We are all connected.....

Hello, I am looking today at the tragic and completely sensless killing of a young female visitor to South Africa in the small hours of Saturday 13th of November. Along with her new husband on their honeymoon, they were stopped in a township at 23.00 on a Fiday night in a transfer vehicle driven by a local gentleman. The hijackers outed the driver and for some time drove around the township at some stage releasing the husaband but holding his wife. The hijackers and Anni DEWANI then headed off. The vehicle & the dead body of Anni was found in another township some hours later. She was shot to death ( forensic reports on possible other attrocities that may have taken place are yet to be completed ). Two young, successful and vibrant folks chose our home to visit for their special occassion, only one will return home.

When I caught this news on Sunday morning I was both saddened and angry. Being a senior member of our tourism industry, all acts of this nature are a poor reflection on our people. Angry to register that in the hands of a local driver in a good quality vehicle they were in a section of a township that none of us who live here and know our roads would visit at this time of night, especially on a Friday when the prevelence of drug/alcohol related incidents could increase. This whole challenge should never have happened !This incident has made worldwide press exacerbated by the social & finacial status of Shrien DEWANI. They simply should never have been in this location. Klaar ( finished ).

One of the negative spin off's of this event are many cancellation of township tours that are being felt across the industry. The very souls within these areas who depend on township tourism revenues, who strive to live Godly, fine and upright lives, who have extended families and HIV/Aids infected family members to look after and the many elderly who make up the extended African family to cater for. These folks who eak out a paultry living on a day to day basis in some cases face a bleak future and a dark Festive Season. All because of two criminals & the poor descision making of a driver. Due to these three, thousands upon thousands of African people will go without.

Now, I need you to understand and appreciate what this means for these good folk as well as the many initiatives they have taken as a community to better themselves. Take a cultural tour company such as Uthando ( means Love, nice eh, our townships have tons & tons of this comodity to go around ) www.uthandosa.org . Owned & personally run by James FERNIE, he supports in a meaningful and pro active manner 29 projects for social upliftment created by the township citizens and supported through Uthando. They have taken a descision to uplift themselves. A vegitable garden, dance school for children, a football team ( bringing the youth into the football areana is very popular in our fight against drugs/alcohol and gansterism )an old age home where when you visit, they sing to you, fuss over the fact that you botthered to call and say " Hi ". They will tell you stories of Africa of yore, their dompass, their Afica, their hope for their grandchildren.

For the folks who live life by the hour, relying on one single income family member who is within our industry as a township guide or driver or story teller, it is even worse. Thes cancellations of tour bookings means no income what so ever. Nix, zero, diddly squat for all in the chain of sharing. The question " After this event, are twonship tours safe ? " is being asked by many vistors to our land. My answer to you is a qualified YES. YES if you are in the hands of qualified guide with experience of township life, how the elements work and has access to credible, relible fully insured and permitted vehicles. YES if the company you are booking through has been conducting multi destination trips to these townships. You should know that these sprawling residential areas cater to over three million folk over an area similar in size to small County in the UK and you have to understand the dynamics of observing township life. NO if you are in the hands of the many companies who have little or no respect for the sustainability of our tourism indusrty and simply are out to make a quick buck and leave you at risk. In essence contact me if you are looking for an authentic, uplifting real insight into the lives, challenges and formidable successes of our people, their Spirit and Ubuntu ( you can find out what this word means.... ).

We are all connected was my title, the police have arrested a credible suspect in this matter through community support. You can run but you cannot hide, these communities are exactly that, folks who are in it for the long haul and are determined to make a better life for themselves and will not tolerate the criminal elements getting in their way.

Ciao

Colin J. FRYER.
Owner of Centre Stage Travel, Cape town, South Africa.
www.centrestagetravel.yolasite.com
Email: info@cstravel.co.za

Get down & dirty for the kids......

One of the truly heart warming aspects of our industry is how we pull together when it comes to our social responsibility. In company terms we call it CSI or CSR - corporate social investment or responsibility.

