Kate

ASATA has welcomed the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the onerous and costly PCR test requirement will be scrapped for travellers to South Africa from Wednesday 23 March as a vital step in rebuilding the travel and tourism industry. However, the association warns that the draft health regulations will still need to be reviewed and amended to ensure...

According to Simplify.hr, recent figures drawn from an analysis of jobs published online on job boards and corporate career sites, reflect that whilst there is a current 10% increase on available job stock compared to 2020 – certain key sectors indicate a downward trend. These include education, hospitality and leisure and finance. According to Marc Privett, General Manager at Simplify.hr:...

Airports around the country this weekend were thrown into turmoil after the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) was forced to ground two carriers around safety concerns. Local low-cost carrier FlySafair is one of the few airlines left to accommodate those stranded by last-minute cancellations. “This weekend’s groundings meant that almost 4 in every 10 passengers due to travel were...

Comair is unable to confirm when it will be able to start flying again as the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has indefinitely suspended its operating licence. This is despite the airline working through the night to provide documentation the SACAA had requested following a review of certain policies, systems and procedures. Comair was advised of a 24-hours suspension to...

"94% of the world's companies utilise corporate travel online booking tools (OBTs) to identify cost-saving opportunities and control travel policies. None have handled these critical tasks for their corporate meetings and events expenditure until now. “MiceMaster has taken the best-of-breed OBT methodologies and morphed them into the MICE sector," explains Andrew Millar, founder of MiceMaster. SA corporates are taking a...

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government and Messe Frankfurt are pleased to announce that Durban, KwaZulu-Natal has secured a bid to host the Inaugural Economic Zones Africa Expo (EZAE), which will be hosted at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli ICC (Durban ICC) on 18 – 20 October 2022. The EZAE will be the first event of economic zones in Africa in the form...

The Newmark Hotel group has announced that 100% of its employees - across all luxury lodges, hotels and residences - are now fully vaccinated for Covid-19. This is following the implementation of the company’s ‘I Am Vaccinated’ campaign, which launched last year to assist all staff, from remote lodges to city hotels, to get vaccinated. “In 2021, we launched an internal...

British Airways (operated by Comair) will add a third flight to its Johannesburg-Mauritius schedule from Thursday 3 March 2022. The airline’s Sales and Marketing Executive, Brian Kitchin, says demand has steadily grown since it reintroduced twice weekly flights between Johannesburg and Port Louis in February. “Mauritius has always been a perennial favourite holiday destination for South Africans and this, with the...

The South African hospitality sector was arguably the hardest-hit industry as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, curfews and other government control measures. These events highlighted the risks involved in maintaining large, full-time staff complements, as many hospitality businesses were forced to lay off their employees in an attempt to simply stay afloat. As the...

Hyatt House Johannesburg Sandton marked the debut of the Hyatt House brand in Africa last month, while expanding the brand’s footprint globally in markets that matter most to guests and World of Hyatt members. Conveniently located in the heart of Sandton, Hyatt House hotels’ apartment-style living are ideal for guests who are looking to continue their work and personal...

The Johannesburg suburb of Rosebank is now the location for the continent’s newest voco hotel. The 131-room voco The Bank Johannesburg opened its doors on 1 February. “Originating from Latin, the name ‘voco’ means ‘to invite’ or ‘call together’ and that is exactly what we offer guests with access to work and meeting spaces and an array of onsite facilities and amenities,”...

Emirates resumed passenger operations between Dubai and five African countries on29 January. The significant restoration of services will include Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dar El Salaam, Tanzania; Nairobi, Kenya; Harare, Zimbabwe; and Emirates’ three South African gateways Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. South Africa Flights between Dubai and South Africa will operate as a daily flight to and from Johannesburg, effective 29 January...