving treasures of the past, enrichment of these treasures and passing them onto future generations.”

The three primary elements of past, present and future play a vital role in the life of a museum. Along with the fact that culture is dynamic, it evolves and is constantly changing; this combination introduces various elements in an energetic graphic form that plays a central role in the overall design. The three elements, as illustrated in the logo, grow from past to future – brown being the past, orange being the present and yellow being the 'bright' future. Completing the design is an African calabash decorated with rich African graphics and simple natural colours representing the source and home of all creativity and heritage that we possess. The calabash is a symbol of a myriad of African cultures and has been revered over centuries as a utensil in various traditional ceremonies.

The vision of Ditsong museums of South Africa is to be a leading African heritage institution of excellence, accessible to all. Different people, from all backgrounds, will be offered the opportunity to drink and gain knowledge from the museum 'calabash'.

City of Tshwane - Experience it

Touch Table, Poken, INDABA mobi site, Southafrica.net – all of these hi tech words were bandied about at INDABA this year.

The new Touch Table at the South African Tourism stand is already the talk of INDABA.

A combination of glass, steel, awesome visuals, a host of stories and a wealth of information – the table is the ultimate ‘tool’ to market South Africa as a destination.

Even Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk got a little side-tracked at the Touch Table on his official walk-about yesterday – to the delight of the e-marketing unit of South African Tourism, who have been working around the clock to get the facility up and running in time for INDABA.

The Touch Table is a first in destination marketing, allowing entertaining and informative engagement amongst multiple users.

“We wanted to do something completely different at this year’s INDABA,” says Global Manager of e-marketing for South African Tourism William Price.

“In the spirit of continually evolving our marketing offerings to our buyers, trade and media stakeholders, and with the added challenge of invoking the new ‘Leave Ordinary Behind’ proposition of South African Tourism, we knew we would have to develop something unexpected. We believe we have risen to the challenge with the Touch Table technology, offering a state-of-the-art user experience – which not only allows users to easily connect with an amazing array of experiences and activities on offer – but also easily connects them with the product-owners.”

The Touch Table allows up to eight users simultaneously to explore the various experiences on offer and to make use of the national tourism database.

“The table does great justice to the unique combination of experiences on offer in South Africa, through videos, images and article content. If you want to see the black-maned lions of the Kalahari, book a hot-air ballooning trip over the Magaliesberg or investigate a hiking trail in the Cedarberg – the information is available by simply touching the icons and letting the journey unfold,” says Price.

All of the experiences and profiles users choose are also available as a list of favourites that can be instantly e-mailed, containing all of the detail about the experiences they are interested in and may want to share or research later.

In following international trends, the Touch Table comes with an impressive green advantage, reducing the hardcopy information leaflets of yesteryear.

“The Touch Table offers a much lower carbon footprint through its digital sharing of information. It will also remain a permanent feature of South African Tourism’s marketing collateral, as the unit is made up of several modular components, ready to be cased and travelled to showcase our country to the world.”

A first for INDABA this year, the Poken device offers a great way for South African Tourism to distribute all the specific INDABA content to exhibitors, media and international buyers. The content includes all the research resources and also connects the users to the Poken INDABA hub online, where additional INDABA content can be viewed and downloaded.

The social media updates and new alerts are also available to users via the Poken hub. The biggest feature of the Poken device is that it becomes the social media passport to all users that allows them to digitally share their Poken profile information with other Poken users that they meet and “Poken” with at INDABA - instantly exchanging contact information, profile photos and key information via this innovative device.

The mobi site for INDABA this year offers all the INDABA programme details, event information and updates that exhibitors, hosted buyers and visitors may need. The scheduled SM’s keep all participants up to date with the latest information and highlights, including contacts, fact sheets and travel and accommodation information.

The Southafrica.net website has been refreshed to reflect the new ‘Leave Ordinary Behind’ look-and-feel. The creative treatments to the entire website are in line with the campaign creative and also boast a new TripPlanner which has been given a facelift.

The content, usability and enhancements of the website unveiled at INDABA and the smaller cosmetic and back-end changes will be applied over the course of the year to improve the way South African Tourism manages and distributes its online content and campaigns globally. The various language pages are also available in the key markets, which allow South African Tourism to better deliver relevant and market-appropriate content to support the campaign activities abroad.

E-marketing innovations -the name of the game at INDABA 2011

At the touch of a screen - left, Paul Siekert , right, Ginno Sieni of the Democratic Republic of the Congo experience the user-friendliness of the touch screen INDABA directory.

“If you touch me - I’ll tell you” - from left - Global Manager of e-marketing for South African Tourism William Price, Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk and SA Tourism CEO Thandiwe January-McLean. This touch table will remain a permanent feature of South African Tourism’s marketing collateral.


The Big 5 Aquila Private Game Reserve near Cape Town has concluded a deal which will see all its daylight energy requirements covered by solar power.

With the installation of a 60-kilowatt facility, the initial step in the development of a 50-megawatt plant, the reserve, already recognised for its social upliftment and conservation efforts, will further its contribution to environmentally friendly tourism. The 60-kilowatt facility will be a concentrator photovoltaic system, with panels that move to track the sun – a first for South Africa.

The new solar panel facility will be housed at the animal rescue centre which is situated on a separate piece of land directly opposite the main entrance of the reserve. Aquila has donated the land and has invested over R1 million building a large outdoor sanctuary comprising of several one-hectare fenced camps where once doomed canned lions can live out the remainder of their lives.

“With many hours of abundant sunshine in the beautiful Cape Karoo, Aquila is a perfect site for the use of solar energy. I am proud to have initiated what I believe to be the ultimate responsible usage of land as a platform for sustainable social upliftment, conservation and renewable energy projects in Touws

River,” says owner Searl Derman.

The deal has been signed with Concentrix Solar, a leading German supplier of concentrator photovoltaic systems that has been active in South Africa since 2008. Between Aquila and Concentrix there will also be a skills development programme to train over 200 local residents of Touws River in security, construction and maintenance of the solar plants. This will add to the ongoing skills development programmes already in execution at Aquila in the construction, tourism and game ranging fields.

Derman has always had been committed to uplifting the town of Touws River ever since hearing about the withdrawal of the railway from the town in the 1980s. This left massive unemployment of approximately 97 percent of a town of 9 000 people.

Derman has featured on several television programmes for his award winning social upliftment and conservation efforts that have sustained the town.

Aquila, established in 1998, offers locals and foreign guests the opportunity to view the Big 5 just two hours from Cape Town.

For more information visit stand ICCF003 or DEC1F10.