It is the " soft " side of hard arsed business if you like. The replacing what we are using for the business development angle that hand in glove with Responsible tourism is becoming a prerequisite for all businesses to develop. So it was with great joy & enthusiasm that last Friday 29.10 my young son Mitchell ( 20 ) & I headed off to The Clock Tower in the V & A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa to meet industry friends with just one aim: to plant trees and shrubs around the brand new Blomvlei School library. Now, you have to know something here. Blomvlei School is in Hanover Park. Nice name eh ? Hanover Park that is ? Maybe, but this is the centre of social upheaval. Gang lords, drug cartels and prostitution rule the social fabric in Hanover Park. It is difficult to inculcate a sense of decency, a moral compass as such when all around you is in perpetual chaos.

Within the schools drugs are readily available. As we arrived the principal had an eleven year old in her office awaiting the police after finding tic ( a mind altering methamphetamine of devastating ability to destroy )in her lunch box. Sad, very sad and reflective of a society at the mercy of violence, a lack of direction and very far removed from where South African society should be heading.

So we arrived on a bright sunny morning, seven of us under the aegis of the TCD Trust, charged with planting in the region of thirty trees. I just love gardening, so creative and humbling to be directly involved with Mother Nature, so after a warm welcome by the head mistress and a look within the new library we got stuck in.

We chatted and laughed, horsed around a little, dug holes, added bone meal and by and large ( apart from one hole we simply could not dig ) had all in place within the allotted time. We stood awhile just sharing the moment, here were seven white folks in the core of deathsville ( 22 resident had been killed in the last two weeks alone )bound together by our individual drive to help where we can and through doing this set an example for both the local residents and the school kids to see that even a small number of folks can make a difference if we focus.

I absolutely love Africa, warts & all. I am deeply moved by acts of spirited action ( Save the Rhino is one ) where friends & colleagues see past the day to day demands that we all fact, make a plan come together and just DO IT. Oh yes, we also paid R 100 each for the trees as a contribution. The TCD Trust - www.tcdtrust.org.za is making excellent inroads for the real & tangible benefit of our brothers & sisters who need assistance, you would do well to evaluate their workings.

As the sun moved to the west, we were all hugged by the principal in a wave of her Thank You's. I took one last look within the library, the school and environment and was pleased with our work. I was touched with the enthusiasm and fight of the principal and extended a wish to sponsor a prize for a competition revolving about what had just taken place.

In the space of three hours we had planted a presence of life, hope, beauty, love and through doing this we all believe that the energy of these trees will be absorbed by the kids, it is after all through our children that the future lies.

Yup, a great outing, many thanks to Bronni at TCD Trust, Ince at The ECO-IST and my colleagues & friends who took time to to be a vital part of Ubuntu.

Ciao

Colin J. FRYER.
Centre Stage Travel.
Cape Town, South Africa.
www.centrestagetravel.yolasite.com
email: info@cstravel.co.za

Heritage Day - A view from a white man in Africa

I have lived in Africa for 33 of my total of 58 years on this mortal coil.

I arrived on the seventh of January 1977 a short six months after the Soweto ( Soweto is the acronym of SOuth WEstern TOwnship so called as it lies from Johannesburg ) riots on June 16 1976 brought huge pressure to bear on the infrastructure both politically as well as socially within South Africa. I arrived and became a " privileged " white man gifted with a well paid job with Edgars, a company flat and all the trappings that went with entering the commercial arena of South Africa that was the staus quo at the time. Standing on my balcony sixteen floors above the streets of Beria, Johannesburg, I wondered to myself why black people were on the streets and it was after 18.00Hrs, I also took horse riding lessons back in the UK before my arrival in the belief that all people in SA road horses. Strange thoughts ? Maybe, but they were in my mind.

Today, Friday the 24th of September 2010 as all of us celebrate our Heritage Day in our way and manner, I look back over the ebb & flow of southern Africa, the futile civil/border and racial wars that condemned us to cull the very national assets that would become our future. The trials & tribulations that each of the countries I associate with have moved through, the advent of democracy in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique and of course here in South Africa.

