Southern Africa Tourist Information

17 May 2011
Southern Africa is a gem, with unending facets to explore. Each of our member countries have something unique and unforgettable to offer. Here is a brief introduction to each of the countries with respective link to their tourism website :

Angola – Luanda boasts unspoilt beaches of shimmering white sands and clear waters perfect for swimming, diving and other water sports. www.angola.org/tourism.html

Botswana – The second-largest game reserve in the world, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, boasts 52 800 square kilometres of vast open plains, saltpans and ancient riverbeds. It is also home to the Basarwa people (a Bushman tribe) and prolific wildlife including lion, leopard, cheetah, giraffe, gemsbok and more. www.botswanatourism.co.bw

Democratic Republic of Congo – Situated on the highest point of the East-African Rift Valley on the border of DRC and Rwanda, Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes, with a total surface area of some 2 700 square km and an average depth of 240 m. It is one of three known ‘exploding’ lakes, suspected to be caused by volcanic activity. www.rdcongo-tourisme.com

Lesotho – Sehlabathebe National Park is remote, very high up (2 400 metres above sea level) and only accessible with a 4X4-vehicle. It offers stunning guided pony treks, prolific bird life and unforgettable hiking trails. www.ltdc.org.ls

Madagascar – See an array of multi-coloured fish, sparkling coral, whale sharks and sea turtles while diving and snorkeling along the Madagascar coast. Diving lessons, equipment and infrastructure are good, especially in the coral barrier area on the south-west coast at Ifaty, Mangily, Nosy Ve, and Belo-sur-Mer. www.madagascar-tourism.com

Malawi – On the southern edge of Malawi is the Lengwe National Park, the most northerly African habitat of the striped-backed nyala antelope. Game viewing of other animals, such as buffalo and a wide variety of buck can be seen at water holes, along with amazing birdlife. www.malawitourism.com

Mauritius – The historic Mauritius Gymkhana Club in the centre of the island dates back to the mid-1800s and today boasts an 18-hole golf course open to members, tourists and locals. Other activities include tennis, squash and snooker, as well as a swimming pool, gym and entertainment. www.tourism-mauritius.mu

Mozambique – Gorongosa National Park, on the southern end of the Great African Rift Valley, offers a variety of activities including birding walks, trips to Mount Gorongosa, community visits, a Community Education Centre and the Bué Maria lookout point. www.visitmozambique.net

Namibia – The capital, Windhoek, is a culture-rich city with interesting landmarks, historic buildings, art and crafts projects, quaint shops, museums, a theatre and several art galleries. www.namibiatourism.com.na

South Africa – Stretching over 1000 km from the Eastern Cape, across KwaZulu-Natal and into neighbouring Lesotho, the Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in southern Africa and features nature reserves, outdoor activities, fauna, flora, Bushman cave paintings and village tourism. www.southafrica.net

Swaziland – The King Sobhuza II Memorial Park in Lobamba was established as a tribute to King Sobhuza II who led the Swazi nation to independence from the British in 1968. The park features a memorial enclosure with a three metre high bronze statue of the king, as well as a mausoleum over the space where the king was buried, a museum and memorial torch. www.welcometoswaziland.com

Tanzania – Zanzibar Archipelago consists of a series of islands off the coast of Tanzania. The exotic island is famous for its spices, the historic Stone Town and a wide range of tourism activities. www.tanzaniatouristboard.com

Zambia – Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, is one of the fastest growing cities in central Africa. Not-to-be-missed attractions include Munda Wanga Environmental Park, Lusaka Anglican Cathedral, the vibrant Soweto Market, Lusaka National Museum, Kabwata Cultural Village, and Chaminuka Private Game Reserve. www.zambiatourism.com

Zimbabwe – The largest game reserve in Zimbabwe, Hwange National Park, is home to 105 mammal species, including 19 large herbivores and eight large carnivores. Walking, driving and horseback safaris are popular ways of viewing the wildlife, while game lodges provide suitable accommodation.
www.zimbabwetourism.net

TripAdvisor poll: Cape Town number 1 global destination

Chosen by a poll of actual travelers and TripAdvisor users, the annual Travelers’ Choice Awards recognizes the people’s choice of destinations from across the planet.
After being placed at 25th in 2010, Cape Town has trumped traditional travel cities like Paris, France (placed fourth), London, United Kingdom (eighth), and Rome, Italy (seventh) to take the top spot.

The world’s best known (and most feared) customer-driven traveler advisory site, TripAdvisor, has given Cape Town a new reason to celebrate its tourism status - by naming it the Number One Destination of the Top 25 Destinations in the World in the Tripadvisor 2011, Travelers’ Choice Awards.