Your Africa, one of Tourvest Destination Management’s flagship brands, is hosting a delegation of Japanese travel agents, tour operators and media at INDABA, in collaboration with South African Tourism Japan. The attendance at the show will be followed by a post-INDABA trip covering highlights such as Cape Town, Gauteng and Sun City. In addition to sponsoring the trip – thanks to the support of its many accommodation and coach partners – as well as providing guides and general logistical support, Your Africa’s Japanese-speaking consultant, Takayuki Suzuki, will accompany the delegates.

Your Africa has been active in the Japanese market since the amalgamation of Crown Travel into the business in 2009. The company was awarded hosting the delegation due to its excellent relationship with SAT Japan and its key client, UTI Japan’s great involvement in furthering tourism to the country. “We are very proud to be associated with SA Tourism in this endeavour and have no doubt that exposure to our beautiful country will bring more Japanese tourists to our shores,” says Monika Iuel, Sales & Marketing Director of Your Africa.

A further indication of Your Africa’s commitment to the Japanese market is the announcement that it will handle the southern African portion of the prestigious Asuka Cruise Charter excursion in 2012. The Asuka II is

a Japanese cruise liner operated by NYK Cruises that will be travelling around the tip of Africa in April 2012, visiting Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. Your Africa will manage all the land arrangements and day tours for around 600 passengers expected to be on board. Excursions will include Victoria Falls, Chobe, as well as day tours in and around Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

An initial visit by the same cruise liner arrived over Easter 2011 after it was rerouted from its planned journey through the Suez Canal. Passengers disembarked at Cape Town and Walvis Bay for day trips and sightseeing excursions and the project was managed with great success by the Your Africa team.

Your Africa has been active in the Japanese market since the amalgamation of Crown Travel into the business in 2009 and succeeded in winning the tender for this piece of business in close collaboration with its key customer UTI Japan. Staff from both UTI and Your Africa accompanied the cruise liner in April and will again closely assist with all the ground planning and logistics for the 2012 charter. “We are very excited and honoured to have been awarded the charter by NYK Cruises and are confident that this operation will further expand our excellent reputation in the Japanese market,” says Johan Herbst, Business Development Manager for Asia at Your Africa.

Aquila goes green

Your Africa hosts Japanese guests

Despite it being the financial capital of South Africa, Johannesburg is certainly not a city of ‘all work and no play’.

With an estimated 10 million trees and a moderate annual climate, Jozi provides one of the best environments for sport and culture-lovers to enjoy outdoor pursuits. And this is where Joburg Gems comes to play. This golf initiative jointly promotes the magnificent golf courses and facilities in South Africa’s City of Gold.

Joburg Gems was established by five members of the South African Golf Tourism Association – the Bryanston Country Club, the Glendower Golf Club, the Parkview Golf Club, the Randpark Golf Club and the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club – to promote golf tourism and establish Johannesburg as an attractive golf destination in South Africa.

By partnering with many of the city’s leading tourist attractions, Joburg Gems makes it possible for visitors to enjoy a few rounds of golf at premier courses while

also taking in a day trip to the likes of The Cradle of Humankind, the Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City, Sandton City, wildlife parks or even a high-profile sports event or concert.

The Fairway Hotel and Golf Resort which opened in May last year in time to host the Brazilian football team during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, is the accommodation partner.

The advantages of booking with Joburg Gems include

the convenience of working through one booking line for golf, accommodation and transport requirements. Packages start from R800 for three rounds of golf at any of the participating golf clubs, or from R2 300 per person sharing for a three-day, two-night golf and accommodation package.

For more information call Natalie van Blerk on 082 805 6643.

Magnificent golf courses – all in Jozi


Gooderson Leisure became a key partner in the Tourism Enterprise Partnership’s new enterprise development portfolio at INDABA yesterday.

Gail McCann, Gooderson Leisure marketing general manager, says they hope to provide the experiential learning opportunities crucial to the success of the small tourism business sector. “What we can offer is for our very experienced general managers to mentor SMMEs at each of our properties, providing them with the chance to understand how established lodges and hotels operate 24 hours a day.

“There is a great need for leaders in the sector to train new, younger leaders – for the leaders of tomorrow to learn from those of today.”

TEP launches its ground-breaking public-private partnership today when big tourism business will

pledge its commitment to job creation in South Africa.

TEP has facilitated the creation of over 64 000 jobs in tourism during the past ten years and believes its development portfolio will open up opportunities for corporate South Africa and government to forge a new, powerful path forward.

Salifou Siddo, TEP Chief Executive says Gooderson Leisure is considered the ideal partner given its track record of people development and commitment to transformation in the industry.

“We have staff who have been employed at our properties their whole lives – people who started as porters and are now managing areas of the business,” says McCann.

For more information visit stand DEN1B18.

In South Africa a rhino is poached every day. The illegal trafficking of wildlife now ranks as the third largest criminal industry in the world. This situation is far greater than the resources deployed to fight it.

By placing volunteers with the International Anti Poaching Foundation’s (IAPF) Green Army you can help change the future for wildlife in Africa. The IAPF needs your help today.

The IAPF is a non-profit organisation that recruits, trains, equips and deploys rangers dedicated to the protection of wildlife. This education is given without charge to the rangers of Africa that need it the most. Volunteers are needed to help teach and train the future guardians of Africa’s greatest treasures. They need hardworking and adventurous people. A manager from Goldman Sachs, a dairy farmer from New Zealand, soldiers from Australia and a lawyer from Germany are all past volunteers who have made a huge impact already.

The IAPF has two training academies – one situated 15 minutes from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and the other bordering the Alexandria forests within a property surrounded by the southernmost section of the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa.

Volunteers placed with the IAPF can expect to assist with preparing and teaching lessons, patrolling with the rangers, monitoring wildlife movement and behaviour, responding to threats as they appear, helping to build and improve their facilities, rescuing wildlife and learning about Africa’s unique biodiversity and how to protect it. Whilst they do work hard, they also make time to relax and enjoy what they protect.

Conservation tourism is a way of directly using willing and able volunteers in the battle to save the rich biodiversity of Africa. Without your help the very reason for travelling to Africa will continue to shrink.

For more information visit stand ODW23a.

South Africa recently became only the third country in the world, after the UK and the Netherlands, to receive full accreditation from ISAF - the International Sailing Federation - for its sail training programme.

And the National Sail Training Academy is in Mossel Bay.

“According to many international sportspeople who’ve sailed here, Mossel Bay has some of the best sailing conditions anywhere in the world,” says Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm. “Together with our national and international accreditations, this puts the town in a position to offer the unique tourism attraction of world-class sail training for every member of the family.”

She says that Mossel Bay has recently begun attracting attention as a regatta destination, and that a number of national and international regattas are on the cards for the coming months and years.