I take a look at how African people have been robbed of their heritage, natural style of living as it was many, many years ago. Observe if you will the millions of African folks both living overseas and within the cosmopolitan cities of the countries that make up southern Africa who have become Westerners in every aspect of their life. They no longer are African but a product of deAfricanisation through the insidious ways of the Western world. The majority of Africans live in the rural areas of their country. These folks have a simple but well entrenched rural lifestyle under the watchful eye of a Chief and his Elders, life revolves around the seasons, agriculture and subsistence farming. It has been this way for eons, until the Western influence of consumerism, money and the drive to remove commodities from Africa back to the Western world for the sum of becoming " sub Westerners " commenced.

My time in Rhodesia in 1978 remains a key element of my beliefs today. Moving to live in Salisbury/Harare in February 1980 and witnessing first hand the elation of democratic election in Zimbabwe was utterly incredible. At the Eric DAVIES shop by the Parkade, we stood around the wireless to hear the election results, all of us, blacks, whites and the management all together. The fateful evening on April 18 1980 when filled with the spirit of gin, I joined a ZANU (PF) troop gathering and we all marched through to Rufaro Stadium from Zanu (PF) house in Railway Avenue to witness the ceremony of Zimbabwe Independence with Prince CHARLES & President MUGABE. Eighty black troops in full battle gear and I a sole white man in civvies within their ranks. They were quite comfortable to have me within their celebrations. As we approached the waiting throngs of onlookers, we were tear gassed by the Zimbabwe Police men & women who, when hearing our chants and seeing a battalion of men in army uniform, thought that we had come to kill the new President ! Close on to thirty one years on, this act along with many others reminds me of the wonderment of African people.

For those of you who wish to experience a visit to Africa, I would recommend this very much. The reasons are varied, valid and diverse but there is one fundamental reason to come that is unique and special. African people have suffered and in fact continue to suffer through now both Western & Eastern direct influence and yet we can take you to meet folks who still talk & walk as Africans did, as pure Africans. Proud, instilled with purpose of simplicity, socially strong and family focused. There are many examples to share with you.

" Our heritage is the sum total of all the influences within our previous generations lives as they mould ours going forward ". Today I braai ( barbecue )and as I watch and listen to the burning wood of the fire, the African sun bearing down on my shoulders, I will recall the many African men & women who are part of my hertitage, who have moulded me, who have instilled much within me and who have taught me so much. As the afternoon progresses and these souls arrive within, the Spirit of Africa will course through my mind, my heart & soul. I live in Africa, I am blessed !

Ciao

Colin J. FRYER.
Centre Stage Travel, Cape Town - South Africa.
www.centrestagetravel.yolasite.com

Right & wrong, a case of perception ?

My stroll along the path of life has in many ways been predetermined.

Colin J. FRYER has been conditioned through the last centuary by the input of all that have walked on the same path. Family tradition, the influence of parents, teachers, friends, events have all come to lay the hard wiring of my mindset, beliefs and manner of operation. Absorbing the moment to moment stuff that we entertain each day realises our reaction, thought process and to a great extent our very Self. I live in Africa and am contented to live the good, the bad and the indifferent to do just this.

I have therfore to accept: The raping of young African children on an hourly basis, one child every six second dies in Africa from malnutrition, we have the highest HIV infection rate in the world, we experience coruption, graft and corporate neglegence at a high level. That many of our governments are utterly corupt, nepotism rules and nothing else does. Agriculture, the mainstay of southern Africa is in decline, mining in South Africa is almost stripped of any semblence of corporate governence and the polarisation of our people continues to be exacerbated.

So why do I, in all good conscience remain contented to live in this Africa ? Because unlike the Western world, we are work in progress ( WIP ) ! Yes, alive with challenges and many untenable positions but still alive with opportunity, reality and Africaness. The rough crucible of Africa is hard and when pestle comes down to grind the wheat into flour, well it causes some to be crushed, some to be wasted and the remaining, to be the very sustinece of our people. Does the ramblings of MALEMA get to me, does MUGABE continue to make sense ? Does the colapse of out teaching system concern me, does the widening of the income gap between those who have and those who want it given to them rest easy in my mind ?

