“The Travel Expo is the perfect place for South Africans to save and get all their travel ‘shopping’ done for the year,” says Andrew Stark, Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) Managing Director, Middle East and Africa. “Incredible deals to traveller-favourite destinations are on offer including 40% off airfares, 50% off beach holidays and even 2-for-1 touring, flight and cruising deals. Discerning travellers can also take advantage of First and Business Class deals and an exclusive ‘book and pay’ experience.”

Prizes up for grabs include a holiday for two at a Club Med ski resort in Europe, as well as packages to the ever popular Mauritius, Bali and London. Visitors can snap up spot prizes at various times throughout the two days.

The Travel Expo, now in its ninth year, will see 200 of Southern Africa’s best travel suppliers and booking experts, including airlines, hotels, tour companies and tourism boards, together under one roof.

The expo’s very popular Travel Talks will also return this year. Presented by travel experts within the industry, talks will cover topics such as cruising, guided touring, local getaways, skiing and sports travel.

Mauritius, Thailand, the UK, Australia and South Africa are predicted to be bestsellers once again.

“Visitors can also take this opportunity to book ‘bucket-list’ experiences, such as FA Cup final packages, New Year’s Eve in Times Square, New York, or even a once in a lifetime chance to see the great migration in the Masai Mara,” says Sue Garrett, Flight Centre General Manager, Marketing and Product.

“Demand for cruises have increased year on year,” says Garrett. “Especially for South African travellers, cruising remains one of the most incredible value-for-money holidays, with a huge variety of cruises to appeal to every age and interest. Local and regional cruises are also always immensely popular, but we predict more interest in less traditional options, such as cold-climate cruising, river cruising, boating holidays and cruising in trendy wellness or eco-conscious destinations such as India, the Amazon and Galapagos Islands.”

Flight Centre also expects to see more interest in local packages on offer at the 2019 Travel Expo.

“Given the exchange rate, and the huge diversity of attractions and landscapes in our amazing country, we really want to help South Africans discover their own backyard,” says Stark. “Our Local Breaks (with its Local Package Guarantee) and Stokvel Travel initiative aim to get more South Africans exploring our country. SA Tourism will also be at the show this year to support and promote local travel.”

For the Millennial, Gen Z and adventure traveller, there will be plenty on offer with Flight Centre’s Youth and Adventure brand, from guided tours, trips to popular worldwide festivals, fun cruises, as well as adventure and island-hopping holidays.

Visitors planning any kind of travel, or who want to book an Expo special, can speak to one of 120 Flight Centre trained travel experts at the event.

“The Travel Expo is fun for the whole family with a kids’ play area and a beer garden to keep visitors entertained and relaxed in between shopping up a storm. And don’t miss the fun climbing wall, which will help to raise funds for the Flight Centre Foundation’s #ClimbKiliForKids initiative,” says Stark.

The holidays afford all South Africans a chance to enjoy and experience the Park. “Out of the 194,782 visitors received in the KNP, 158,584 (81.4%) were Day Visitors and we are most delighted that 155,326 (79.7%) were South Africans. Compared to the same date range of the previous year, the KNP received 194,206 visitors; however the previous summer holidays were much longer as schools closed on 6 December 2017 and reopened on 17 January 2018”, explained Phillips.

In terms of incidents recorded around that period, Phillips praised visitors who adhered to the rules and regulations of the Park; but also made use of the emergency number, social media or camp/gate receptions to report any issues of concern. Such cases were minimal and just to mention a few, there was a car accident which happened around the Shingwedzi area with no serious injuries to the affected individuals as well as the fire which gutted two units at Olifants Camp; causing some damage to tourists belongings as well as the Park’s assets.

“SANParks would like thank all South Africans who visited the KNP and other National Parks during the festive season; despite the heat wave which swept throughout the country during that time. We also encourage guests to continuously provide feedback on their experience in the National Parks to customer.care@sanparks.org; concluded Phillips.

Time slot 1: 05:30 to 07:30
Time slot 2: 07:30 to 09:30
Time slot 3: 09:30 onwards

“For busy periods such as the school holidays and festive season, we aim to better manage the volumes that we expect, as well as our visitors’ expectations. The three different time slots are aimed at improving the spread of vehicles and, as far as possible prevent unnecessary waiting periods at gates”, said the KNP’s GM: Communications and Marketing, Ike Phaahla.

The Day Visitor Quota for the Park is a management tool to prevent overcrowding the roads and facilities and is applied throughout the year although we mostly reach carrying capacity during long weekends and school holidays resulting in us having to turn visitors away. Visitors will be able to book up to 80% of Day Visitor Quota per gate via SANParks Reservations offices and online at www.sanparks.org.

