South Africa

This year 2013 theme for World Tourism Day highlights tourism’s role in water access as well as shines a spotlight on the actions presently being taken by the sector in order to subsidize to a more justifiable future for tourism & the environment, & also the challenges ahead.

World Tourism Day (WTD) 2013 is being held under the theme Tourism & Water: Protecting our Common Future in sustenance of UN International Year of Water Cooperation.

The cheap tickets to Cape Town are always being superlative in enticing the travelers of the world to take part in several tourism activities. The well-being for the betterment of tourism is always being welcomed by the authorities in the recent past.

Tourism, if established responsibly, is a vehicle for positive change. It’s a sector that actually matters. It matters for its direct contribution to GDP has amplified to R84billion in 2011. It matters because it is a feasible employment sector for many people with speckled skill levels. It matters as it is a vehicle for optimistic change & upliftment of communities.

World Tourism Day is a decent time to reflect on the industry, new expansions & trends. Responsible tourism is about creating “better places for people to live in as well as superior places for people to visit” – in that order. It is about using tourism rather than being used by it. It is about ascertaining the locally significant issues & performing to deal with them.

South Africa & Cape Town in specific is familiar globally as the birthplace of Responsible Tourism. The theme for 2013’s World Tourism Day, is very pertinent to SA as water is one of scarcest resources. The air deals & so many promotional packages are always being available for the betterment of travel & tourism.

As tourism progress continues its upward trends, so does our responsibility to safeguard that its development has an optimistic rather than detrimental impact on our world. South Africa has achieved robust growth in tourism in the 1st quarter of this year, remaining the trend of the past year when the country experienced an extraordinary 10.2 per cent development in the number of international tourists.

If there is any place where there is just lots and lots of things to do it has got to be in South Africa. You can do almost anything under the sun in sunny South Africa.

There are numerous experiences that you may want to enjoy with your car rental and there is an endless list of activities to do too in South Africa. If you are an adventure sport fan there is all adventure you can think of. You can choose anything from bungee jumping to surfing from gliding to abseiling. There are general sports in every one of South Africa’s provinces. There is a cricket, rugby and soccer field everywhere you go in the country and to top it all South Africans are real adventure and sport fanatics.

You can enjoy any cuisine you like. Dotted across the country are restaurants that cater for almost every culture in the world from Asia to Europe. From Africa to America and our very own originally South African delectable dishes.

South Africa is unique - with a number of attractions you won't find anywhere else in the world…

TABLE MOUNTAINNo visit to Cape Town is complete without a trip up Table Mountain – home to some of South Africa's most breathtaking views. Take a guided walk on one of the many routes or simply ride the cable car to the top - it will be one of your lasting memories of SA.

ROBBEN ISLANDA short cruise from Cape Town's V&A Waterfront by ferry, this legendary island is a must-see on any newcomer's itinerary. This is where Nelson Mandela and his comrades were imprisoned for decades during the Apartheid era. Former inmates will take you on an insightful tour of the prison grounds. This historical island is now a World Heritage Site and a proclaimed nature conservation area.

THE GARDEN ROUTEFrom Cape Town along the coast to the Tsitsikamma Forest, this 600-kilometre stretch of small towns, wineries, farms and sea villages has been a traveller's delight for more than a century. Take your time, soak in the scenery, stay over in a guest-house, enjoy the cuisine and let South African hospitality take over. Hermanus, George, Wilderness and Knysna 

BEACHESFrom KwaZulu-Natal to the Wild Coast, from the Eastern Cape to the West Coast, South Africa boasts more than 3 000km of coastline. Pristine beaches, fishing communities, golf estates, luxury hotels and guest-houses dot the landscape as you explore the marine wonderland that is South Africa.

NAMAQUALAND
Every Spring (August to September), the Northern Cape comes alive with vast fields of daisies in a natural splash of vivid colour. Fed by winter rains, the flower grounds of Namaqualand are a photographer's delight.

KRUGER NATIONAL PARKAbout the size of Israel, the Kruger Park is the greatest of South Africa's many national parks which attract a great number of visitors intent on drinking in the wilderness. On guided walks, drives or self-drive, visitors have the best chance of spotting the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo) in this park.

THE DRAKENSBERG MOUNTAINS
A thousand kilometres of mountain majesty, the Drakensberg (Dragon Mountains) range is the adventure tourist's playground. It is also perfect for nature photography, easy walking and simple relaxation. Full of game sanctuaries, Bushman rock art sites, challenging peaks and cascading waterfalls, the views in the Drakensberg will compete with anything the rest of the world has to offer.

SOWETOJust South of Johannesburg lies Soweto - the largest of South Africa's “townships”. This vibrant city is home to some 2 million people and a number of historical sights. A typical visit to Soweto includes a stop at a traditional shebeen (drinking hall), where you can savour local beer, food and hospitality, as well as a visit to the homes where Nobel laureates Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu once lived.

Tourism Booms, Turkey

"Turkey’s recent achievements in the field of tourism have made her a star in this highly competitive industry, not only in this important region, but also in the international tourism market. 

A good indicator of Turkey’s growing reputation as a tourism destination is the phenomenal average annual growth of its tourism sector. Tourism in Turkey has grown at an average of 11% in the last decade, a figure that substantially exceeds the world average and the European average as well." 

 "Hotel facilities have multiplied to keep up with this great surge in the number of tourists visiting Turkey. Hotels licensed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have a collective capacity of over 430,000 beds. With an additional capacity of 250,000 beds expected to be added by licensed establishments that are coming up in the near future, the total capacity will rise to 680,000 beds. In addition to this, licenced yachting enterprises account for a total of 10,000 beds." 

"As a multi-faceted destination, Turkey offers an extremely interesting mixture of attractions that will fascinate any tourist. Given the growing demands for more exotic vacations and destinations, Turkey offers the best of the East and the West, presenting a rich mixture of the ancient and the modern." 

"Turkey has been witness to innumerable events of historic and international importance. This colourful country also has some of the most celebrated monuments of the three great religions. This has led to Faith Tourism becoming a significant part of tourism in Turkey." 

Booms, Turkey

Tourism in Antarctica

The most visited part of Antarctica is the Antarctic Peninsular, opposite South America. The Antarctic Treaty provides guidelines, which have to be followed by tourists and expedition organizers. Tourist operators with small and medium size vessels active in Antarctica are usually members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), which has given itself more detailed guidelines, e.g. for watching and approaching wildlife. The number of tourists visiting Antarctica increased steadily since the 1950s and reached 46,000 in 2007/08, dropping slightly in recent years. The very exclusive opportunities of being close to wildlife and experiencing breathtaking landscapes lead to a high potential that Antarctic visitors get encouraged to support nature conservation, a potential the project "Linking Tourism & Conservation" intends to use and increase.