Africa is a paradox of lost African souls, caught up in the ways of the Western world in all its mediocraty, failings and blindness and their forefathers who strode across the continent in sure belief that they were right and all who countered were wrong. We witness profound loss of all that is fundimental every single day in Africa, the loss of life, the loss of family, the loss of hope, the loss of religion. Yet, if you take the time to stop for just one moment and allow the elements to form around you, a gentle spirit will alight, the spirit of Africa, the essence of the reality of the path we are walking on, a path where you have to have faith, where giving up is simply not an option, where one single thought does make the difference.

Is this right or wrong ? Neither, it is all in our perception in the moment of concept on the path. I live in Africa, love it, live it and appreciate the challenges for what they are.

Ciao

Colin J. FRYER.

Change is the only constant.....

Have you checked into a hotel recently ? Maybe taken a vacation at a wonderful safari lodge here in southern Africa ? As we move from the cooler but sunny winter season into the decidedly warm climes of summer I note with great interest the manner in which many properties are setting their price modules.

There is clear understanding that global travel is under pressure. Noted that business travel in Asia & north America is looking good but traditional vacation style for us folks looking for a break is very definitely lower this year than last and last year was far from the best. So what are the suppliers of hotels, guest houses, safari destinations and other peripheral support suppliers doing to stimulate demand ?

Some offer a free night or two if you stay for a few, some are just cutting their rates by fearsome figures and other say " if we cannot get the rate we need, we will accept a lower occupancy ". A few, very few, are getting creative with added value options and combining their property with that of an attractive alternative. An African safari property joins hands with a beach property in Mozambique, great flow, energies and highly attractive. So what is the correct thing for these often multi million US $ properties to do in their pricing module ?

Before we go there let's take a step back. If you an owner of US $ 10 million worth of property here in southern Africa, how keen are you to get a reasonable return on your investment ( ROI ) ? That's close on R 75,000,000.00 of boodle tied up either working or conversely, not working for you. It concerns me to witness a buyer taking up an option to purchase say a safari or wilderness property with little or no idea of the very industry that they need to secure their ROI. They believe that if you chuck enough money, passions, enthusiasm and advertorial at their property all will be well ( in the Land of Nod maybe ).

We have far too much product ( hotels/safari/wilderness ) properties in southern Africa in the hands of the incompetent chasing the Holy Grail of guests. The sequence of events from the euphoria of buying their property to indignation and disillusionment of selling is profound, has an effect on our industry and sets up a knock on effect throughout the chain of supply. We see varied efforts to get their property onto the over supplied market place. Cut prices, unsustainable offers, meaningless discounts fall at our feet like confetti at a wedding.

So, how is a pricing module going to change all of this ? You have to only look at the likes of the longer players in our industry, Wilderness Safaris, Singita, Londolozi, &Beyond and possibly a hand full of the newer players such as Shamwari, Tintswalo, Last Word and Victoria Falls Safari Lodge as an excellent example of suppliers who appreciate, understand and work witin a pricing model that matches the industry at all levels.

It is all about sustainability, what we sell today HAS to be here tomorrow, next month, year and indefinitely if we are to do it justice. Too many rise and fall within a short span of time, consumed by their " importance " and disrespectful to the very animal required to secure its future.

Ciao

Colin J. FRYER.
Centre Stage Travel.
info@cstravel.co.za

Handle with care.....

Have you travelled by plane recently ? Sure you have and as part of the overall package, the airline should be offering you care, consideration and respect as to your personage and baggage. Should be ? Ya right...... Did you feel the consideration at your check in ? Did the airline clerk reflect care of your seat position, particular concerns and questions ? If so, please, OH please let me know as the advent of air travel reaches new hights in terms of numbers per aircraft ( 600 plus on the new Boeing 777 & Airbus 380 )and the service/ offerings are heading down. Are we in fact simply numbers to fill an aircraft to a profitable level ? Are we shear cannon fodder to realise their profitability ? Respect the need for the airlines to make a reasonable profit but do we as the clients/pax/numbers have to accept the lowering of levels of service/increased airport taxes and the ignominity of just being a boarding pass ? I think not and in fact believe it is us ( the one who sits in their seats - TOWSITS ) that will hold sway as to how we are entertained/serviced/looked after. OK, this is my thought, what do you believe is the way forward in air travel. Ciao Colin J. FRYER.

