Kate

Travelport has announced the launch of an online PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliance referral service to help its customers’ businesses achieve PCI DSS certification. As from March 2018, any IATA agent that accepts card transactions against its own merchant agreement or issues Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) card transactions is required to provide proof of PCI...

The Ritz hotel in Cape Town will re-open on the 15th of December. That’s after a R120-million ($8.7m) renovation. The hotel has been operating since the early 1970s, but over the decades this once-stylish property slowly lost its lustre until, in 2016, the Ritz Hotel Management Company saw an opportunity to revitalise it. The hotel has 213 rooms but will re-open with 114 rooms,...

Marriot International has announced the opening of its second hotel in Kenya’s capital. The Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport is strategically situated within the main complex of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The hotel is within easy reach of major highways and overlooks the famous Nairobi National Park. It complements the Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Hurlingham, which is located in the...

Large-scale conferences, events and exhibitions remain the staple diet for Birchwood, which has become a preferred Johannesburg venue for clients in this space, particularly those in government. But, whilst these events are potentially big money-spinners for Birchwood, there’s a cost that comes with doing business with South Africa’s public sector, and according to Clarence, it’s just not sustainable. “You can’t run...

Q: What’s your view on the state of the South African business travel industry? A: It is always dynamic. With current economic pressures, we are challenged to keep travel costs down without compromising the safety and comfort of the end-traveller, who has also become a lot more savvy and demanding. Q: What’s your view on the role consolidation has played in...

Q: What’s your view on the current state of the African hotel industry? A: It continues to be one of the fastest-growing and most vibrant sectors of the continent’s economy. Even with challenges like drops in oil prices, visa regulations and slowdown in global economies, the hotel sector has significant potential to create jobs and uplift inclusive economic growth across...

BACKGROUND: The only airline to fly straight to London from Cape Town all year around, British Airways offers 65 direct flights per week from Johannesburg to Heathrow and Gatwick airports, taking around nine hours and 10 minutes on its Airbus A380. The only drawback for South African passport holders wanting to fly British Airways via London onto a European...

BACKGROUND: Relais des Plateaux opened in 2005, with décor being an alliance between ancient Malagasy traditions and modernity. Luxury and family rooms were added in 2009, then the Maloe Spa in 2016. Rooms, restaurant and the pool area were refurbished last year. WHERE IS IT? In Ivato, five kilometres from the international airport and 15 kilometres from Antananarivo town centre....

Table Mountain The Western Cape is known for its vibrant port city of Cape Town, aka the Mother City, set beneath Table Mountain. Table Mountain is part of the peninsula chain of mountains that stretches from north to the south. The mountain is regarded as one of the world’s natural wonders. It was previously known as the Hoerikwaggo (mountain in...

Joon has unveiled seven new medium-haul and long-haul destinations on departure from Paris-Charles De Gaulle. Joon is a subsidiary of Air France, aimed at a young working clientele between the ages of 18 and 35, whose lifestyles revolve around digital technology. The new destinations are Rome, Naples, Oslo, Istanbul, Cairo, Cape Town and Tehran. Cape Town will be served by three weekly...

In a sandy residential quarter of Yoff in coastal Dakar, Senegal, Alpha Gueye is perusing patterns with a customer. A length of acid-yellow, wax-printed material with a pattern of golden birds billows across the tiny shop crammed with sewing machines, multi-coloured bobbins and stacks of magazines. “Fashion?” Alpha smiles. “Une Dakaroise will go without a meal for days to...

Boeing’s B787 has changed the aviation landscape. Geographically, this is because you are flying directly from the factory, whether it’s Boeing at Everett, Washington, or North Charleston, South Carolina, or Airbus at Toulouse or Hamburg. Mentally, it’s because when you board an aircraft already in service, your excitement will be reserved for the destination; the aeroplane is just a means...