Travel Concept Solution To Attend ITB With SAYTC

Government support and international exposure spell fresh growth for SA Youth Travel

CAPE TOWN - 14 February, 2011

Eleven representatives from South Africa’s booming Youth Travel market are set to attend the world’s largest and most prestigious travel show, ITB Berlin, in March.

The visit comes as the South African national government is increasingly focusing support and funding on travel as one of the country’s six priority areas for job creation, and it was made possible by funding from the Department of Trade and Industry.

ITB Berlin is the world’s leading travel industry think-tank, and during the 2011 convention, will continue to serve as arguably the most important platform for the promotion of dialogue in the international tourism sector.

Says Deborah Kleynhans, national coordinator of the South African Youth Travel Confederation (SAYTC) and project manager for the local ITB delegation: “We are grateful for the recognition and support this niche, but very important section of South Africa’s travel market, is increasingly receiving from the South African government”.

“For the first time, SAYTC will enjoy a presence at this enormously important event on the global tourism calendar, which last year saw record attendance of more than 12 500 participants. We intend to cement South Africa’s growing reputation as an exciting travel destination for the adventurous and young at heart, as well as those who prefer to combine their international travel with giving back, for instance through volunteering programmes.”

Bernie Meyer, tourism director in the Department of Trade and Industry’s Industrial Development Division, says the government’s support for SAYTC stems from its work on the development of niche tourism markets.

“We are of the opinion that Youth Tourism offers high growth potential with positive developmental impacts and an opportunity to help diversify the South African tourism economy,” said Meyer.

“Supporting SAYTC to gain increased exposure at an event like ITB will improve market access for members and generate new business that will ultimately lead to increased foreign exchange earnings, tourism growth and job creation.”

The eleven SAYTC members which will represent SA’s Youth Travel market at ITB between March 9 and 13 (listed below), represent diverse establishments throughout the country. They include representatives from transport, accommodation and adventure establishments which serve youth travellers throughout South Africa.


SAYTC - ITB Berlin 2011

TOURS AND ADVENTURES

Stormsriver Adventures – Based in the heart of the Tsitsikamma forest, Stormsriver Adventures cater for tastes ranging from the mild to the wild, with experiences such as canopy tours and guided hiking included in their portfolio.

Adventure Centre – Wild experiences throughout Africa are organised from this Stellenbosch-based adventure shop - from diving with sharks or from an airplane, to abseiling down Table Mountain or climbing up Mount Kilimanjaro.

PiliPili – The PiliPili Beach Bar is situated alongside Sedgfield’s Myoli - one of the top wave-riding beaches on the South African coast. Travellers can pick up new and second-hand gear at PiliPili’s shop on the main road, and head down to the water for lessons, awesome down-winders for more advanced riders, and a cold one back on dry land.

Daytrippers – For the past two decades, Daytrippers has made its mark as one of the leading alternative tour companies in the Western Cape, with activities such as hiking, biking, cruising, picnicking and swimming available on their expeditions.

Cape to Addo – This safari group has pioneered the Addo Park Safari - a safe and affordable way to experience the thrill of game driving in an authentic Big Five national park, while also catching the beauty of the coastal regions of both the Western and Eastern Cape.

Bikes’nWines – Catering to the outdoorsy and young-at-heart traveler, Bikes’nWines combine both adventure cycling and wine-tasting. Up to four Stellenbosch wine estates are visited during the day, accessed by private farm roads that take riders through vineyards and quiet tree-lined roads.

Explore Paradise - a Cape Town-based one-stop tour shop. They offer a myriad of tours in and around the Mother City and beyond, and travellers can take their pick of day tours, private tours, package tours, luxury coach tours or nightlife tours. They can also put together their own itinerary to combine various offerings, including safari, helicopter, limousine or Winelands tours.