Three days in and it's looking great.....

Hello there

Friday was the opening day, all went off well with my son & I doing the Cape Town Walk exercise to discover how we were doing on the ground. We arrived at the FIFA Fan Fest a little after 11.00 and walked right through. The numbers of fans there was unbelievable ! The entire area in front of the main stage was chocablock full with over ten thousand fans. This six hours before the kick off of the first match.....

We then toured the core streets within Cape Town where more fans were enjoying a sunny winter day in the Mother City. What a diverse spectrum of fans we met. French, Uraguyan, locals, a whole load of English and Danish fans and the odd assortment from the US of A. All were amazed at the energy they felt, the manner in which they could walk our streets in safety and relative peace. Ok, time to talk about the " peace " .....

There was absolutely none ! I had with me the very same vuvuzela ( three foot long plastic trumpet, the creator of the African spirit ) that I had at WTM in 2007 as a guest of the Western Cape provincial government. This very same vuvu has had me in trouble at the WTM show, in the streets of London and within the pubs and police staions within London. This very same instrument had me meet Chief Inspector Chapman from the CID, Westminster to explain why my vuvu should not be recognised as a WMD ( weapon of mass destruction ). I sat in a dim, smoke filled interigation room in the early hours of a morning trying to explain why my vuvuzela was a manifestation of the Spirit of Africa and all this lot could see was a noisy South African out to wake the dead. I was saved by the MEC at the time and vividly recall walking out into the ashen light of a cold, grey morning in Westminster with a comrade of our struggle, turning around and raising my vuvu to my mouth released a fearful issuance at the building we had just emerged from.

Back at the South African Embassy, they asked me to explain why I continued to fill the London air with the delicate sound of the vuvuzela. I thought for a moment, smilled at the assembled ambassadorial gathering and just let them hear the reason.

The African vuvuzela can be hear at every single FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup TM. If you listen closely to it's sound, you may well hear the Spirit talk to you. It is filled with energy, singular of word and very much in your ears, very much like Our Africa.....

Slovenia have just put one past Algeria, time for me to take my vuvu in hand......

Ciao

Colin J. FRYER.
Centre Stage Travel - Close your eyes and imagine.....
Email: info@cstravel.co.za

ENERGY - Pure Geeeeee

I have a brother ( David ) living in the UK who is a football fan. He is a season ticket holder for a small English club called Chelsea FC, you may of heard of this very average team ? Now, David is utterly besotted with this lot and the game of football. He is unable to leave England ( something to do with a restraining order or something, very GBHish )so will be following the path of the English team as they march towards the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup on his stolen TV.

Now, along with hundreds of thousands of visiting fans flowing into South Africa this week are 31 national teams, the entire FIFA Family, sponsors, a massive media contingent and us, local South Africans. I want to talk about the US contingent. Way back when Sepp B showed his card with our name on it as the 2010 Host Country, we were worried. Worried about being able to do this thing. This was compounded by many miffed countries casting aspersions as to the ability of an Africa country ( I mean come on, they are a breed of help outs only, how can they come up with first world goods, service and all needed to host this event ? ) to rise to the occasion.

As a people we doubted ourselves, gulp, maybe these countries are right, what chance do we have to pull this off ? Look at our roads, our public transport, don't even go as far as considering our ability to run the SWC from a logistical perspective for that is too ghastly to contimplate. We as a collective talked ourselves into a position of acceptance that we were incapable. The media said this, the people felt it and it almost became true. So what happened between then ( a short four years ago ) and today Sunday the sixth of June, less than one week before the first round kicks off ?

