Partly because of the success of the recent FIFA World cup, tourists are exploring wonderful South Africa! When you come across that country, you may have heard of Cape Town.  From what I have been told, Cape Town is a sheer natural beauty with great weather, perfect for the pristine loving beach enthusiast, like me! This Majestic city is a jewel waiting to be discovered!

MyCapeTownInfo.com has successfully launched a booking search engine that enables potential guests the ability to book a hotel and a flight to Cape Town without having to navigate to other websites. This incredible search engine now allows potential tourists to determine the bulk of their travel costs in one place.

When a future holidaymaker is making plans to go on holiday to Cape Town they frequently have to find a website that specialises in Cape Town hotels and also log onto a few airline websites as well. What frequently tends to happen is a very frustrating search for the correct combination of flights and room availability at the right price.

The new booking engine at MyCapeTownInfo allows future travellers to search for a Cape Town Hotel and a flight in one easy step. The potential tourist can search for the lowest price on an airline ticket and best priced hotel at the same time and has the ability to match the flight and the accommodation to each other.

MyCapeTownInfo.com currently provides information about more than 300 Cape Town accommodation venues in the greater Cape Town area. MyCapeTownInfo.com also provides information about restaurants, Cape Town nightlife and leisure excursions to tourists.

Cape Town is an incredibly beautiful city that is located at the foot of the majestic Table Mountain. What makes this mountain spectacular is that it sits on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Pristine beaches such as Camps Bay and Clifton are known as the playground of the rich and famous locally and internationally. Accommodation options in Cape Town are numerous, with self catering apartments, backpacker’s hostels, bed and breakfast guest houses, holiday villas and hotels all available.

Tourism in Cape Town has grown into a major source of revenue since 1994 when the first democratic elections were held in South Africa and all sanctions were lifted. Tourists have been experiencing the beauty of Cape Town for themselves and returning with their friends and family for the last few years. The resulting demand for more hotels in Cape Town has seen new hotels opening every year since.

Cape Town has been voted as one of the world’s favourite long haul destinations by a number of airlines and recently was one of the cities to successfully host a South African FIFA World Cup Semi Final match. Cape Town’s pristine beauty is in essence still being discovered by the world. The publicity received from the World Cup translates into Cape Town’s singular biggest marketing activity.

The new search engine can be also be sold by MyCapeTownInfo.com directly to these Cape Town accommodation businesses allowing them to retain the interest of the visitors to their websites longer and increase direct bookings.

The introduction of the booking search engine on MyCapeTownInfo is a part of a larger ongoing website upgrade throughout the MyDestinationInfo websites worldwide that will enable other types of tourist businesses such as hotels and tour operators to also offer special deals directly to potential clients.

About MyCapeTownInfo.com:

MyCapeTownInfo.com is part of the global network of online travel guides MyDestinationInfo. MyDestinationInfo has partnered with bigmouthmedia, UK Fast and Booking & Co whose clients include MTV, Barclays, Sky and British Airways. MyCapeTownInfo.com provides accurate information about Cape Town in a fresh and simple manner and is focused firmly on quality information that benefits tourists. Extensive efforts are taken to deliver the freshest images and information currently available in order to showcase Cape Town.

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Wallet Friendly Destinations are the trend for travelers now. According to surveys, many Americans prefer to jet out to Asiaor, at the moment, to the World Cup in South Africa. The growth of travelers to Asia and Africa is not just about the dollar stretching further, it is also about appreciating the cultures of countries beyond the visitor’s normal experience.

World cup and wallet friendly destinations are the deciding factors for travel decisions of North Americans in 2010 according to data released by Hostelworld.com, the leading provider of online reservations to the budget, independent and youth travel market. Hostelworld.com revealed that destinations in Asia are experiencing significant growth in bookings compared to the same time period last year, while select cities in the United States are also seeing an increase in visitors. The World Cup is also resulting in a surge of bookings in South Africa.

South Africa is seeing the largest increase in travel bookings in 2010, largely as a result of the growing popularity of the World Cup among the North American audience. Compared to 2009, U.S. bookings to South Africa have increased by a tremendous 596%. Equally impressive, Canadian bookings to South Africa have increased by 550% during the same time frame.

Outside of South Africa, Asia dominates the destination landscape in 2010 for North Americans.   As travelers gravitate toward wallet-friendly destinations with favorable exchange rates, locations across Asia are reaping the benefits.

China experienced a surge in bookings by U.S. customers compared to the same period in 2009, with Shanghai and Hong Kong bookings up 73 percent and 34 percent, respectively.   Bangkok and Beijing also saw an increase in bookings over 2009 numbers with increases of 28 percent and 22 percent, respectively.

Canadian travelers mimicked their U.S. counterparts by increasing in travel to Asia.

