Four of South Africa’s top tourism companies were at the forefront of a Pro-Poor Tourism pilot project that aimed to increase the benefits of the industry to include poverty reduction and skills development. The project, which was established in May 2002, hoped to improve links between poor people and the businesses that drive the industry.
Based in the heart of the Tsitsikamma in the Eastern Cape lies one of South Africa’s true tourism gems — Storms-river Adventures. It is based in the scenic village of Storms River, 75km from Plettenberg Bay and 160km from Port Elizabeth, and is fast becoming a Mecca for adrenaline addicts the world over.
Science-fiction is one of the biggest genres in Hollywood, producing some of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Strange as it may sound, given its current popularity, sci-fi was all but dead 30 years ago, in motion-picture terms at least. Modern movie sci-fi owes its popularity to the vision of one man. Catch the classics at the Sasol SciFest.
Grissom looks puzzled – The corpse on the gurney is semi-decomposed and the coroner is battling to get to grips with what happened. This is a typical scene from the TV series <i>CSI</i>, which follows the adventures of a team of top forensic pathologists. But what television doesn’t tell you is that, more often than not, the heroes of crime scene investigation are not even human – they are insects.
Each year Sasol SciFest focuses on an endangered animal and its ecological footprint or spoor. This year the spotlight falls on the African elephant, SciFest’s official Spoor of the Year. It has become the powerful symbol of a continent, a true flagship species that seems to encapsulate the energy of Africa’s natural landscape and its raw, unbridled beauty.
When Karen Trendler started up the Animal Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) in the kitchen of her home in Kameeldrift, outside Pretoria, she had nothing but a background in nature conservation and a limitless compassion for animals to draw upon. But Trendler was single-minded in her commitment to make ARC work.
Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan is a cool mom. She knows more than most people on the planet do about dinosaurs. And that pleases her two sons, aged six and eight tremendously, because having a palaeobiologist handy whenever you need one to settle an argument over just how big Tyrannosaurus rex really was is always a good thing!
The formula that rocked the world is 100 years old this year. In 1905 Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity was published and his equation which represented energy being equal to mass multiplied by the square of the speed of light – E=mc2 – went on to revolutionise modern physics. To mark the occasion, this year has been declared World Year of Physics.
"We are playing a key role in long-term environmental observation. We need to make predictions with regards to our environment." What does the future hold for our protected flora and fauna and the people who manage these vital areas? Hector Magome of South African National Parks speaks to Sharon van Wyk
No image available
/ 20 February 2005
If you didn’t take a Sho’t Left last year, the good news is there’s a chance for redemption with the launch last week of South African Tourism’s new R20-million campaign, Sho’t Left 2. Billed as bigger and better, the campaign aims to encourage an emerging market of more than six million South Africans to holiday in Msanzi more often by promoting affordable packages and organised tours.
No image available
/ 8 November 2004
There is something strange about buying a lime-and-water at a hotel bar and paying Z$5 000 (about R5) for it. Welcome to Zimbabwe, land of political upheaval and a currency gone mad and, for South Africans at least, a friendly value-for-money holiday destination. Unlike many parts of Zimbabwe, in Victoria Falls there is food, there is petrol and there are some fantastic hotels to suit most budgets.
No image available
/ 13 September 2004
At a red robot on the way to a function in Pretoria to celebrate his safe return, South Africa’s first man in space, Mark Shuttleworth, was approached by a street vendor selling world globes made of wire. "He made me realise two things," recalls Shuttleworth. "One was that entrepreneurship is alive and well because he tried to sell me two globes. The other came to me when I noticed the globes he was trying to sell me were upside down."
No image available
/ 9 September 2004
When examining the Fair Trade movement it is important first to understand the concept of social consciousness. Becoming socially conscious does not require a paradigm shift in lifestyle — joining a commune, hugging trees or lying down in front of bulldozers. What it does require is lateral thinking and that you ask a few earnest questions about the products you buy, and, in this case, the places you go to on holiday.
The South African tourism industry is tackling the issue of transformation head-on, says newly elected president of the Southern African Tourism Services Association Mike Speed. Responding to the "call to arms" made by Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Speed is spearheading a non-profit organisation that intends to change the industry’s lily-white image.
You will be forgiven for not knowing about Madikwe game reserve. Since its proclamation in 1991 it has kept a low profile, slowly building a reputation in an area renowned for its beauty and accessibility. Better known, perhaps, is its sister reserve — the Pilanesberg — an hour’s drive south and next door to Sun City. But a project to link two top game reserves is gathering momentum.
It is not often that you hear of a renowned, five-star hotel going to the dogs. But on the outer reaches of Cape Town, the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa has literally done just that, welcoming guests of the canine variety with special two day Smooch Your Pooch packages.