A small band of souls got together behind very closed doors. No one knew about this event as no one would have believed it. These eight good people debated the reality, magnitude and practicality of this African country being successful in this task. Their individual place within Africa spanned social, commerce, cultural and political. They sat alone, without any external influence ( at their request ) for almost two days. Debate was robust ( the politician ), expansive ( the economist ), oscilating ( the socialist )and for the quiet voice of one gentleman, insightful, real, filled with belief and knowledge of African people.

These eight eventually came to a decision and left their " prision ". Each charged with a specific responsibility to influence their respective arena of responsibility. Each in the knowledge that as a collective, Africans are very good at what they do, quite cabable of providing world leading technology and as such very able to provide FIFA with their SWC here in South Africa. We as a people were treated with an insight as to our abilities every day as our stadia grew. We saw moves to provide public transport within the metroplitan areas of the host cities, we heard Sepp B talk of how he believed in us. Our LOC raised our awareness in how we were doing, how we were progressing towards Friday the eleventh of June 2010.

The tide of " we cannot " moved to " maybe we can Eh ? ". As more and more concrete evidence appeared, the tide of believe rose to a full blown wave of self belief. As the months passed and ran into the last for years, the group of eight met on a number of occassions and will meet for the last time today. Their task is done, they will sit for one last time with wide smiles, hugs of comaraderie firm in the knowledge that South Africa will present to the entire world the very best FIFA SWC that Africa can. To all who come to witness this " You are very Welcome ", for us as hosts, we are grateful for the opportumity to share our energy with you. Energy inherent in our souls, deeper than the foundation of our stadia, stronger than the forces of non believers and as able as ever to share our home with each and every one of you.

You are very Welcome.....Thank you for being here.

Ciao
Colin J. FRYER.

The Spirit of Africa - King Vuvu

I have been asked to bring a little light into the realm of the vuvuzela.

Now, you may never have heard the word vuvuzela before BUT, if you are to attend any of the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup games, you will certainly hear King Vuvu's reason of understanding. Hated by the German Football Federation, despised by the Spanish and yet loved by the entire African continent, this simple and yet effective ( very African this ) three foot hand held trumpet will bring Disprin an all time high stream of revenue. However, I digress, my charge is to bring you the history behind the realisation of King Vuvu.....

Picture if you will a typical African kingdom back in the sixteenth century. Devoid of insidious mobile phones, coca cola signs and politicians, this community lived in relative peace and harmony. Their monarch and absolute ruler was the inimitable King Vuvu. Solid of girth, weak of mind and fully aware of his short comings of his stature decided to entrench his rule by any means possible. Now, as an early day leader in Africa, it all boiled down to your size. King V lacked to such a degree in this aspect that even his Council sought to find a way to elevate this stature.

During King V's first quadrant of rule ( fifteen years )his focus on his vertical growth was sometimes farcical. Tethers were attached to his arms and legs and for hours a day he would berate his people to stretch him, all to no avail. During his second quadrant, he met a traveler from north Africa. Oh my, was he tall, I am talking seriously tall, well over two meters. The King was fascinated and yet daunted to meet this traveler. In the Kings mind he knew that here was the answer to his quest for vertical growth.

He welcomed the traveler to tarry a while in his kingdom, enjoy his hospitality and that of his people. The traveler looked around at the abundant food & water, the very short King and his people and agreed to stay a while, but only a short while. King Vu then ordered that a feast be prepared for their mobile guest and no expense was to be spared ( he had a Platinum Amex card so who cares ). What a bash ! They killed the fatted calf, slaughtered the fatted cow and made merry with the chicken chow mien. Fun was had by all, well except the chosen sacrifice but hey, what a way to go. In the early hours of the following morning King V and his guest were way gone on mbanje and chikubu ( you do not need to know ) and the King asked " My friend, you are our guest of honour and we are very very proud to be your hosts. There is just one question I would be honoured if you would answer for me though " The traveler looked down on the King and in a quiet voice said " Anything Nkosi, you only have to ask ".