Pre-booked day visitors will get preference over non-booked day visitors at the gate but must ensure that they arrive within their booked time slots. Arriving outside the booked time slot, will be regarded as non-booked and therefore will not receive preference and could be turned away. These bookings can be changed as well through SANParks Reservations offices if need be.

Phaala also reminded visitors to read the permit which they receive at the gates because all the rules and regulations of the park are clearly stipulated on these documents. “Day visitors may not bring liquor as a result of the alcohol ban in public areas of the Park. Further, visitors must please also refrain from committing other infringements such as littering, speeding and alighting from vehicles in places where this is prohibited in the Park. These and other Park rules are emphasized to ensure visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience, while not impacting other visitors, and hence must be adhered to at all times whilst in the Park. Visitor Management vehicles will also be on patrol; providing information to guests, visibility on the roads and law enforcement in the Park;” he advised.

Visitors can report any rules and regulations infringement which they witness to the Emergency Call Centre numbers 013 735 4064/013 735 0197/076 801 9679. It is however important that the following information is provided:

Vehicle type and colour
Vehicle registration
Date and Time of Incident
SATSA sticker showing vehicle number (for Open Safari Vehicles)
Details of Incident
Photographic evidence
Location of Incident
“We also advise guests to exercise caution when driving around areas undergoing construction such as Skukuza Camp so as to avoid unnecessary accidents”, concluded Phaahla.

Visitors should also take note of the following important information:

Day Visitor pre-bookings are subject to a non-refundable booking fee of R43 per adult and R22 per child.
Day Visitors who have pre-booked will still be required to pay Conservation Fees or use a valid Wild Card to enter the Park. The Conservation Fee for SA residents as well as Zimbabwe and Mocambique nationals (passport required to prove this) is R93 per adult and R47 per child (between ages 2 – 11). For nationals of Eswatini (previously Swaziland) and other SADC countries, the conservation fees are R186 per adult and R93 per child. For all other guests, the standard conservation fees of R372 for adults and R186 for children applies
Guests planning to use Wild Cards are requested to ensure membership is valid before arrival and this can best be done online at www.sanparks.org/wild
The number and profile of persons (adults and children) on the reservation and actual persons arriving should correspond.
All guests (drivers and passengers) will be required to identify themselves upon admission (by producing a South African driver’s license, identity document or passport); please ensure you are in possession of one of these documents and have them ready.
Due to existing contractual arrangements with Open Safari Vehicles (OSVs), they have paid for the annual operating permit and are authorised to enter external gates 15 minutes before opening time to ensure fair distribution/flow of traffic.
Gate Quotas will be strictly applied and guests without pre-bookings could be denied entry.

Guests are encouraged to continuously provide feedback on their experience to customer.care@sanparks.org

Opening on 25 July, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi will complement the wide range of award-winning leisure and entertainment attractions already on offer on Yas Island, reinforcing the island as a destination globally.

As airline partner, Etihad Airways will work closely with Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi on areas of brand partnership, marketing, inflight programming, and travel trade support.

Olivier Garaïalde, CEO Farah Experiences, said: “The opening of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi is a key milestone within the leisure scene in Abu Dhabi, and will further reinforce Yas Island as a world-class leisure and entertainment hub. We are confident that through this strategic partnership, we will co-create experiences which will showcase our distinctive destination to the world.”

Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi will feature a total of 29 state-of-the-art rides, interactive family-friendly attractions and unique live entertainment across six fully immersive lands.

From the action and adrenaline-fuelled adventures of DC to the wacky and wonderful world of Warner Bros. Animation – the 1.65 million sq. ft. park will offer captivating and interactive experiences, bringing together some of the world’s most iconic characters and stories under one roof for the first time in the region.

StatsSA said just over 3.5 million people passed through ports of entry in April based on Department of Home Affairs immigration information, with foreign arrivals decreasing 6.9% to just short of 1.3 million. Departures decreased by 9.1% and transits by 4%.

Earlier in the week, Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom blamed the drought in Cape Town for the lower than expected overseas tourist arrivals, and warned that ultimately the numbers would not be as high as the 7.2% recorded in the previous year.

“I don’t think we should be expecting this kind of growth this year,” he said, adding that this was partly due to the as yet unquantified impact of the drought. “Reports that we get from hotel groups is that their forward bookings, especially in Cape Town, were seriously affected by the drought.”

While the minister was clear on the supposed impact that the drought in Cape Town had on visitor numbers he also addressed the pain point of ease of access for overseas visitors. He mentioned that currently discussions between the departments of tourism and home affairs were ongoing on ways to ease access of tourists to SA, including the recognition of the visas issued by visa-secure countries such as the UK, the US and Australia.