VOLUNTEERING

You2Africa – You2Africa facilitates sensitive, meaningful and well-priced African volunteer projects. It sources volunteers from the international market, and is popular among travellers who do not only want to sightsee when visiting the continent, but also to participate in community development projects.


ACCOMMODATION

Soweto Backpackers – For a truly unique experience, travellers head to the famous suburb of Orlando West to walk or cycle the streets of Soweto, and play or watch soccer with the locals. Restaurants, shebeens, braais (barbeques) around the campfire, or even church and museum visits are all on the menu for guests at Lebo’s Soweto Backpackers.

Backpackers Paradise – A family-run hostel nestled in Oudtshoorn, or Ostrich Country as it is known in South Africa, Backpackers Paradise offers an idyllic base from where the Little Karoo and its myriad adventure experiences can be discovered.


TRANSPORT

Baz Bus – With a fleet of 19-seater semi-luxury buses, Baz Bus has, for more than fifteen years, transported thousands of backpackers to 180 youth travel destinations throughout South Africa and beyond.

SAYTC will be assisted at ITB Berlin 2011 by stand host, On Show Solutions.
Jacqui Reynolds of On Show says that, by being positioned in the heart of the southern African hall at ITB, SAYTC will have exposure to buyers and show visitors who are keen to visit the region. SAYTC’s niche focus on youth travel will furthermore set its group of exhibitors apart from the rest of the show, she says.

For media enquiries, contact Simon Lewis www.travelconceptsolution.com

Baz Bus Cancels Swaziland Leg Of There Route

FROM 1 APRIL 2011 Baz Bus will no longer operate between Johannesburg/Pretoria & Swaziland (in both directions)



- Baz Bus will no longer operate between Swaziland & Durban (in both directions)



- Baz Bus will NOW OPERATE between Johannesburg/Pretoria and Durban, via Drakensberg, 5 times a week (in both directions).



DAYS OF DEPARTURE between Port Elizabeth & Durban and between Durban & Johannesburg (via Drak) will change as follows:



Port Elizabeth to Durban: Departs MON, WED, THURS, FRI, SUN

(i.e. Departs Daily except: TUES & SAT)


Durban to Port Elizabeth: Departs TUES, WED, THURS, SAT, SUN

(i.e. Departs Daily except: MON & FRI)


Durban to Johannesburg / Pretoria: Departs MON, TUES, THURS, FRI, SUN (i.e. Departs Daily except: WED & SAT)


Johannesburg / Pretoria to Durban: Departs MON, TUES, WED, FRI, SAT

(i.e. Departs Daily except: THURS & SUN)



Please note the following important information:

* The last bus departing from Johannesburg/Pretoria to Swaziland:

Wednesday 30 March 2011



* The last bus departing from Swaziland to Durban:

Thursday 31 March 2011



* The last bus departing from Durban to Swaziland:

Wednesday 30 March 2011



* The last bus departing from Swaziland to Johannesburg/Pretoria:

Thursday 31 March 2011

http://www.bazbus.com/routechange.aspx

Annual Rwanda International Trade

Private Sector Federation Rwanda in conjunction with the Ministry of Trade and Industry is organizing for the 14th time, the Annual Rwanda International Trade Fair 2011 due to take place at Gikondo Expo Ground, Kigali-Rwanda from 28th July to 10th August 2011. Kindly find herewith attached invitation letter, expo map and registration form for your reference.

Don’t hesitate to contact us for any further information you may require regarding the above event or pass our contact information to interested companies for direct communication..

Kind regards

Judith Harris
Admin Officer

Rwanda High Commission
Pretoria/South Africa

Tel: (+27)12-3426536
Fax: (+27)12-3420160
Cell: (+27)79 610 8741

Red The Gallery Auction

Its On Your Doorstep

The world’s changing rapidly, and it seems so is the PSL, for the better that is – its time for all those English Premier League supporters to shift their allegiances to closer to home.

To all those Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal ‘fans’ in this country, many of who have never been to England and have few if any family ties to the UK: the Absa Premiership is hot right now, it’s where it’s all happening!