“In April we hosted the Hobie 16 National Championships, in August we’ll be hosting what’s probably South Africa’s most prestigious race – the Lipton Challenge Cup – and we’re in the process

of bidding for the Dart 18 World Championships in 2012.”

The silver-gilt Lipton Cup was presented to the Royal Cape Yacht Club – then the Table Bay Yacht Club – in 1909 by Sir Thomas Lipton who said “I have always taken a very great interest in yacht racing and boat sailing, and my earnest wish is that this great sport should be encouraged in South African waters.”

Sailing, says Holm, is an almost untapped market. “Accreditation means that we can now target self-drive and independent travellers, who can build their holidays around a five or six-day stay in Mossel Bay – and if Mom and Dad don’t want to sail, they can relax on the beaches, safe in the knowledge that the kids are learning under the supervision of highly-trained instructors who’s first concern is always the safety of their charges.”

Mossel Bay, she says, is ideally situated exactly half way between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. “It’s an ideal stopping-off point on any South African itinerary.”

For more information about sail training, visit Mossel Bay Tourism at stand G06 DEC Hall 1.

Gooderson partners with TEP

Tourism solution to poaching in AfricaMossel Bay is SA’s sailing centre

Mossel Bay has some of the best sailing conditions in the world.


CATHSSETA – that is the new Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority – has a new focus.

Chief Executive Officer Mike Tsotetsi says the authority is refocusing on the goals that need to be achieved to ensure alignment to the five-year project plan of the

National Skills Development Strategy.

“These changes from the minister of Higher Education and Training indicate that the Sectoral Education and Training Authorities are moving in the right direction. They are also more focused in achieving the skills development issues as indicated in the Sector Skills Plan.

“We have undergone a name change as a result of the incorporation of cultural heritage and performing and visual arts into our sector to ensure that each authority is located as close as possible to its relevant economic sector. For us this means an opportunity to leverage on the full value chain of arts and culture as one of the key drivers behind tourism.

“Our board has also decreased from 24 to 15 members which include two members and an independent chairperson who are appointed by the minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande. It is exciting to know that each of these new board members bring with them a wealth of experience and expertise in each of our sectors.”

“Tsotetsi says that the authority’s sector skills plan was hailed by the Department of Higher Education and Training as one of the good examples of the dramatic turnaround witnessed by the review panel. Reference was made to how it provides a comprehensive, informative and insightful profile of the sector in terms of the employer, employee and economic data.

“For us change has not only been an experience of great achievements, it has inspired us to do more in partnership with all our stakeholders,” says Tsotetsi.

For more information visit www.cathsseta.org.za.

The rustic Musango Safari luxury tented camp in Zimbabwe sits on a private island in Lake Kariba – the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the world.

Lake Kariba has a unique climate with dramatic tropical thunderstorms and cloud formations, particularly during the rainy season from October to April, making it a must-visit for photographers and artists seeking spectacular landscape and water scenes.

Visitors to Musango Safari Camp enjoying game viewing drives, walking safaris, boat trips, black rhino tracking, canoeing, fishing and bird-watching may also be lucky enough to witness the power of nature

in the form of water spouts – miniature versions of tornadoes or twisters. These can occur in Kariba at any time during the rains but more so during stormy periods when unstable, humid air masses accumulate. The Bumi Basin – a stretch of water between Musango Safari Camp, Bumi Hills, Island 155 and Starvation Island – has seen plenty of these fair weather water spouts.

Owners Steve and Wendy Edwards’ priorities are to retain as many of the natural aspects of the island as possible, yet run a luxury camp at the same time. Accommodation is in 16 walk-in tents under thatch, with en-suite showers built into natural stone.

Guests can also track wild black rhino in the Matusadona National Park’s rhino sanctuary. The camp is accessible from Victoria Falls, Harare, Bulawayo or Kariba by air. Private air charters are also available.

Solenta Air now flies from Harare and Victoria Falls to Bumi airstrip three times a week, and coming soon are direct flights from Lusaka to Bumi. Boat transfers from Kariba are also available.

For more Information visit stand SADCB001.

New 7 Wonders of Nature worth R1,4 billion for Cape Town’s tourism

An independent impact report has predicted a R1,4 billion annual tourism injection for South Africa if Table Mountain is named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

The detailed report, conducted by tourism hospitality and leisure research company Grant Thornton, found that tourism to Table Mountain and Cape Town would increase by about 20 percent, with approximately 70 percent of these visitors expected to be international tourists.

Grant Thornton’s research takes into account a tourist’s average length of stay and their average spend. This would generate an additional R1,4 billion in revenue per year or about R116 million per month – an amount that is likely to support around 11 000 employment opportunities in South Africa.

Grant Thornton based its projections on a similar campaign in which 100 million votes were cast

worldwide to vote for the New 7 Man Made Wonders in 2007. Visitors to Petra in Jordan increased by 61 percent and visitors to Christ the Redeemer in Brazil by 30 percent.

“If we win, it will continue the awareness of South Africa – and Cape Town – as a tourism destination to potential travellers across the globe,” says CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Mariette du Toit-Helmbold.

Table Mountain has been voted one of the final 28 sites for the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign, with the final seven to be named on 11 November. It is estimated that a billion votes will be cast online and via SMS.

A recent report on News24 indicated that with 185 days left until voting officially closes, Table Mountain was lagging in the bottom half of the list.

To vote for Table Mountain visit www.votefortablemountain.com or SMS Table to 34874. SMSs cost R2 each and multiple entries are permitted.

CATHSSETA – what do they do?

Musango Safari Camp – still a jewel

“Change has inspired us to do more in partnership with all our stakeholders” - Mike Tsotetsi.

Vote now!


“The exciting thing about our green journey is that it is a constant voyage of discovery,” comments chief executive, Wayne Duvenage. “We are achieving one milestone after another, constantly introducing initiatives. Our Brand Ambassadors are participating, with recommendations from our Earth Champions ranging from water coolers which capture condensation from the air rather than using water bottles, to educating early-morning cleaners and other staff to switch lights and air-conditioners off as they leave offices and meeting rooms.”

The environment has been a major focus for Avis over the past five years. It was the first company in South Africa to receive carbon neutral accreditation in line with UN protocol in 2009, for the offset of its own business emissions and since 2007, Avis was the first to introduce the hybrid, environmentally-friendly Toyota Prius to its fleet.

Baseline data from Avis’ first energy audit conducted by Energy Cybernetics in 2010 provides the reference point for measuring energy management initiatives. Energy conservation solutions have already produced greater efficiencies and significant savings in rands. The energy audit will now become an ongoing event with lighting retrofits and other energy saving initiatives planned for the future.