Cape Town Tourism CEO Mariette du Toit-Helmbold: “We are positioning Cape Town as a challenger brand and one of the world’s new and exciting cities.  Cape Town tells an authentic story and captures the hearts and imaginations of a world bombarded with choice and homogeneity.
The Mother City is iconic, complex, and multi-faceted. As much as there is beauty, there is diversity and personality. There is still room for the unexpected and the spontaneous.  This award suggests that this is what today’s traveler is searching for. We are honored to have been chosen and endorsed as the top choice by the very people who are most passionate about travel. We look forward to welcoming more Cape Town fans.”

Challenger tourism brands were high on Tripadvisor’s Top Destination list, with Sydney, Australia (second), Machu Picchu, Peru (third), and Rio de Janiero, Brazil (fifth) all making it into the top five spots travelers voted for.
With over 20 million members and a Facebook following of 96,058, Tripadvisor described Cape Town as “glistening at the southern toe of the African continent.”

South Africa 50 Fast Facts

South African 50 Fast Facts
by SA Good News 30 Mar11

* 29 South African beaches were awarded Blue Flags, an international indicator of high environmental standards for recreational beaches in 2009.
* "South Africa is probably the leading economy in the world." (CNBC Europe)
* South Africa’s Rand is the second best-performing emerging market currency of the 26 monitored by Bloomberg in 2009
* With two gold medals and one silver medal, South Africa ended the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in ninth position on the medals table, ahead of the likes of  Australia, Cuba, China and France.
* South Africa sold $1.8 billion worth of cars to the US last year, putting us ahead of Sweden and Italy as suppliers to the US market.
* In 2009, the Springboks become the first international team to be World Champions in both 15-a-side and Sevens rugby.
* In 2009, Time magazine named two South Africans in their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
* The International Monetary Forum's World Economic Outlook ranks us in the top 10% of counties in respect of Real GDP Growth Projections for 2010.
* In the Economist Intelligence Unit's Survey of Democratic Freedom we rank 31st of of 184 countries.
* South Africa ranks second worldwide in terms of the transparency surrounding its budgets - just behind the United Kingdom, tie with France, and ahead of New Zealand and the United States - according to the Open Budget Index.
* The number of 'dollar millionaires' in South Africa has increased from less than 25,000 in 2004 to over 55,000 in 2007, according to the World Wealth Report
* According to the World Pay Report, South African managers are earning disposable incomes that are higher than those in many developed countries.
* The first MBA programme outside of the United States was started by the University of Pretoria in 1949.
* South Africa is home to the world's largest individually timed cycle race (the Cape Argus Cycle Race), the world's largest open water swim (the Midmar Mile) and the world's largest ultra-marathon (the Comrades Marathon).
* Johannesburg ranks 2nd among countries from Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa in dealing with urbanisation and environmental challenges, in the MasterCard Insights Report on Urbanisation and Environmental Challenges.
* South Africa ranked 44th out of 131 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2007/8.
* South Africa ranks as 44th strongest state out of 177 countries in the Fund for Peace's Failed States Index. The index measures state vulnerability based on 12 social, economic, political, and military indicators.
* South Africa was ranked as the 18th most attractive destination for Foreign Direct Investment by global strategic management consulting firm AT Kearney.
* Three South African cities were voted amongst the world's top 100 Most Liveable Cities in a study conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Cape Town was ranked in 85th place, Johannesburg 90th and Port Elizabeth 97th.
* Since the 1940s, South African golfers have won more golf majors than any other nation, apart from the United States.
* South Africa has been ranked 28th among 108 countries measured for responsible competitiveness, according to the global think tank AccountAbility.
* Johannesburg has been ranked as the eighth cheapest city in the world for expatriates, according to the most recent Cost of Living Standards Survey from Mercer Human Resource Consulting.
* More than 12,000 'Black Diamond' families (South Africa’s new black middle class) - or 50,000 people - are moving from the townships into the suburbs of South Africa's metro areas every month, according to the UCT Unilever Institute's Black Diamonds 2007 survey.
* South Africa is ranked 20th out of a total of 128 economies in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2007, ahead of many developed nations, including, the United States (31), Switzerland (40), Austria (27) and France (51).
* South Africa ranks 57th out of 157 countries in the world in terms of economic freedom, ahead of Italy (64), Brazil (101), the United Arab Emirates (63), Greece (94th), India (104th) and China (126), according to the Index of Economic Freedom 2007
