About 12,000 travel industry representatives are expected to attend Indaba, the largest Africa travel trade show, in Durban, South Africa, May 12-15. Travel Agent will be gathering information from tour operators, lodges, hotels, transportation companies and more and will be filing reports to keep you up to date on tourism news.
Here's a preview of some news that will be announced at
Indaba:
White
Elephant Bush Camp in KwaZulu
Natal, South Africa,
is now available as a private camp. It has seven thatched chalets and accepts
children.
Falaza Game Park
& Spa has launched a series of culinary weekends hosted by chef Martin
Myburgh. Plans are underfoot to increase the size of Gondwana Game Reserve
before it opens towards the end of 2007.
One thousand animals have already been introduced on the
18,000 acre reserve, a three-hour drive from Cape Town.
Four companies are joining the Tourvest brand and are investing
in creating a better awareness of their tours and services in the U.S. and as
such, they will be starting a road show in this country, most likely in
September. The companies that are now under the Tourvest umbrella are: Felix
Unite, a specialist in incentives in southern Africa; Sense of Africa, the
biggest tour operator in Namibia;
Vintage Africa, with programs in East Africa; and Welcome Tourism Services, which
handles all of southern Africa.
The biggest news from Sun International, which
operates resorts and luxury hotels in South
Africa, Zambia,
Bots-wana, Namibia,
Lesotho and Swaziland, is that it will be opening the single
largest development on Egypt's
Red Sea coast. Consisting of three branded
five-star hotels, Port Ghalib is expected to start welcoming guests in
November. Also new at Sun: Cape Town's Table Bay hotel (from which the Today
show recently broadcast) completed a multimillion dollar refurbishment and now
boasts a spa, and rooms with marble butler stations, contemporary art and new
carpet; just outside Durban, Zimbali opened 10 luxury suites, the Forest
Suites at Zimbali, this spring.
Q2 Travel is
introducing an unusual upmarket tour in South Africa called "The
Mystical Ivory Route Journey." Clients can track the big five and wild
dogs, pet a black rhino, see bushmen paintings and relax at the Coach House, a
scenic spa hotel.
An hour from Port Elizabeth on South Africa's Eastern Cape, Pumba Private Game Reserve has a
new five-star lodge, the Msenge Lodge.