Green initiatives are promoted through our voluntary Avis Earth Champions who drive campaigns such as office waste recycling and switching to energy-efficient light bulbs. “In the process, staff are being educated and made more environmentally aware and their personal involvement is being carried over to families and communities,” Duvenage points out.

Avis also partners with Enviroserv in implementing an Integrated Waste Management system to identify and minimise waste streams and create recycling opportunities. Since July 2010, office waste recycling has now reached in excess of 3 tons a month.

“We are currently conducting an energy audit with every branch in the country, to set up an Energy Database to drive energy reduction and awareness.” says sustainability manager, Jessica Branco. “This database will list all appliances that use power, and record all recycling and energy conservation initiatives including simple activities, like switching boardroom lights and air-conditioners off when a meeting is concluded, collecting rain water to save on water consumption and recycling grey water.”

Avis also co-operates closely with Green Office to recycle office accessories such as print cartridges.

“One of our newer initiatives, implemented during Green Office Week, is the installation of water flow regulators for bathroom taps at our HQ precinct,” continues Branco. “We calculated that the regulators could achieve accumulated savings of about R24 000 per annum, saving up to 80% of the water used in the office bathrooms.”

This is part of the drive to decrease water consumption which has already resulted in the Cape Town operation becoming water neutral. The water recycling plant at the Avis Durban depot at King Shaka International Airport has an underground water reservoir which becomes water neutral during the rainy season. Water recycling at the Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town depots results in a saving of more than 75 million litres of water a year.

“At the end of 2009, we began to reflect the carbon emissions on each rental invoice for our customers,” says Duvenage. “Then in early 2010 we started providing corporate customers with their combined account emissions on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. This is extremely popular with our green-conscious customers and reflects the public’s growing awareness of the need to embrace green initiatives.

“Nor does it stop here,” he stresses. “There are significant renewable energy projects on the drawing board now that will pioneer new ways of conducting our business in South Africa. The recognition bestowed on our efforts by the Climate Change Leadership Award not only spurs us on to reaching new heights but also further entrenches our claim that the greenest car rental company in South Africa is the red one!”

At Avis, being green is a way of life

Visit www.avis.co.za, call 0861 021 111 or contact your nearest travel agent.

B-BBEE Level 2 Contributor

Avis takes its leadership in the green space seriously by driving the energy and consciousness to be inculcated into every aspect of Avis’ operations. This in turn has led to the company’s achievement of winner in its category at the Climate Change Leadership Awards (CCLA) in March this year.

Winner of Climate Change Leadership Award 2011

The environment has been a major focus for Avis over the past five years

At Avis Rent a Car corporate social responsibility is inextricably interlinked with its core values of care for the environment and the community – as a matter of fact Avis cares.

“We have an innate responsibility towards our environment, the community and our staff,” says Chief Executive, Wayne Duvenage.

“Consequently, none of our interactions are superficial, random or for short-term, public-relations gain. Therefore, our people are able to plumb new depths of their own potential, coming to grips with the often harsh realities of life experienced by countless South Africans, but foreign to their own way of life. This is contributing to our own growth as a company as well as to the development of our communities,” he says.

“Staff is encouraged to identify projects in their regions,” says Sustainability Manager, Jessica Branco.

“They complete a needs analysis of projects, consulting with community leaders, project founders and supervisors and other relevant parties, and then present a proposal to head office on the type of support or initiatives required.”

“One of our promises is that people are more important than cars. Our corporate social responsibility programmes epitomise this. Our philosophy is not to sweep into a project, throw money at it and sweep out again. We become intimately involved and follow the progress of each initiative.”

In Durban, Avis recently sponsored a car for Grace Thandiwe Ngcongo, winner of the 2010 Clarins/

Fairlady Most Dynamic Woman of the Year Award to help in her remarkable community work, operating a crèche, facilitating craft classes and providing HIV/ Aids, rape and trauma counselling, while also helping with the sick and elderly.

In Saint Lucia the company is involved with two local orphanages where children range from six months to seven years old. In Verulam, Avis has adopted the Simunye crèche.

“Our programmes range from providing teddy bears for the Teddy Bear clinic in partnership with Women and Men Against Child Abuse, to supporting the Soweto Equestrian Centre to ensure development in this sport, from providing a vehicle to transport doctors to the airport in conjunction with SA Air Mercy services, to making mattress covers from recycled Avis uniforms for crèches, from sanding down desks in a school to planting vegetable gardens. More often than not, we partner with other like-minded organisations to add momentum and enhance sustainability,” says Branco.

“At Avis corporate social responsibility is not an add-on or a gesture towards corporate respectability,” says Duvenage.

“It is part of the very fibre of the company and embraced by every member of Avis, from management to the lowest ranks, making a difference to those who are in need.”

For more information visit stands SADCC018, ICCH020 and ODCD006.

At INDADBA 2010 Eastern Cape Tourism made bold statements promising to use the research and information gleaned from their region-specific investigations and exhaustive tourism arrival data to bring more visitors to the Eastern Cape in terms of their trade-led growth strategy.

Since then, the regional tourism body has merged with Eastern Cape Parks to form a newly-focused entity now operating as the Eastern Cape Parks & Tourism Agency (ECPTA).

The agency launched its slogan “Are you up for it!” at the World Travel Market in London in 2010.

At a breakfast workshop to be held at INDABA tomorrow, ECPTA chairperson Vuyo Zitumane and interim CEO Sybert Liebenberg will be addressing a select guest list of stakeholders, South African and international media and members of the travel industry to present an update on just how much the agency has achieved in the 12 months since INDABA 2010.

Exciting details will be presented on the ECTPA’s focus on UK & Ireland, Benelux, and USA and Canada, the three core markets that have been identified for increased tourism into the region. They will divulge their joint marketing agreements with top tour operators in these countries and the appointment of professional representative partners in each market.

Guests will be treated to information on the planned activities from each of these core markets and stakeholders will have the opportunity to learn more about what the agency is doing to grow their businesses and how their support with bed nights and activities is being invested in the various marketing activities.

The workshop breakfast is to be held at the Hilton Hotel on Monday 09 May.

The Eastern Cape boasts one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in South Africa. They are delivering in this respect and they are up for it!

For more information visit stand DEC2B03.

Because Avis cares

The Eastern Cape is up for it!Avis becomes intimately involved with the communities it serves.


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The new communications technologies are dreams come true for those of us with ADD.

During the Responsible Tourism in Cities Conference – held in the ICC on Friday and on Twitter at #rtcities – I found myself tweeting, blogging and even making movies while listening to the speakers and watching their presentations.

It was that kind of a conference, having drawn an on-line audience from places as far away as New Zealand.