Last Fridays Cape Town derby was as good as it gets, anywhere.

Athlone was the scene as Ajax Cape Town ran out 4-3 winners over Santos in a game which overflowed with passion, commitment, drama (including a 35th minute red card) and goals of the highest order.

Clayton Daniels and to a lesser degree Jurie Basie’s efforts aside , the other five goals were WORLD CLASS: three superbly executed curling shots from 20-yards out into the top corner, a sublime left-footed chip from an acute angle from Terror Fanteni and a 25-yard rocket of a match winner five minutes from time courtesy of Thulani Serero.

The usual complaints from the EPL lovers regarding South African football include: the finishing is poor, the crowd attendances are embarrassing, too much show-boating, the grass is not green enough, administration is third-world.

None of these were applicable on the Mother City on Friday night.

SAFA is still prone to regular bungles, but there is absolutely no fault to be found in the PSL’s organization of the league; it’s improving season by season. Go compare the logs in South Africa with those in England on Monday morning and look at the ‘games played’ columns, for example…

Of course not every match is going to be a 4-3 derby thriller, but a gradual trend towards better quality, or at least more entertaining top flight football appears to be underway – just last week Santos and Golden Arrows drew 3-3, while Wits hammered Vasco 6-0.

Another game in Cape Town, earlier this season – Ajax’s 1-0 win over Chiefs, only had a single goal, yet provided 90 minutes of thrilling action on the field, while the 40 000 fans at the ground ensured it was a memorable evening.

The equation in general in pretty simple – the bigger and more enthusiastic the crowd, the more exciting the action on the field.

Stop worrying about what Wayne Rooney does for after-hours entertainment, or what kind of hobbies John Terry and Ashley Cole partake in, or whether West Ham or West Bromwich Albion will escape relegation - go and watch the Absa Premiership – you won’t see a 4-3 score-line every week, but there will always be drama, excitement and vibrant fans.

http://swnews.co.za/its-on-your-doorstep/

Cape Town Prepares For U2

Yesterday we were at Cape Town Stadium to watch the start of the massive task of removing the turf in preparation for the U2 concert next week (18th Feb)

The stage will be 8000sqm and will take up one whole half of the pitch.

The reason they are removing the turf is because the with construction and dismantling the stage will be in place for 14 days therefore the turf will simply die.

The turf will be stored in Stellenbosch and replaced after the concert as the scheduled Neil Diamond Concert will use a smaller stage therefore the turf can be covered.

The pitch will be playable on the 28th May 2010 which is sadly to late for the last Ajax Cape Town game which will be on the 21st May.

For More Pics Check out the following link:

VICTORIA FALLS BEERFEST!!

Once upon a time...

... there was a group of people who realised some very important facts:

* Victoria Falls is very very hot in October and you need a lot of liquid refreshment to keep cool
* Our favourite liquid refreshment of choice is icy cold beer - especially our local Zambezi - with a glass of chilled wine second on the list
* A great drink deserves a great snack to go with it
* We all know how to throw and enjoy a really good party

Once all of these vital facts were combined, the future for October was clear - VICTORIA FALLS BEERFEST!! We would like to invite you to join us in doing what Zimbabweans and more than a few visitors to Zimbabwe do best - party to great music, consume lots and lots of liquid refreshment and celebrate the month of October in Vic Falls.

We have set the 23rd of October as the date for this gathering in honour of the mighty hop and we'll start the party at 4pm and go until 10am the next day - after all, 24 hours at least is needed to truely do this beverage justice. We've got the best local Djs and bands playing including Dj Spevar, Dj Easy T and Dj Francis with live drumming shows, fire poi displays, stilt walkers, cage dancers and just about anything else we can think of. There'll be a general public area available to all ticket holders and a VIP lounge area for VIP ticket holders and great food will be available all party long to keep your energy up.