http://www.southernafricadirect.com/newsLatest entriesen-gbFri, 03 Jul 2009 22:35:005Southern Africa Direct Whether you're a nature lover or just in love, the Seychelles is bound to enchant. Gillian Scoble from Getaway Magazine checked out a selection of places to stay. Watch a video on the Seychelles http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-07-03/seychelles-an-enchanting-paradise.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:35:00 In recent years there have been a spat of superb restaurants opening up in the Cape Winelands and, following the more commercial approach of Spier Wine Estate, some are even offering accommodation. Of course it makes sense – if you are going to taste some excellent wines in a location with some of the most beautiful views in the world you might as well stay for lunch, or dinner, or an entire week. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-07-03/visit-asara-wine-estate-amp-hotel-in-the-cape-winelands.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:22:00 It’s not just South Africa that is preparing to welcome thousands of football fans next year – neighbouring countries as far-flung as Mauritius are preparing to host visitors to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa’s Rustenburg stadium is just 150 kilometres from Botswana. Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit lies just an hour drive from the Mozambican border. Namibia can easily be reached by car from Cape Town and from Bloemfontein you can hop across the border into Swaziland or Lesotho. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-07-03/botswana-lesotho-and-even-mauritius-get-ready-to-welcome-football-fans.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:05:00 This Is Africa, a new publication by the Financial Times was crowned Media of the Year at the annual Africa Business Reporting Awards last night, while Xan Rice from The Guardian and the New Statesman won Journalist of the Year. Other winners announced at last night’s ceremony at the Park Lane Hotel in London included: Richard Cockett for Best Published Feature – an Economist piece on how the financial crisis is effecting Africa; CNBC for Best Television Feature – a six part series on doing business in Africa;  the BBC World Service for Best Radio Feature – the Africa Slowdown Series which looked at how the economies of three African countries were being affected by the recession; and Finbar O’Reilly from Reuters for Best Published Photograph – a remarkable shot of the search for gold in the Congo. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-07-03/african-business-reporting-awards-highlights-opportunity-in-africa.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:22:00 Dr Nikolaus Eberl, writing on Bizcommunity, takes a leaf from Barack Obama's speech book and speculates how South Africa will deliver the 2010 FIFA World Cup brand image of "Celebratin Africa's Humanity". Listen to Dr Nikolaus Eberl speak about brand 2010 at Indaba http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-07-02/delivering-the-2010-world-cup-brand-promise-of-humanity.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:04:00 The City of Tshwane (Pretoria) is the first of South Africa’s 2010 FIFA World Cup host cities to launch an international television advertising campaign welcoming tourists. Tshwane has worked with Southern Africa Direct to create a documentary informing tourists about the city’s key attractions and assuring them about the quality of the transport, health and safety infrastructure. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-07-02/tshwane-welcomes-world-with-international-video-campaign.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:14:00 Tourism to South Africa is feeling the pinch of the global economic downturn, but travel operators are optimistic that the amount of sports taking place in the country over the next year will help boost figures. Watch what exhibitors at Indaba had to say http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-07-01/southern-africa-optimistic-despite-downturn-in-travel-industry.html Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:23:00 Just east of Mauritius lies the small volcanic Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues, a water sports paradise and idyllic beach holiday destination. Here is the complete guide to island of Rodrigues.   http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-07-01/the-complete-guide-to-rodrigues-island.html Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:01:00 There are two  South African words that scare the living daylights out of the Brits: “Johannesburg” and “Zulu”, according to Irish travel operator Tony Flynn. Listen to what Tony Flynn had to say http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-06-30/correcting-misconceptions-about-south-africa.html Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:25:00 As the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup heads for its climax, South Africa appears to have cleared yet another hurdle on the road to 2010. Yes, there have been setbacks: both the Egyptian and Brazilian teams experienced minor incidents of crime; there have been concerns over the transport facilities to matches; and supporters stayed away from a couple of the lesser fixtures. http://www.southernafricadirect.com/news/entries/2009-06-28/fifa-gives-south-africa-top-marks-for-confed-cup.html Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:28:00