The star of the show, of course, was Ron Mader – writer, photographer, and founder of the ecotourism website planeta.com - who’s presentation was titled ‘We Suck @ Collaboration.’ And one argument that broke out – as to whether the individual hotel groups should have been present at the conference, or whether it was enough that FEDHASA, their trade organisation, was there - proved his point, I thought.

But what Ron Mader said in an earlier conversation was possibly even more important - he said that South Africa is way ahead of the pack when it comes to the concept of responsible tourism.

That was good to hear. Remember the 1996 White

Paper on Tourism? The responsible tourism guidelines of 2002? Seems like other countries haven’t even got there yet.

The conference was important, too, because it showed that tourism should be leading the way in the green economy. As Cape Town Tourism’s Mariette du Toit-Helmbold said – “In order to be a great place to visit, your city has to be a great place to live.”

And tourism can influence this.

Trouble is, responsible tourism is still considered a niche and not the norm. But, triple bottom line and all that, many companies are in fact already putting responsible tourism into practice – and when a thing makes economic sense, you can be pretty sure that it’ll become mainstream quickly enough.

And, as Pierre Voges of the Mandela Bay Development Agency said, when your economically intelligent thing makes sense on the environmental and social levels, it’ll start to make sense on the political level, too.

And if we want to make a difference, that’s where we want to be.

The new AA Accommodation Directory has just arrived hot of the press from the printers.

The directory contains compact listings of some 2 500 accommodation establishments across Southern Africa. Included in every listing is a web code which leads readers to more info on the corresponding web page on www.aatravel.co.za

All establishments are AA Quality Assured which entails a visit from an AA assessor. AA Quality Assured accommodation ratings are AA Recommended, AA Highly Recommended or AA Superior.

The directory also contains maps and indexes by establishment name and town name. Properties are listed by region within province. There are brief write-ups per region.

For more information visit stand ICCM011.

Amakhala Game Reserve near Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape has established The Chipembere Rhino Foundation, a non-profit organisation, as a result of the reserve losing two male rhinos in one week to poaching. Adamant that these animals should not die in vain, the new foundation is a legacy to remember them and all lost rhinos in South Africa Well-known South African super group, Freshlyground has agreed to be the patron of the new charity to help raise awareness of rhino poaching through their global platform.

‘Chipembere’ means ‘rhinoceros’ in Shona, an African dialect, and this name is honour of the reserve’s main breeding bull, Chippie, who was lost in that poaching incident. The second bull, Isipho – meaning ‘gift’ in Xhosa – arrived unexpectedly on the reserve. Unbeknown to Amakhala, his mother arrived pregnant. The birth of the rhino male took everyone by surprise. Young Isipho was to be the future of the white rhino

breeding project.

The work of protecting rhinos is now committed to stepping up the fight against poaching. Donations received through this foundation will go directly towards conservation and anti-poaching efforts on the Eastern Cape reserve and will contribute towards costs associated with rhino conservation such as darting and monitoring by helicopter, dedicated anti-poaching teams, vehicle maintenance and diesel costs relating to rhino monitoring and the ongoing campaign to create awareness and spread the word on the plight of Africa’s rhinos

In an area where private funding is hard to come by, this private partnership shows how members of the tourism industry and the broader community can play an integral role in supporting effective conservation.

For more information visit www.chipembere.org.

Five cheetahs were recently relocated to their new home at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC), as part of the centre’s ongoing breeding programme. The HESC is a leader in private research and breeding facilities for endangered species in South Africa.

Last year, South African National Parks projected that some of the cheetahs in the Mountain Zebra National Park would eventually need to be relocated to new homes to ensure the genetic integrity of the cheetah population as well as the park’s ecosystem.

Now released at HESC, the five animals will remain in quarantine for three months before joining other cheetahs in the breeding programme.

Lente Roode, founder of the HESC says: “These cheetahs will add new bloodlines to our current stock and assist in preventing in-breeding. We aim to maintain a large enough gene pool to be able to prevent the cheetah from becoming extinct; however some of these cheetahs will also be released in areas where necessary. This is a wonderful, encouraging and positive moment for conservation here at HESC.”

For more information visit stand ICC0001.

Comment

Making sense of responsible tourism

Eastern Cape rhino protection foundation launched

Cheetahs successfully relocated

by Martin Hatchuel

Five cheetahs were taken to their new home in Limpopo recently.


To entice more South Africans to visit Mauritius in the low, cool seasons, Air Mauritius launched its Travel Smart Program at INDABA. .

“By achieving good revenue, yields and route profitability, additional capacity, schedules and frequencies can be introduced, thus ultimately benefiting the consumer, travel trade and all other stakeholders,” says Air Mauritius’ Regional Manager for Southern Africa and Latin America, Carla da Silva.

“Unlike other ‘special offers’ which are only valid for a specific period, the Travel Smart Program offers year-round benefits. In South Africa, the programme

voucher gives the consumer not only a reduced fare but also value-added benefits throughout the year during low season periods. In monetary terms this equates to a family of four -two adults and two children - travelling in May enjoying a saving of R8 550.

“Benefits include a higher baggage allowance and an additional seven kg for sporting equipment. During May and June children under 12 only pay government surcharges and airport taxes,” says da Silva.

Leading tour operators in Mauritius are also offering additional value-added benefits when travelling on the Travel Smart Program. These partners include

Beachcomber Tours, Thompsons Tours, Club Med, Holiday Factory, World Leisure, Holiday Tours, Infinity Flight Centre, Naiade Holidays and Travellers Choice. In South Africa, the Protea Hotel Group and Europcar are also on board as partners.

Air Mauritius is the only carrier operating between Cape Town and Mauritius and Durban and Mauritius. Mauritius, a four-hour flight away from Johannesburg, offers a year-round holiday destination that is malaria free and where South Africans do not require visas.

For more information visit stand ICC J004.

This week Open Africa launches a new web listing service to selected safari lodges, harnessing the potential of its travel portal www.openafrica.org to drive online reputation and bookings, as tourists increasingly book their trips online.

Selected private game reserves and safari lodges will be invited to list on the travel portal, which attracts 12 000 visitors monthly to its 2 400 pages of content.

Currently it markets 61 self-drive travel routes and 2 600 tourism-based enterprises across rural Africa.

Colin Rushmere of Web Marketing International, Open Africa’s business partner in the initiative, says: “Direct online bookings for tourist properties are growing as the use of the internet grows.

“Online bookings are likely to become the dominant channel in the tourist industry as younger generations mature, because they look to the internet as their first source of information and are entirely comfortable with online transactions.”

The new listing service offers game reserves and safari lodges increased online enquiries and bookings through greater web exposure – a minimum of five dedicated pages – backed up by focused marketing campaigns to drive more travellers to the portal. While there is no listing cost, Open Africa earns a commission on any bookings made.