King Vuvu was suddenly gripped by fear, an inexplicable fear for he was King and feared no one. " I see that the Spirit has blessed you with a tall frame my friend " came out in a small voice. Silence fell and both King Vu & his guest fell into a troubled sleep. Now as you will appreciate, I was not there to prove all of this but in traditional African story telling I do know that during this troubled sleep that King V & the traveler met up. As in a dream, was it real or not ? King V, his people and the traveler all together on a vast African plain. King V was well over two meters tall, the traveler a little smaller and holding in his hand a trumpet made from the skin of animals. The King turned to the traveler and said " My friend, what is that you are holding in your hand ". " This Nkosi is the Spirit of Africa and when used calls to the Spirits of our forefathers to come to our aid in times of war or BP spills in the Gulf ". Sjoe, he was a sidekick then....

" When we are together as Africans in our thousands and thousand, we take this and together we summons the Spirit to our side, to our aid, to help defeat our foe. It is the very essence of African Spirit, true, loud and knowing our place in this land ". The King smiled, then laughed, then he reached out and took this instrument and in one swift movement understood, it is not the stature of the man that makes him, no Nkosi, it is his love of Africa, her land, her people and living life the African way.

As the sun rose over the western horizon King V awoke with a serious babalas but soon chased her away and from that moment onward lived his life in the firm knowledge that the African Spirit was alive and within him. He did change his name to King Vuvuzela but I have absolutely no idea why....

In defense of the tsunami of vitriol against our Spirit of Africa.

Ciao

Colin J. FRYER.

Time to visit Zimbabwe ?

I am a Zimbabweanite.

No not a Knight of the Order of Zimbabwe but more so a knight in shining armour out to promote their tourism industry ! Goes back to the day back in 1978 when sitting at the Mapopoma Bar in the Elephant Hills Hotel on a saturday afternoon, we were hit by two mortar shells from ZIPRA cardres from across the Zambezi in Zambia. Damn near lost my Pilsner in that moment ! A moment of simple anger at the intrusion made way to the entire bar asking our attackers across for a beer...... Hell, its a Saturday afternoon in Rhodesia ( the previous country name for Zimbabwe ) and we all need to get on eh ?

The early independence years were special in Zimbabwe for the travel & tourism industry. I lived in Harare from 1980 through to the end of 1982 traveling extensivily by road & plane throughout the country. The Eastern Highlands were magnificent. Time spent on lake Kariba on a fully kitted out houseboat were legendry, revisiting Victoria Falls where the same reverlers I met in 1978 did there saturday " thing ". The Great Zimbabwe evoked thoughts of the slave trade, proud people at their Monomatapa backed up with more great hospitality. As the eighties became the nineties, tourism within Zimbabwe boomed to awesome proportions. New proeprteis were built, many exceptional hospitality doyens were created ( John GREY, Roy MEIRING to name two of them ) and credited with establishing a first world hospitality industry within Zimbabwe. Along came 2000, farm invasions, hyper inflation and a government lacking in the skills and mindset to drive the economy of the bread basket of Africa and the wheels of tourism and just about every other industry fell off.

I have to say that it was not from the lack of initiative, drive and enthusiasm of the private sector during this time that there were a number of busineses that did infact thrive. Against incredible odds both politically and economically, there exsists a breed of Zimbabwean business folks who have the ability to make it work ! In tourism terms, Victoria Falls became an enclave of dedicated, sophisticated and very able owners/management teams backed up with solid and reliable staff that not only did a holding job with their properties but in many cases added new capacity, brought out new product and maintained both staff spirit and guest experience at a high level. Unfortunately, the rest of the Zimbabwean tourism industry suffered greatly. Until 2009.

This pivitol year saw the Victoria Falls Team not only add to their town offereings but also growing their influence to cover the massive Hwange National Park region, Bumi Hills on the Matusadona range of mountains just outside Kariba and through association, the capital Harare. They secured aircraft to move guests in between these destinations. They invested millions of US $ in the refurbishing and redefining of the properties at these destinations. They indicated that not only was Victoria Falls very much open for business but so are other key destinations that bring traditional Zimbabwean hospitality to bear.