Hanekom added that the department was also working towards the introduction of e-visas, which could go a long way to addressing the logistical problems experienced by tourists.

What’s happening in the rest of Africa?

From a statistics point of view, the tourism picture seems to look a lot brighter in other countries in Africa.

The Tourism Ministry of Kenya for instance is counting on increased air connectivity within Africa to grow tourism numbers in 2018. Earlier this year the ministry projected the sector to register a 16% growth riding on the visa-on-arrival policy for Africans and the United States direct flights.

“We have very positive projections for this year as we look forward to the Kenya Airways direct flights to the US that start in October and the visa-on-arrival initiative recently announced by the President to boost arrivals. We’re also excited and confident about the new cruise ship facility which will be ready by June this year,” said Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala.

According to data released by the ministry, Africa was the second largest source of tourists to Kenya in 2017 at 29% behind Europe at 36%. The US was third at 15%. The number of tourist arrivals from the US and United Kingdom grew by double digits boosting tourism earnings by 20% amid travel warnings by the two governments against Kenya visit over the period.

Meanwhile, at ITB Berlin, Tanzania traded itself confidently under a slogan: Tanzania, Africa’s best safari country. Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) Managing Director, Devota Mdachi, said: “Currently, we are receiving many tourists from Britain, Germany, Italy and France. Our 2017 statistics show that we received 58,370 tourists from Germany. This is an increase of 727 tourists when compared to 57,643 guests we received from Germany alone in 2016.”

In an effort to further diversify its tourism product, Tanzania is also working with Uganda in matters linked to tourism. “Many advantages are lost for lack of cooperation and coordination as an EAC bloc. The world’s tourists want to see new things.”

The two countries agreed to set up a joint tourism facilitation committee during the bilateral meeting held in Livingstone, Zambia last month with a view to strengthen collaboration in tourism development and promotion.

As a follow up to the meeting, members of the Livingstone and Victoria Falls Joint Tourism Facilitation Sub-Committee recently met to deliberate on issues affecting the critical sector.

The sub-committee’s co-chairperson, Ms Tsikadzashe Mberi described the meeting as a success.

“The meeting was very productive with parties agreeing on a number of issues which were under discussion. The overall goal is to ensure that tourists enjoy seamless services. However, the contentious issue of toll fees for vehicles crossing Victoria Falls was referred to the Joint Tourism Technical Committee,” she said.

Tour operators on both sides of the Zambezi River raised concern over the introduction of the toll fees for vehicles crossing the Victoria Falls Bridge which they said is likely to increase the prices of tourism packages.

The issue is set to be tabled during the forthcoming Joint Tourism Technical Committee meeting set for the 18th of June in Harare.

Haulage trucks are currently paying $30, heavy vehicles $10, buses $7 and minibuses $5.

The tolls fees are set to be channeled towards the refurbishment of the Victoria Falls Bridge in order to extend its life span.

Source: ZBC

According to SANParks, is evident in the full financial year statistics from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018. The Park notched up a five percent increase in visitors during this period in comparison to the same time in 2016/17, with a total of 43 543 guests to the park, up from 41 432 previously.

The majority of these were local, South African visitors, who accounted for 31 208 or 72% of the total. International guests added up to 12 121 or slightly under 28%, while those from SADC countries made up the minority.

Dissected into provinces, the Eastern Cape was the top contributor with 17 980 visitors, or 58% of the total, followed by Gauteng with 5 643 or 18%.

Park Manager, Mzwandile Mjadu, says they are happy to see an increase in the number of visitors to the Park. “It means that more and more people are getting to know and know about the Park and experiencing the natural environment. We hope that their time spent in Camdeboo deepens their love of and conservation of nature,” says Mjadu.

The Park offers only camping, caravanning and a small tented camp in the line of overnight accommodation, which translates into much higher day visitor numbers compared to overnight guests – at 91% and nine percent respectively.

“Given the fact that the Park practically surrounds the town of Graaff-Reinet, with all its B&B’s and other accommodation offerings, we are not surprised by our day versus overnight figures. We have always worked in harmony with all the tourism establishments in town and do not wish to compete with one another,” continues Mjadu.

Germany, Netherlands and the United Kingdom were the Park’s top three overseas markets, which represented 48%, 18% and six percent of the international market respectively.

Camdeboo National Park is most well-known for its Valley of Desolation. While this is the main reason people visit the Park, a number of activities are also on offer such as self-drive game viewing, birding, a variety of water sports on the Nqweba Dam, 4×4 trails various walking trails.