Rushmere says: “Diverse and authentic content, properly optimised, is one of the keys to outranking the competition in search markets. Through its current

reach and coverage of rural Africa, and potential to extend this reach through a scaleable model, Open Africa inherently has more potential than any other organisation to develop content on its website that will put it in the top position in future for attracting online search markets.”

Established 15 years ago by Noel de Villiers, under the patronage of Nelson Mandela, Open Africa sustains livelihoods – currently 30 000 employed in the network – and enhances conservation across Africa. Open Africa works with mostly rural communities to establish travel routes and then markets these to local and international travellers. Route members are coached to conserve their natural environment as a wealth creator.

Open Africa’s first category of commercial web listings is private game reserves and lodges offering authentic big five African safaris, which share its commitment to conservation.

While the primary benefit to lodges is enhanced reputation and increased bookings, their social and environmental responsibility is also enhanced through the partnership as Open Africa is a non-profit organisation with a social mission. Listed partner game reserves and safari lodges, in turn, share revenue with Open Africa, thereby generating the sustainable income needed to further the enhancement of livelihoods and conservation.

For more information visit stand DEC2H01.

At d’Ouwe Werf in Stellenbosch the second phase of an extensive renovation project has just kicked off.

“On completion in mid-November, this national monument will be restored to her former glory, with an added modern touch,” says d’Ouwe Werf’s general manager, Elanie Potgieter.

The inn already boasts a restored exterior façade, 10 refurbished rooms and a new reception area. “At the

end of this phase of renovations we’ll have a total of 51 newly refurbished, modern bedrooms,” says Potgieter.

During the renovation period the hotel is offering 21 percent off the bar rate to celebrate the 21 new rooms that are being created. At the hotel’s renowned 1802 Restaurant it’s still business as usual.

For more information visit stand ICCT007.

Air Mauritius opens the air for South Africans

Renovations restore SA’s oldest inn

Luxury bedrooms have been beautifully refurbished at d’Ouwe Werf.

Open Africa launches new web listing service


The Rezidor Hotel Group has entered East Africa with the announcement of the opening of the first Park Inn by Radisson in Nairobi, Kenya in the fourth quarter of 2013.

“East Africa is a very suitable development region for Park Inn by Radisson with Nairobi as a centre. We will target cities and larger towns which fall within a two hours’ flying time north, south, east and west of Nairobi and develop a regional business and leisure circuit,” says Andrew McLachlan, Rezidor’s Cape Town- based Vice President for Business Development for Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.

The Park Inn Nairobi Westlands is Rezidor’s first Park Inn by Radisson in Kenya and also the first in East Africa. It will be located in the popular commercial and economic Westlands area of Nairobi, five kilometres northwest of the city centre. The new hotel will offer 126 rooms, a grill restaurant, a bar and lobby lounge, two meeting rooms and two board rooms, a business centre, a gym and a rooftop swimming pool and terrace.

The Park In by Radisson in Nairobi is the fifth new hotel deal Rezidor has concluded in sub-Saharan Africa during the first four months of 2011. The other

four new hotel deals include a Radisson Blu in Accra, Ghana and in Freetown, Sierra Leone and a Park Inn by Radisson in Lagos Apapa, Nigeria and in Polokwane, South Africa.

The Park Inn Polokwane is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2013. It is Rezidor’s third Park Inn by Radisson hotel in South Africa, joining one already open in Sandton and another scheduled to open in Cape Town later this year.

“South Africa offers considerable development opportunities for our young and dynamic mid market brand Park Inn by Radisson. We aim to enter all nine provincial capitals in the future, in addition to the larger cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban”, says McLachlan.

The new property will be located across the road from the new Peter Mokaba Sports Stadium, seven kilometres from the Polokwane International Airport. Besides 160 modern and comfortable guest rooms, the hotel will offer a signature RBG grill restaurant, 580 square metres of meeting facilities, a gym, an outdoor swimming pool and ample parking.

For more information visit stand ICCX005.

The City of Gold is more than just the economic hub of the continent – Jozi is a leading, global year-round lifestyle destination,” says Johannesburg Tourism Company CEO Lindiwe Kwele.

“Our colourful seasonal campaigns are designed to package the plethora of events taking place across the spectrum of music, arts, culture, food, fashion, entertainment, sport and business throughout the year.”

The company launched its ‘Joburg Experience’ campaign at INDABA, promoting a comprehensive view of greater Joburg as a tourist destination, including the SOJO Route – short for South of Joburg. SOJO focuses on the eco-tourism offerings available in this part of the city, which are unique and relatively unknown.

“We will be hosting the SA Music Awards at Montecasino in May, the Inanda Africa Cup Polo in July, the BMW Polo Tournament and the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival in August. September sees the Soweto Festival Expo, the Joburg Shopping Festival, the Arts Alive International Festival and the Taste of Joburg. The Kings of Leon Concert, the RMB Winex and the Africa Fashion Week come to Jozi in October with the end of the year excitement, the FNB Whisky Live Festival and the Sansui Summer Cup in November.

“We’re looking forward to the way the fully-fledged Gautrain – Africa’s first high-speed railway link, complemented by the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit

system, is going to change the way people experience the city, for both residents and visitors.

“I predict that this impact is going to be profound, adding a whole new dimension to life in Jozi. Locals are going to enjoy exploring and being tourists in their own backyard as never before, while it is also going to enhance the Joburg experience for visitors, and set us apart as Africa’s most fabulous destination,” says Kwele.

For more information visit stand DEC1B25.

Rezidor enters East Africa and expands portfolio in South Africa

Jozi IS a global year-round destination

The Rezidor Hotel Group has expanded their South African portfolio with the announcement at INDABA of the Park Inn Polokwane.

The SOJO Route in Jozi takes you to the top of the world.


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TOURISM We are at stand

DEC1C09

The Protea Hospitality Group has announced the addition of a new hotel, Protea Hotel Vineyard Estate, to its portfolio. The new property, scheduled to open in June, is located between award-winning vineyards and the upmarket Vineyards Office Estate in Tyger Valley.

The hotel is just minutes from Tyger Valley and the Bellville business district, but also close to the natural beauty of the famous Magic Forest mountain bike and walking trails.

The first 31 bedrooms, all the public areas, conference rooms, restaurants, lounge and bar will open on 1 June. The remaining 64 bedrooms will be ready by the end of September. All rooms will offer complimentary Wi-Fi as well as HD LCD televisions.

Guests can relax in the eye-catching swimming pool

area with its adjacent bar and lounge. There are also breakaway areas and other dining facilities for guests and conference delegates. The fully equipped conference and training facility, which can be divided into two separate venues, can seat 130 delegates.