Shanghai saw an 84 percent rise in Hostelworld.com, with Kuala Lumpur experiencing a 26 percent increase. Istanbul and Bangkok followed with growth of 24 percent and 21 percent, respectively.

It appears that many North Americans are staying closer to home, proving that “staycations” continue to be an attractive vacation option, as both U.S. and Canadian vacationers have increased travel to destinations across North America.

Popular North American destinations for U.S. travelers include New Orleans, where bookings were up by 45 percent, and San Jose, which has seen a 42 percent rise in bookings. New York and Miami remain popular vacation destinations up 30 percent and 28 percent, respectively.

Again, Canadian travelers followed the lead of their U.S. neighbors and stayed close to home, increasing their travel to popular North American destinations such as Miami, up 35 percent, San Jose, up 33 percent and Vancouver, up 29 percent.

“The economy and the World Cup appear to be the two biggest factors influencing travel plans in 2010,” said Hostelworld.com spokesperson Aisling White. “North American travelers are choosing to stay close to home to lessen their travel expenses or they are heading to select destinations in Asia where their dollar can stretch further. It’s also evident that interest in the World Cup is growing in the United States, as trips to South Africa have exploded in popularity.”

Related articles:

• World Cup and Wallet Friendly Destinations Drive North American Travel Trends (newswire.ca)
• Data shows reasons for optimism for South Africa tourism (vanguardngr.com)
• Asia’s wealthy surpass Europe’s for first time (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

The FIFA world cup is coming, and you bet I’m excited!  Unfortunately I can’t go to the host country and watch football with other enthusiasts,  but if I was given the chance I would love to go to  Africa with its rich  history and culture. I know travelers as well as  football fans will enjoy their experience but these tips would help them enjoy their stay even more.

If you’re traveling to the FIFA World Cup games next month, you probably know all about soccer. But you may be less sure about interacting with a culture that has survived a bitter history of race relations. Africa.com CEO Teresa Clarke lived in South Africa for five years and has 10 “insider” tips to help visitors enjoy their stay.

Before leaving home:

1) Weather at night: South Africa is cold at night in June and July. To make sure you’re warm, take flannel pajamas and socks for sleeping.

When arriving at the airport in South Africa:

2) Using cell phones: Rent a cell phone at the airport when you arrive. Your hotel concierge, tour driver, and others will expect you to have a local cell phone. They are very inexpensive to rent (many for $1/day plus local phone charges), and the major carriers rent them as soon as you exit customs at Johannesburg International Airport.

3) Best Place to Exchange Your Money: Get your rands from a local ATM. There are at least two major ATMs as soon as you leave customs in the Johannesburg International Airport. Exchanging money at your hotel, bank, or other foreign currency exchange window is likely to carry larger fees and a worse exchange rate than if you simply withdraw cash from an ATM.

At hotels and restaurants in South Africa:

4). The Water: You can drink the water. You may want to order bottled water to drink, but you needn’t be hyper vigilant. You can certainly use ice made from tap water, and eat fresh fruits and vegetables that have been washed with tap water.

5) When Seeking Information: Service people will give you a very confident answer (“Breakfast ends at 11 a.m.!”) when in fact it ends at 10 a.m. Ask important questions twice — of different people — to be sure you are getting accurate information.

6) Tipping: Customary tipping in restaurants is 10 percent

7) Credit Card Tipping: At a restaurant, you must indicate in writing what your tip will be prior to your credit card being run — at the same time you give the waiter your credit card. Once the card is run, unlike in the US and Europe, you will not have an opportunity to add a tip.

To avoid embarrassment:

Polygamy: Don’t be critical of President Zuma’s polygamy unless you know the personal histories of the people with whom you’re talking. While today most South Africans are monogamous, there is a decent chance that the person you are speaking to is the product of a polygamous marriage.

9)C onversation and Courtesy: When asking Africans a question, you are more likely to get a positive response if you greet a person first. It’s wise to begin in inquiry with: “Hello. How are you?”

10) Race Relations: Expect the best from everyone. Don’t approach race relations with US-based preconceived notions. Many blacks follow Nelson Mandela’s leadership in terms of forgiveness. Many have fond feelings for white South Africans. Many white South Africans were part of the liberation struggle, and are very liberal in their political views.

If you want luxury accommodations during your FIFA World Cup visit, Africa.com has partnered with the Thebe Tourism Group, the oldest black-empowered South African tourism company. For information and reservations, visit Africa.com or dial our toll-free number, 877-203-3323.

Related articles:

• Mandela reunited with World Cup trophy (cbc.ca)
• World Cup Brings Paypal to South Africa.. ? (siku-moja.blogspot.com)
• Cape Town, South Africa: The Mother City (trueslant.com)
• 2010 World Cup Preview: High-stakes game for South Africa (thestar.com)

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