Meet the vintner who reaches deep into the South African soil and history, who like a good wine, has blended ancient rocks, sunlight, the smell and memories the soil holds, Cape honey bees, Cornish tin miners and black magic. All of which have cast a spell over me! The hot summer night air was conducive … Continue reading The Vintner with Rocks in his Pockets
This blog post is an unashamed excuse to celebrate one of the finest wilderness areas in the world. The Cederberg runs through my veins and I welcome any opportunity to celebrate it. Located a few hours drive north of Cape Town, it’s the place to go to really get away from it all. It's the … Continue reading Mills of the Cederberg
This short travelogue follows the discovery of a set of images taken during a trip a relative took whilst on holiday in South Africa in 1957. His handwriting was even worse than mine, so I am unfortunately not able to identify specific locations or people. He traveled from Germany by boat, calling in at Cape Town, … Continue reading A road trip in the Free State and neighbouring Lesotho
Today is the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web, an innovation that has fundamentally changed society much as the Industrial Revolution did in the 18th century. The travel and tourism industry is one transformed - indeed is still transforming and keeping we travel and tourism professionals on our toes. No longer in control of … Continue reading 25 years old today: what difference has the World Wide Web really made to #travel?
It's not just about grand vistas and easy to capture statements of beauty, it's in the detail that a landscape's story is told. Full of bold statements and a mind-boggling array of activities, I wasn't sure five night's in a resort would do the Overberg region in the Western Cape any justice. Much visited, advocated … Continue reading Locals are Destinations’ Custodians
Historical re-enactment, tribes, tradition, culture, ethnic group or cultural show; does this reflect who the modern nation is today? An article in the online publication Tourism Update monthly magazine caught my attention yesterday; “Fresh Ideas for Selling Namibia” and being involved in outbound tourism to Southern Africa, clicked on the link to find out more. … Continue reading What exactly is a Living Museum?
I have lost many friends in the essential early Sunday morning break-for-the-beaches, picnic packed and flask of coffee to hand, essential in avoiding the miles of grinding traffic queuing on the coast approaches. Heading to south coast favourites, Bournemouth and Poole offer seven pebble-free miles of Blue Flag beaches. The sunshine is estimated to be worth … Continue reading Just me and 250,000 at the seaside
The High Commission of South Africa in London is the diplomatic and public face of South Africa in the UK and has one of the best addresses in town - right on Trafalgar Square. I have visited many times, and it certainly feels like stepping into a time capsule that takes me back to a … Continue reading Just because the lady loves flowers.
The New Year heralds the usual cascade of travel trade bookings hype and bluster; Sunshine Sunday or is Bumper Holiday Monday when the entire country rushes to the tills to buy their summer holiday. To get to the bottom of whether it’s all hot air, or genuine bookings being made, I spoke with key Cape Town … Continue reading Has tourism turned a corner in Cape Town and the Western Cape?
People visit townships for a variety of reasons. For us, it was to re-acquaint ourselves with what Cape Town has to offer the visitor In our roles as UK and USA Reps for Cape Town Tourism. We were invited to explore the unexpected Cape Town and experiencing the townships formed a key part of this … Continue reading Township Tourism. What’s in a name?
Mary Tebje 