Once open the centre will house interactive displays and presentations that depict the lives of the San, with San guides taking visitors through the history can culture of the San people. While there will be live talks and demonstrations, the centre will further enhance the visitor experience with audio and film.

The heritage centre, when complete, will incorporate several of the old farm buildings and an innovative new building that follows the natural contours of the land, with a curved, planted roof. In keeping with the ‘tread lightly’ San way of life the centre incorporates sustainable measures for lighting, heating and cooling.

!Khwa ttu is run as a non-profit company and the centre celebrates the San culture and spirit – both the past and present – by educating the general public about the world of the San, providing training to the San, restoring and protecting the cultural heritage of the San, and promoting the long-term financial sustainability of San development in southern Africa. Hence the !Khwa ttu ethos of ‘San Spirit Shared’.

Commenting on the news, Minister of Economic Opportunities, Alan Winde, says that !Khwa ttu is a truly unique heritage offering for visitors to the Western Cape and its expansion is exciting news. “The new San Heritage Centre looks set to become an important tool in preserving our history and sharing our stories.”

Speaking to media during a site visit, Major General Jooste said equipping rangers with fresher skills and strengthening alliances with other law enforcement authorities forms part of the short-to-medium term interventions. There are other planned operational interventions. ‘We are making wildlife crime our core focus and we take it seriously’ said the Major General.

Although suspects in a recent incident were apprehended by the South African Police Service (SAPS), SANParks continues to roll out security plans for its Wilderness, Knysna and Tsitsikamma sections of the GRNP. The Park spans across over 155,000 hectares including water bodies, forests and fynbos areas. Paddy Gordon, Park Manager of the Garden Route National Park says ‘the open-access nature of the Park could make us vulnerable but we’re moving ahead with operational systems internally as well as externally. The Park is also fragmented with pockets of private land in between.’ In addition SANParks continues to form part of the local policing forums in each town and works very closely with SAPS and rescue teams (Mountain Rescue and Sea Rescue efforts).

With the Easter Weekend approaching, teams are preparing to co-host the third Garden Route walking festival expected to kick off on Easter Friday. South Africans are encouraged to take up the offer to explore the Garden Route National Park on foot. The Park has 14 Green flag status hiking trails, 12 in Tsitsikamma and 2 in Knysna. It continues to implement the certification programme for the rest of its trails. There are at least 4 multiple day hiking trail (not part of the Garden Route Walking Festival- the Harkerville Coastal hiking trail rerouted after the Knysna fires, the Outeniqua hiking trail, the Otter trail and the Dolphin trail in Tsitsikamma).

There are 10 day routes in Wilderness, 8 in Knysna and 12 in Tsitsikamma open for the upcoming Garden Route walking festival: http://walkingfestival.co.za/

A conservation fee is payable at reception areas prior to walking on trails (Wilderness, Ebb & Flow, Knysna and Tsitsikamma). For more information on trails, please see descriptions for each trail

Cape Town’s many attractions will appear on 62 bus shelters and over 1,000 outdoor LINK kiosks across New York’s five boroughs, introducing US locals to what’s on offer. New York will be marketed to Capetonians via Cape Town Tourism’s mobile Visitor Information Centre that travels to events and hotspots throughout the city, a city centre digital billboard, and in Tsogo Sun’s print and TVC media.

The tourism fraternity continues to promote tourism internationally while cautioning that saving water is essential.

Cape Town Tourism CEO, Enver Duminy has eagerly awaited the live launch of the campaign: “This is groundbreaking for us, it’s the first time New York City has partnered with anyone on the African continent. The synergy between the two cities is remarkable, and this is the result of many years of relationship-building. Encouraging international tourism is essential, especially during this water crisis, since the contribution those visitors make to the economy allows for sustainability in employment and for infrastructural improvements to the city. We simply ask that all locals and visitors concentrate their efforts on saving water. We’re anticipating that this will introduce many New Yorkers to Cape Town as the Gateway to Africa, with all this wonderful continent has to offer.”

Tourism in Cape Town contributed almost R15bn to the local economy as a result of the active work of almost 50,000 tourism employees (directly and indirectly) – according to the economic study conducted by Grant Thornton.

“We are proud to kick off the second phase of our city-to-city tourism partnership with Cape Town – our first partnership with a city in Africa – with the launch of dynamic advertisements across both destinations. There are more reasons than ever to visit New York City, and we look forward to welcoming even more Capetonians in the months and years to come,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO, NYC & Company

Besides the two tourism organisations, the campaign is being run in partnership with Tsogo Sun, South African Airways and SA Tourism, further boosting marketing capacity.