British Airways (BA) is to increase its London-to-Cape Town schedule by an additional two flights a week this summer to offer a total of 12 weekly services to the Mother City. The additional flights will boost much sought-after capacity on the popular route by almost 12 000 seats over the peak summer period.
The Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC) is promoting the city as so much more than a place to enter and exit South Africa. Addressing the recent Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (Satsa) annual general meeting at the Indaba hotel in Fourways, JTC CEO Deon Viljoen unveiled a campaign to encourage international visitors to "stay another day" in Jozi.
Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park offers some wild moments. Zambian safari guide Jody Higgins lowered his voice as though making a confession: "I have this unusual ability," he said. "I can call lions." Higgins is also the assistant manager at Kasaka River Lodge, a bush lodge serving the park.
"Lofty the affable Cessna pilot directed my gaze to a collection of blackened bruises on legs that stuck out like two battered, overripe bananas from his shorts. ‘Watch out for the palm flies — they’ll eat you stukkend. Check what they did to my legs’." Sharon van Wyk battled insects and inertia at the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary in Mozambique.
Tell it like it is. That’s the request from the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa, which has launched a new tool in an attempt to encourage consumers to spill the beans, for better or worse, on their experiences at graded accommodation establishments across the country.
Chances are that if Karen Blixen had kept her "faaarm" in "Aaafrica", it would now be a private game lodge aimed at the overseas market — because that’s where the big bucks are. And I don’t mean Eland. Is the country’s tourism industry overcharging or simply catching up to the rest of the world? Sharon van Wyk takes a closer look.
"This is the tale of a scatter cushion. A home-grown, hand-made scatter cushion. Lovingly crafted and sold for a pittance, I am sure, to a retailer at a little trading station in Hazyview (that shall remain nameless), where it was priced at a whopping R698." More and more tourists are being ripped off by local arts and crafts shops, writes Sharon van Wyk.
"Fabulous! Luxurious! Sumptuous! Another wonderful private game lodge! But wait a moment, before my critics have a fit and <i>Top Billing</i> offers me a job … I am going to answer a question before I launch into reviewing AmaKhosi Lodge in northern KwaZulu-Natal," writes Sharon van Wyk. One lucky reader can also win a trip for two.
No image available
/ 11 February 2004
"Apart from the snakes, it was great," Mpho Padi said, looking reflective. At 18 life seems huge. Especially when you’ve just had your first real contact with the bush … and the abject poverty of rural Limpopo. A group of teenagers were given a glimpse of what the tourism game is all about.
No image available
/ 4 February 2004
"Fishing isn’t my forte. I reminded myself of this as I tugged helplessly on the rod, trying to dislodge my hook that, during a somewhat wayward attempt at casting, had embedded itself into a low-slung jackalberry tree". A little piece of Portuguese-style heaven lured Sharon van Wyk down to Hazyview.
No image available
/ 4 February 2004
"When I wrapped up the first instalment of the Five Rivers Safari it was at the end of November on the hot, dusty plains of Kwando Lebala in the far north of Botswana". Sharon van Wyk winds up her adventure in style with visits to Zambia and Namibia’s Caprivi Strip.
No image available
/ 23 January 2004
"I knew I shouldn’t have had that last glass of champagne when the carriage moved one way and I moved the other, falling unceremoniously into a lavishly stuffed wing-back chair". Sharon van Wyk discovers the meaning of overindulgence on Rovos Rail.
No image available
/ 22 December 2003
"My last <i>Going Places</i> for this year is a reflection of a truly special place," writes Sharon van Wyk. "I caught my first glimpse of the smoke that thunders from the gardens of the Victoria Falls Hotel while trying to sneak up on some unsuspecting baboons". Sharon takes on a trip down memory lane.
No image available
/ 21 December 2003
A number of South African tourism operators are keen to introduce elephant-back safaris. Have they learnt anything from the Tuli elephant debacle wherein elephants were being brutalised on the farm of Riccardo Ghiazza, asks Sharon van Wyk.
No image available
/ 15 December 2003
"Arrival at the camp offers much needed respite from the sun, with the overhanging trees providing excellent shade. Welcomes are made in the lounge area overlooking the seasonal flood plains in front of the camp. Guests are invited to help themselves from the bar if no one is around to cater for their needs." Sharon van Wyk continues her adventures on safari in Botswana
No image available
/ 10 December 2003
I’ve often wondered how Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner managed to beat their way through the African bush in the old Hollywood classic <i>Mogambo</i> without ever breaking into a sweat. And (in Ava’s case, at least) in high heeled mules to boot! But putting together your own safari is now no sweat, thanks to a handful of enterprising companies.