Cape Town shines in British travel awards

The city of Cape Town and the Bulungula Lodge on the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast were among the favourites of British travellers in 2009.
A cable car takes visitors to the top of Cape Town's iconic Table MountainThe Guardian, Observer and guardian.co.uk announced the winners of their annual Travel Awards this week.
Their readers voted Cape Town their second favourite overseas city, five places up from last year.
The CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Mariette Du Toit-Helmbold, said they were thrilled at the news and see it as a sign that Cape Town is now widely recognised and celebrated as one of the world’s favourite city destinations.
"In the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and with the eyes of the world upon us, we are working hard to maximise the exposure for Cape Town in our key source markets and amongst new markets," said Du Toit-Helmbold.
She added, "We hope to establish a lasting legacy for our City, capturing the hearts and imagination of potential visitors through PR and media platforms. The World Cup is our opportunity to build brand Cape Town and establish the Mother City as Africa’s greatest City and one of the top ten cities in the world to visit, live, work and study."
In the Guardian's category for judged awards, South Africa’s Bulungula Lodge on the Wild Coast came second in the Ethical Travel Awards.
The Lodge runs on solar power and was one of the first lodges in the world to be Fair Trade accredited.
According to the Guardian, many travel companies not only survived, but thrived this year despite huge challenges due to the recession. Surveys show that holidays are still regarded as a top priority for many in the United Kingdom.
19 248 readers of the British newspapers voted in their annual Travel Awards, up from 17 000 votes last year.
In 2008 Cape Town was voted ‘Best World City’ by readers of the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph in their Telegraph Travel Awards.

Source: http://www.sagoodnews.co.za/tourism/cape_town_shines_in_british_travel_award.html

Music extravanganza to kick off World Cup

Next June's World Cup in South Africa will kick off with a live music spectacular featuring mainly African artists, along with a clutch of world stars, organisers said Wednesday.

Kevin Wall, producer of the ground-breaking global music event Live Earth, is working with soccer's international governing body Fifa to produce a primetime concert in Soweto's newly-renovated Orlando stadium on June 10, eve of the official World Cup opening.

"It will be one of the greatest live shows ever to come out of Africa," Wall told a press conference held at the world's biggest TV trade show, MIPCOM.

"This is the first time we are doing something for Africa and an overwhelming number of international artists want to participate," he said.

Wall declined to name names, saying they would include the top stars in African music and saying he was still mulling the choice of global celebrities. But the musicians, he added, would come from a wide range of musical styles and countries.

"This will be a unique blend culturally that has never been done before," he said. Football fans can also look forward to special appearances by past and present football legends on the show. It was too early, Wall added, to know whether South Africa's Nelson Mandela would also participate.

South African film and TV production companies are out in force at the four-day MIPCOM trade show with South African football-themed programmes that are attracting unprecedented interest from countries worldwide.

"There has been high interest at this market," Azania Muendane, who heads up marketing for South Africa's national film and video foundation, told AFP. "It's a real catalyst for us and attracting a lot of interest across the board in our programmes from all broadcasters," she added.

Wall said a total 50,000 tickets will be sold for the show, which will be aired on free TV channels worldwide. Tickets go on sale at the beginning of 2010. It will air in European prime time and 2000 local Johannesburg time in some 192 countries through the world.

Net proceeds from the sale of tickets will go to the FIFA World Cup South Africa's "20 Centers for 2010" campaign to build 20 planned Football For Hope centres, FIFA's Director of television, Niclas Ericson told a press conference.

Source: http://www.sagoodnews.co.za/countdown_to_2010/africa-led_music_extravanganza_to_kick_off_world_cup.html

SA stadiums on track for 2010 World Cup

The 10 South African stadiums for the 2010 World Cup will be ready on time, organisers said on Wednesday, after world football governing body Fifa inspected the sites.

"This inspection gave us a high comfort level of what is needed," Fifa's head of operations in South Africa, Ron DelMont, told reporters.

A 50-member delegation from Fifa and the local organising committee (LOC) inspected the five newly built stadiums over the last six days.The team comprised experts in competition broadcasts, media operations, medical and transport logistics, and protocol.

The competitions chief for the LOC, Dereck Blanckensee, said preparations were on track for all stadiums to be completed within the first quarter of 2010."There are one or two minor problems which were pointed out to the host cities but nothing to worry about," Blanckensee said.

DelMont said it was important for the host cities to have test events to fine tune operational plans.LOC chief Danny Jordaan said: "It is clear to me as we go towards the draw in December, we go in full confidence that everything will be in place and ready for a wonderful World Cup."He also announced that 570 new buses to be used during the World Cup were delivered on Wednesday.

"The buses are now a reality, not just a plan. There is also progress on the trains and rail in terms of transportation. In terms of safety we will also have a mobile police station on the train, so if you misbehave during the World Cup, you will be arrested on the spot." -- AFP

Source: SA Good News