To describe Zimbabwean hospitality is like trying to understand Tiger WOODS golf game, easy to see but impossible to fathom and yet close to brilliance. The people of this country are the very best in this provision. They are naturally social, they love to please and when it comes to providing an exceptional experience, well take a look at the number of inbound travelers now visiting Zimbabwe who have been before.

It is said that to experience the very best, seek out the very best. Sailing on Lake Kariba as your chef prepares dinner and canapes are served comes close to the night sky at Binga, tracking in the Hwange National Park in the company of highly experienced rangers or witnessing the Falls from your helicopter may in fact move past the best and become your moment of revelation. Come to Zimbabwe and learn to live, experience new thoughts, catch rare moments to cherish forever, just come, I would love to share her brilliance, warmth and humaness with you.

Ciao

Colin J. FRYER.
Centre Stage Travel, Cape Town, South Africa.
Email: info@cstravel.co.za
Welcome to Our Africa.....

In persuit of the elusive One..

This article is specificlly for the southern African travel trade, hello ! I have a question for you: Name the definative property marketing and sales person. Now, why would I want to know this ? Quite simply our industry has a plethora of these animals who trample the ground in their persuit to " get their message " across to us. Some use discounts as their tool, others offer friendship and comp nights, others swan about in perect inexactitudes as effective as an empty bottle of Grug !

No easy task I'll grant you, how on earth do you learn the traits of agents/operators in all of our key overseas markets ? How do you relate to each consultant with meaningful dialogue and repartie ? How do you steer them away from their traditional property sellection and onto yours ? How do you consistently travel to their offices with new, refreshing and interesting product news ? Yup, no easy ask. This elusive One has to understand pressure, think on his feet, have the ability to " get into " the descision makers at these agencies. He has to posess inter personal skills, be able to overcome objections and really so much more. On top of this he is charged with providing a mix of passion, love for his product, knowledge of other product and destination knowledge to his clients. No short term wonder this One !

So do you know this One ? You may well do and if so, tell me who he is please. It may well be one of the doyens of the Private Game Reserves who promalgate the diviness of their offerings, possibly the broad shouldered providers of boutique hotels and their ability to host royality but take the level up, yes, up to a place where in the presence of the One, attention is rivited, all consuming and REAL ! Ah the word rings true, real, not " maybe so " or " if " but true and real.

What mere mortal soul could bring this off consistantly with a number of properties and to so many followers ? What person so filled with commitment, ability, passion for our industry remain burning bright in our misted sky of marketing & sales folks ? You may well know him personally, I do, well and for the last eight years have witnessed the growth & development of a new age perveyor of quality properties take on a beach property where there occupancies are in the thirties and move on when they hit eighty three percent.

So, who is this marvel, I hear you scream at me. Contact me on info@cstravel.co.za and I will share the answer with you, real and true.

Ciao

Colin J. FRYER.
Centre Stage Travel, Cape town, South Africa.
Email: info@cstravel.co.za

Ya gotta have faith, Africa does.....

I live in Africa, have done so for the last third of a century.

Gives me a degree of understanding, experience and depth of belief in what Africa has in store for our visitors, especially those who next month come to witness the FIFA Soccer World Cup. They will arrive in their thousands, close on 400 thousand I am informed. Sjoe, that's a couple of tons of quivering flesh aimed at absorbing some of the very best football imaginable in ten of our top cities from way up north to my back door, Cape Town.

These good folks will arrive with their friends, family and colleagues looking to support and motivate their home country and for the few, witness a culmination of matches on the road to the final in Egoli ( The place of Gold ) in Johannesburg.

So what can these fans expect in my country ? Smiles, loads of smiling faces. A traffic jam or too for sure, we are good at these, scenic beauty of gigantic proportions and stadiums so well designed and positioned that they will be forgiven to believe they are back home at their national stadium.

We have had our fair share of doubts as to our ability to host you folks, but this is behind us now. We are now applying the final coat of WELCOME paint, running off our last few thousand vuvuzelas ( elongated trumpets ) and by the first week of June will be awaiting your arrival. You are all WELCOME !