The latest Island Safari updates

Hi guys and welcome to another Island Safari blog post.I hope that all travelers out there has had a nice long nice easter weekend.I mean what is better than having a nice easter with the family while on a safari somewhere in Africa or on the beach.Anyway, we have some nifty updates today on the Victoria falls and Mozambique.

Read on and be informed.

Update 1:

Location: Victoria Falls
Topic: Occupancies in Victoria Falls continue to climb.Increases of 35% for the first quarter of the year have been recorded.This follows, and exceeds, last year’s trend which saw occupancies grow by 30% in the final quarter of 2006. Feedback from an extensive Road Show,which promoted Victoria Falls in all of South Africa’s main city centres,showed a clear demand and desire for the destination - which is recognised as one of the most astonishing natural-world and adventure destinations on the planet.

Ross Kennedy, spokesperson for the GotoVictoriaFalls.com marketing campaign, acknowledges that Zimbabwe as a nation does go through troubled times on occasion – which can be unsettling for travellers and travel planners alike. The following is a statement issued to appraise and reassure all interested parties of the facts.

Victoria Falls has not experienced any trouble or unrest.It is located 1000km from Harare and 450km from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s two major cities – far away from areas
which might attract any civil unrest

It is essentially a very safe destination and has experienced no security incidents of any consequence for a number of years

Victoria Falls is a genuine Tourist Resort Destination. Its entire community relies on tourism and is very aware of the benefits of developing a vibrant tourism industry

The Victoria Falls Tourism Police operate seven days a week, from 0800 –1800 hours in all areas appealing to tourists. Operating in pairs and dressed in clearly identifiable uniforms, they are trained to assist, advice, guide and where necessary prevent any street salesmen or money changers from irritating tourists

Many large and reputable companies have long term investments in Victoria Falls, with substantial investments and developments planned for the area in 2007/8

Concludes Kennedy; “Visitors to Victoria Falls are having a wonderful experience. All of this adds to the fact that it remains a safe, exciting, vibrant and outstanding destination. We are committed to providing honest and fair appraisals and travel updates on a regular basis. We will let you know bad news, too, if there is any. We certainly don’t want to send any visitors into dangerous situations, just as we don’t want any of our employees and families in danger.”

Update 2:

Destination: Mozambique

Topic: Dugong Lodge

Info: Due to cyclone damage, and the need to do some rebuilding, the Lodge will only re-open in October.

Update 3:

Topic: Airlines

Info: BA COMAIR is adding a second weekly flight to Mauritius (MRU), starting on June 27.The additional flight will operate on Wednesdays, departing JNB at 09h00 and arriving in MRU at 15h10.The return flight departs MRU at 16h00 and arrives in JNB at 18h30.

Update 4:

Destination: South Africa

Topic: Rovos Rail

Info: ROVOS Rail will launch its new Cape to Cairo route in January next year.This 27-day tour comprises flights and train trips and includes a number of excursions and overnight stays at different venues. It departs from Cape Town and includes visits to destinations in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Uganda and Sudan before ending off in Egypt. The first tour takes place from January 11 to February 6.

Update 5:

Destination: South Africa

Company: Cape Grace Hotel

Topic: Booking Terms & Conditions.

Info: In line with our desire to continuously improve on our service levels, we have needed to streamline our reservations procedures and have therefore had to amend our Booking Terms & Conditions.The areas affected are listed below:

HIGH & LOW SEASONS
1.Full pre-payment must be received 30 days prior to guest arrival.A copy of the bank draft or deposit slip, together with guest details and dates,should be faxed or e-mailed to Carmen Cupido on 021 425 0174 or carmen@capegrace.com
2. A cancellation fee equal to the full length of stay will be applied if accommodation is cancelled less than 72 hours prior to the booked arrival date.
3. In the event of a "No Show", the hotel will invoice the booking agent with a
cancellation fee equal to the full length of stay.

PEAK SEASON (20th December to 5th January)
1. All reservations over this period will require a 10% deposit within 14 days of the booking date.
2. Full pre-payment must be received by 1 October in order to guarantee bookings over this period.
3. A cancellation fee equal to the full length of stay will be applied to accommodation that is cancelled less than 30 days prior to the booked arrival date.

The above changes are effective 1 May 2007. Should you have any queries or wish to discuss this telephonically, please feel free to contact me.

Update 6:

Destination: South Africa

Topic: Railway route

Info: THE City of Cape Town has launched a new railway route for tourists that stretches from Cape Town CBD to Simon’s Town.The Southern Line Tourism Route includes stops at six stations, all with a number of tourist attractions within a 2km radius. These stations are Cape Town, Observatory, Newlands, Muizenberg, Kalk Bay and Simon’s Town stations.

Tourist rail passes, known as “hop on, hop off” tickets, can be purchased for R25 and will allow for unlimited train trips along the route during the day of validity.

Spokesperson for the City of Cape Town, Pauline van der Spuy, said that extra measures were in place to ensure the safety of tourists. She said: “Metrorail has put extra security personnel at all six stations and on the trains as well.” Van der Spuy added that tourists who still did not feel safe could travel in a group organised by Victory Ticket.