There are also four meeting rooms for training groups, seminars or boardroom-style meetings. The restaurant serves breakfast, light refreshments, lunch and dinner for in-house guests, visitors and conference delegates.

Protea Hotels’ Director of Sales, Marketing and Revenue, Danny Bryer says: “The inclusion of the hotel in the Protea Hospitality Group portfolio attests to the continued success of the Protea brand.”

SA Tourism Update Online

For more information visit stand T010 ICC.

The Wilderness group hosted an exclusive function last night for clients and friends in the safari industry to celebrate the official launch of their new branding campaign, specially timed to tie in with Indaba 2011.

After 26 years as the leader in safaris in Southern Africa, this well-known and respected company has developed a branded house, to bring together the family of Wilderness brands in a vibrant and visual way. This, together with exciting new developments including two brand-new safari destinations, meant there was definitely reason to celebrate.

Over the past six months Wilderness has rolled out a number of new brands and essentially reorganised the business in a way that makes the unique features of each of the different elements of the company far clearer and allows them to focus on their core purpose.

As such, the parent or group brand is now simply ‘Wilderness’. The tag line ‘for the long run’ pays homage to their roots in sustainability as well as commitment to their partners.

Associated with this parent brand are two well-known non-profit entities, namely the Wilderness Wildlife Trust and Children in the Wilderness, as well as what

are now termed the trading brands:

• Wilderness Safaris – camp operator and touroperating business for its own and others’ camps in Southern Africa.

• Wilderness Adventures – camp operator andbed night booking business of only Wilderness Adventures camps.

• Wilderness Exploration – an operator of mobilesafaris booked through Wilderness Safaris.

• WildernessAir–theformerSefofaneAirCharters.

• WildernessCollection–anewbrandthatincludesNorth Island and Abu Camp as well as some other exciting new initiatives.

The newest addition, the Wilderness Collection, includes the recently acquired camps in two brand new destinations, never before included in the Wilderness portfolio – Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Segera on the Laikipia Plateau in Kenya and Odzala in the virgin rainforest of Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo are due to open in early 2012.

For more information visit stand ICCH016.

Donkey carts are a thoroughly traditional mode of transport in Africa and guests can now savour one of South Africa’s most scenic areas from a comfortable donkey cart. This quirky tourism initiative is community driven and run and offers visitors an authentic cultural and nature experience deep in the majestic Cederberg mountains of the Cape West Coast.

Tourism development official for the West Coast Regional Tourism Organisation, Dave Cornelius says the local community wanted to develop tourism in the area in a bid to alleviate poverty. “They asked themselves what they knew best,” he says, “and how they could use it as a tourist attraction.”

The answer was loud and clear – donkey carts. The community knew how to build the carts in the traditional way, how to train donkeys and how to drive them. So that’s exactly what they did. The community set to work and built six donkey carts that were customised to handle the rugged mountainous terrain. Some are two-wheeled and others have four wheels, and spans of donkeys were trained to pull them. Even the leather donkey harnesses were hand made and stitched by donkey owners.

Now there are 10 donkey cart drivers and eight professionally trained guides who accompany guests on donkey cart trips. All along the way they stop off to show and tell of the indigenous flora – such as unique medicinal plants and renowned rooibos tea – and endemic fauna, pass on folklore and enthrall guests with tales of local traditions, myths and legends of the area.

The donkey cart routes project started in 2008 and proved so popular it is now in its second phase, with additional routes about to be opened. Already guests can enjoy half-day, full-day or overnight trips along the route and soon up to four-day excursions will be possible too.

Currently, the route starts in the Pakhuis Pass near Clanwilliam – around 3,5 hours’ drive from Cape Town – and winds 12 km into the rugged Cederberg to the Heuningvlei community.

Guest accommodation is in the refurbished Heuningvlei Lodge, a school that the community lovingly converted into comfortable accommodation with communal ablution facilities for overnight guests. For dinner, guests are treated to traditional cuisine, all prepared by the community and ash bread and homemade jams are well-loved favourites. On request, dinner may even be enjoyed with the community in their village.

When the second phase of the donkey cart routes opens next month, guests will be able to drive by donkey cart all the way from the Pakhuis Pass to the hamlet of Wupperthal, with traditional community accommodation and catering en route. There will also be options to overnight with the community in homestays or in private dwellings in community villages.

On arrival in Wupperthal there are more unique attractions to enjoy, such as the old veldskoen factory that makes iconic South African leather shoes, and the rooibos tea factory, where guests can see how the world-renowned herbal health tea is processed.

There are also 4x4 drives into the mountains, ancient San rock art to see and plenty of hiking trails to enjoy. Arrangements are also in place for the safe-keeping of your vehicle, while on tour.

The donkey cart project is funded by the National Department of Tourism and implemented by Anix Consulting.

For more information visit stand DC1 I11.

Protea Hotels adds Cape Winelands hotel to portfolio

The rebranding of Wilderness

No horsing around – see the Cederberg by donkey cart

See the Cederberg by donkey cart.


making Africa greener together.. for more information on making your business a greener experience, visit Heritage and Green Globe International at Hall 4, ICC

Awesome South Africa will intrigue you, make you laugh, astonish and astound you. This entertaining compilation on South Africa is packed full of humour, history, interesting facts and trivia about South Africa and its people. If you are a South African, this book is guaranteed to stir feelings of pride, patriotism and belonging. If you are not South African, then it will leave you in awe and provide you with a comprehensive overview of this unique and crazy country.

The book, which has sold over 18 000 copies, received rave reviews from around the country when it was launched in April last year. It has taken South Africa by storm and received rave reviews from around the country. It is a visual cacophony of all that is unique, exceptional and noteworthy about South Africa – its

heritage, its people and its heart. Irrespective of age, race or gender, the book is sure to be enjoyed by everyone – cynic and enthusiast.

Derryn Campbell is the creator of this entertaining book. She has left behind a successful corporate career to follow a vision to encourage South Africans to positively influence the future of their country.

The book is available at major bookstores or from the website www.awesomesa.co.za. It can be branded with a company’s logo and details and makes an ideal corporate gift for companies to promote their brand. What better gift to give to delight your clients and staff? For more information phone 082 786 8450.

Ulrich Rosenbaum, a German journalist and photographer, won the international version of the Harry the Hominid Hall of Fame competition at INDABA yesterday.

The competition kicked off at ITB Berlin in March and hundreds of tourism industry members entered the competition to win a luxurious five-day, six-night holiday to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.

The event announced the launch of a domestic version of the competition. Delegates were invited to visit the Cradle’s stand, have their photo taken with mascot Harry and enter the competition by sharing their photo with their social networks.

