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Hello
View of Table Mountain from across the Durbanville Hills vineyards
Vote for Table Mountain Now!
You only have a couple of days to vote before the announcement on November 11 of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. How does this affect you? Well, your vote could be worth R1.6 billion... click here to read why. Table Mountain is not just for Capetonians; it is a global South African icon.
How can you vote?
- Visit www.votefortablemountain.com and cast your vote
- SMS “Table” to 34874 at R2 an SMS
- Vote via Mxit for free… and you can win Moola!
- Vote on Facebook
- Vote by phone
Let's make it happen, we're already half way there... A World Design Capital at the foot of one of the New & Wonders of Nature! Vote Now!
National Tourism Survey
Just how well -- or badly -- is everyone doing as post World Cup blues, the global recession, and everything else takes its toll? If you benefit in any way from tourism, you can help us find out.
Click here to complete the survey, or click here to see a summary of results as they are submitted. Please participate, it will only take a few moments of your time.
What do results show so far? Based on early results, it's not all doom and gloom. Over 25% are very optimistic about the coming summer season and nearly 40% are slightly optimistic. The drop in occupancy levels between 2010 and 2011 is less than a percentage point. Cape Town's drop in occupancies seems to be greater than elsewhere; in Gauteng percentage occupancies seem to have climbed consistently over the past four years. Also surprising is the apparent dissatisfaction with local tourism offices. Only about 10% believe their local office does a good job and even Cape Town is seeing a large number of "We don't have an effective local DMO."
The survey closes on November 24 so please participate now.
Will the Western Cape get it right this time?
The first Joint Marketing Initiative (JMI) started 10 years ago when there was a brief DA-led political alignment between the Province and the City. It lost its way and was watered down during the ANC's period of tenure - Wesgr0 (the trade promotion agency) was just one of the agencies that pulled out and all that came of it was that the Western Cape Tourism Board was replaced by Cape Town Routes Unlimited (CTRU). It's only been under the chairmanship of Peter Bacon over the past few years that CTRU has pulled itself together after many years of being in the trenches. Several CTRU directors resigned over undue political interference and a previous MEC, Lynne Brown, saw it only right that it should be driven by politics.
But now the DA is firmly entrenched in both the Province and the City. MEC Alan Winde's first attempt at bringing all the Province's marketing bodies together didn't find public favour. His new attempt draws extensively on the London Development Agency and others, and saw Andrew Boraine, CEO of the very successful Cape Town Partnership, steering the new initiative.
A steering committee was announced last week and met for the first time, with the goal of opening the new organisation by April next year. This time it must work -- there must be a unified focus and efficiencies. The bottom line -- jobs, investment, tourists, etc, is more important than hype. As Otto Stehlik says, "This deserves our best shot!"
Are other provinces watching? The de-politicisation of economic development and tourism is the only way to get them working.
Read more...
SA Destination Awards
Entries have closed but we want to hear what you think of these destinations. Please write your reviews and rate them.
- Outeniqua Hop Route
- Napier
- Cape Town
- St Lucia – "The undiscovered eco- jewel of the east coast!"
- Robertson Wine Valley - more than an experience. It's a lifestyle.
- Montagu "Expect the Unexpected"
- Prince Albert
- Route 71 - the Golden Gateway
- Stanford - A Taste of Village Life
- Calitzdorp – Heart of the Klein Karoo
- Knysna
- Cango Route
- The Republic of Greater Swellendam
- Hangklip-Kleinmond - a TREASURE trove of jewels...just waiting to be discovered!
- Route 62
Getting away this summer - latest Directory entries
 While many will be thinking of beach holidays at this time of year, two recent entries in CapeInfo's Directory should remind one of the alternative of farm stays -- a completely different pace of life and places where the brain gets a chance to breathe!
Red Stone Hills on Route 62 near Oudtshoorn lies in one of the most stunning parts of South Africa. I drove this route last year and this particular area reminded me on Europe's most popular scenic route -- the Gorge Verdun in France. It is spectacular!
The following entry that was added was the delightfully-named A Farm Story Country House near Stillbaai. The pictures tell the story!
Go and explore more Farm Stay destinations... click the link.
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