* Two young South Africans have been named Rookie of the Year in their respective sports in 2006. Golfer Trevor Immelman was named best new player by his peers on the prestigious PGA Tour and after a sensational 2006 season, 18 year old Jordy Smith took the coveted Vans Triple Crown of Surfing ‘Rookie of the Year’ award, considered by the surfing world to be second only to the world title in prestige.
* The black middle class grew by 30% in 2005, adding another 421,000 black adults to SA's middle-income layer and ramping up the black population's share of SA's total middle class to almost a third, according to the Financial Mail. Between 2001 and 2004, there were 300,000 new black entrants to the middle class.
* South Africa is ranked 35th out of 178 countries for ease of doing business - ahead of Spain, Brazil and India - according to Doing Business 2008, a joint publication of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation.
* Cape Town has the fifth-best blue sky in the world according to the UK's National Physical Laboratory
* La Colombe restaurant in Constantia, Cape Town, was voted the 28th best restaurant in the world by the UK's Restaurant Magazine
* South African media ranks 26th out of 167 countries in the Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2007, higher than any country in Asia, the Middle East or South America, and ahead of Japan, Spain, Italy and the United States.
* The Johannesburg Stock Exchange was the 7th best performing stock market in 2005, according to the World Federation of Exchanges
* Home ownership in SA has increased from 64% (5,12m households) in 1994 to 78% (7,9m households) in 2006, according to a South African Advertising Research Foundation development index
* Pretoria has the second largest number of embassies in the world after Washington, D.C.
* In 2005, interest rates were at a 25-year low
* Johannesburg is the 117th most expensive city out of the 144 measured by Irish business website finfacts.com
* South Africa accounts for almost 45% of the GDP of the entire African continent, with an economy three times the size of the second biggest (Egypt)
* Almost a quarter of South Africa’s non-interest budget is spent on education
* The University of South Africa UNISA is a pioneer of tertiary distance education and is the largest correspondence university in the world with 250,000 students
* In 1991, South Africa became the first country in the world to provide full protection status for the Great White shark within its jurisidictional waters. Countries including USA, Australia, Malta and Namibia follwed suit later.
* Afrikaans is the youngest official language in the world
* In 2005, Time Magazine hailed President Thabo Mbeki as the Most Powerful Man in Africa
* According to the Economic Freedom of the World 2005 Annual Report, South Africa ranks 38th out of 127 countries in terms of ecomomic freedom, tied with France and ahead of Israel, India, Italy, China, Brazil and Russia.
* The rand, the world's most actively traded emerging market currency, has joined an elite club of 16 currencies - the Continuous Linked Settlement (CLS) - where forex transactions are settled immediately, lowering the risks of transacting across time zones. Standard Bank is the only African bank to be a shareholder partner of CLS.
* The Singita Private Game Reserve in the Kruger National Park was voted the best hotel in the world by the readers of travel publication, Conde Nast Traveller
* The South African Rand was the best performing currency against the US Dollar between 2002 and 2005, according to the Bloomberg's Currency Scorecard
* South Africa's per capita GDP, corrected for purchasing power parity, positions the country as one of the 50 wealthiest in the world
* Worldaudit.org ranks South Africa as the 40th most democratic country out of 150 nations
* Stellenbosch University was the first university in the world to design and launch a microsatellite
* South Africa is the 35th best place in the world to do e-business, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2007 E-Readiness Report.
* South Africa is the best-ranked country in terms of price stability, our fiscal policy is ranked 11th, our international trade competitiveness 21st, and we are the 28th most-attractive destination for foreign direct investment, according to the World Competiveness Yearbook 2005
* South African business owners of mid-size companies are the second most optimistic worldwide about their economic prospects of the year ahead, according to the annual Grant Thornton International Business Owners Survey for 2005.
* South Africa houses one of the three largest telescopes in the world at Sutherland in the Karoo
* South Africa is the first, and to date only, country to build nuclear weapons and then voluntarily dismantle its entire nuclear weapons programme
* The value of South African real estate improved by 30% over the past 5 years
* Since 1994, 500 houses have been built each day for the poor
* Tax revenue in SA has increased by 220% over the past 10 years
* In 2005, 10 million South Africans benefited from access to social grants
* The number of tourists visiting South Africa has grown by 116% since 1994
* Over the past 5 years, Consumer Confidence in SA has improved by 43%.
* In the global measure of women in Parliament, South Africa ranks 8th in the world.
* Of the 10 LSM levels ( LSM1=poorest; LSM10 wealthiest ), the average SA family located in LSM6
* The current police to population ratio is 1:304.