Rosenbaum who is covering INDABA, was selected from hundreds of entries. He and his partner will be treated to an all expenses five-day holiday to Gauteng. They will enjoy flights to and from OR Tambo

International airport plus two nights’ accommodation at both the Maropeng Boutique Hotel and the Forum Homini Luxury Hotel.

The prize also includes a visit to the Origins Centre, the Maropeng Visitor Centre and Sterkfontein Caves, the Elephant Sanctuary, a hot air balloon ride, an early morning safari, a visit to an active paleoanthropological dig and an evening of stargazing. Further activities will be a tour of Johannesburg, including a trip to the Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill and a trip to Soweto to visit Vilikazi Street and the Hector Pieterson Memorial.

Cradle of Humankind Management Authority CEO, Fana Jiyane, said the activation helped to showcase the best of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.

For more and to have your picture taken with Harry visit stand DEC1709.

An awesome coffee table book – with a smile

Harry the Hominid’s warmest welcome

Awesome South Africa – the perfect gift.

Kananelo Tlebere, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Economic Affairs and Development in Gauteng congratulated Ulrich Rosenbaum on winning the Harry the Hominid Hall of Fame competition.

Photo - Cradle of Humankind


Following an intensive evaluation by the Green Leaf Environmental Standard, Tourvest Destination Management (TDM) has achieved silver status, making it the leading green tour operator in South Africa.

Scoring an impressive 76,87 percent in Green Leaf’s external accreditation process, TDM remains committed to protecting the environment, uplifting people and promoting responsible tourism practices, while working closely with suppliers and partners who share these ideals.

Bryan Coetzee, COO of the TDM Business and Sport Events division is particularly proud of this accomplishment. “It took eight months of dedicated team work to reach this result. As leaders in the tourism field, it’s essential that we walk the talk and this achievement is testament to our dedication to greening the industry.”

TDM has introduced many new green initiatives over the past year, most of which are closely monitored by the company’s own ‘green team’, a group of eco-warriors made up of environmentally-conscious TDM staff. Regular campaigns by the team, focusing on water, waste and energy reduction, have motivated staff to get on board, ensuring the company’s commitment to protecting the environment is embraced by each and every employee.

Green procurement also features prominently on TDM’s green agenda. Being Southern Africa’s largest tourism company, it is well-placed to play a leadership role and use its influence to encourage suppliers and the global travel and tourism industry to employ sound environmental principles in the workplace. To this end, TDM has devised a list of green tips for agents, which is included in its handbook being distributed at INDABA

this year.

Explaining the company’s commitment to responsible tourism, CEO Martin Wiest says: “Everything TDM does is underpinned by a commitment to sustainability, from the Tourvest Academy which provides previously disadvantaged individuals with training, to the various social responsibility projects supported by TDM’s business units.”

But this is just the beginning of the journey. Wiest says undergoing Green Leaf’s accreditation process has enabled the business to identify areas that could be improved upon. “We will work on these and when we undergo the next evaluation process next year, we’re going for gold,” he says.

For more information visit stand ICC D018.

Michael Tatalias, CEO of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) says that in the very tough trading conditions now facing the world economy, the industry has to find new and creative ways to market itself successfully against fierce international competition.

Speaking at the 42nd SATSA AGM in Durban on Thursday, Tatalias said “we had a strategy and a plan for 2010 and those worked brilliantly, we rode the wave of success but cannot now afford to drift helplessly in the shallows. We have a strategy for 2020 – the National Tourism Sector Strategy that has already been approved and published.

“The strategy was put together with the industry’s full cooperation and it is now up to us to achieve its aims. We can do this by using our creativity, working together closely, not only with our fellow SATSA members, but also with other industry organisations and indeed

with the tourism industries of other countries on the southern African continent. Our strategy has to be regional, national and then local in order to work.”

The South African private sector tourism associations, under the umbrella of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, are presently working towards this goal by arranging a combined tourism industry conference to be held in Johannesburg in September. At this conference the combined skills and experience of the major players in the private sector of the tourism industry will be harnessed to come up with plans for a strong industry policy to enable us to weather the current recession and come out not only stronger, but fighting for our market share.

“We are out of school now and in the big world. We have to plan and plot and act to get South Africa into the premier league of tourism countries. We have some huge natural advantages in the new ‘greener’

world and we must make the most of these by getting in early on projects such as Travelife. This concept involves working with industry partners on both sides of the travel channel - ie products and the travel agents who sell them.

“We don’t just offer ‘See the Big Five’ - we have to involve people in what the world’s top marketers such as Apple would call ‘the concept of a travel experience.”

To do this, says Tatalias, we need to change our mindset, we need to share information and experiences, and above all we need to draw on the combined creativity that has enabled us to punch above our weight in the world of international tourism in the past. We have overcome serious hurdles before and by working together we can do it again.”

Bobo Campers camper hire is celebrating its 20th anniversary at INDABA this year.

To commemorate this milestone, Bobo is introducing two new models at INDABA. The Discoverer DJ is a modern take on over-landing for two people. This world-class model will take the market by storm due to its unique design and layout.

The other new model is the Discoverer Fun. Also for two adults, this modern small motor home will appeal to the budget seeker whilst still having all the qualities of a larger motor home.

Bobo’s mainstay, the Discoverer 4 and 6 models, are also South Africa’s greenest motor homes with low emissions due to the Euro4 low-emission engines. Low fuel consumption adds to this as well.

For more information visit stand ODW025.

Bobo Campers – introducing two new models at INDABA.

Tourvest Destination Management – leading green tour operator

Industry can beat recession blues - Tatalias

Bobo turns 20


S(c)ene@INDABA 2011

Jambo, Kenya awaits! From left - Fred Okeyo, Jennifer Opondo, Stephanie Swanepoel and Hellen Ghucihuhi.

The islands of Africa are on show - from left, Myra Fanchette, Hafsa Khan and Amia Jovanovic Desir.

Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Alderman Felicity Purchase, Nombulelo Mkefa and Thandiwe January-McLean support responsible tourism.

Sailors invite delegates to experience Durban - from left, Brain Dumisa, Lelo Kambule and Ricardo Xulu.

The INDABA Daily News sets the tone for the day at INDABA.

Touch Table magic during the ministerial walkabout.

Tim and Dedre Bouwers with Roelter Stege - celebrating Bobo’s 20th birthday.

‘AA remains tops’ say Pam Holton, Werner Muller aka Captian Jack and Malcolm Sacks.

indaba 2011 - daily news - issue 2 - 8 may 2011

Documents

tourism industry

important tourism

tourism destination

tourism stakeholders

tourism economy

international tourism

south african tourism

new tourism jobs