What do you get when you apply some of world’s best engineers and user experience experts to a multi-billion dollar global industry?
This: http://www.google.com/flights
Read more here – http://insidesearch.blogspot.com/2011/09/early-look-at-our-flight-search-feature.html
And here – http://www.tnooz.com/2011/09/13/news/google-launches-flight-search/
Big questions on everyone’s lips:
Will Google take a big bite out of the online flight booking pie?
How long until they start offering flights to Africa?
Only time will tell…
What do you think?
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) recently released the first edition of their South African Tourism Industry research report titled Making room for revenue – South African hospitality outlook: 2011 – 2015.
The tourism report presents historical data from 2004-2011 and projects trends for the next 4 years up to and including 2015.
All key hospitality industry factors are covered: visitor arrivals, bed nights, revenue, average room rates, room supply and room demand. The effects of the global economic recession and the 2010 FIFA World Cup are also discussed.
- Steep decline in South Africa Tourism arrivals: 2010-2011
Of the tourism industry’s current suffering status we’ve heard many differing opinions like: Mayday, Mayday – Cape hospitality industry ship is sinking. Others are a bit more optimistic saying that we’re doing ok, and maybe its just time to re-think South Africa’s Tourism Industry approach.
Whatever your personal view, the exact same graph viewed through a slighly different lense (long term trend highlighted in blue) indicates that the upward trend we saw for tourism arrivals to South Africa pre-World Cup, is expected to continue through to 2015.
- Upward trend for tourism arrivals to South Africa expected to continue
Well, that’s what the guys at PWC are saying.
And I agree with them.
What do you say?
In a (somewhat) surprising move, Google has removed all 3rd party reviews from appearing in Google Maps and Google Places search results.
There’s been an ongoing battle between TripAdvisor and Google for some months. The popular travel review site has asked Google time and again to remove their travellers’ reviews from the results Google displays.
We can only assume that the sudden decision from the Googleplex last night (21 July 2011) is related to the recent launch of Google+.
Google Maps and Google Places no longer show TripAdvisor reviews
I really enjoy spotting special Google logos.
Especially when I learn something (geekishly cool) from the logos like: Jules Verne’s 183rd Birthday, Les Paul’s 96th Birthday or Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s 110th Birthday.
Examples of past Google Holiday Logos
It’s very seldom that I actually get excited at the PROSPECT of Google paying tribute to someone or something by adapting their logo for a day…
So let’s just say I was rather disappointed to find that there was no Google logo for Madiba on Mandela Day.
Maybe they’ve got a policy of only commemorating departed heroes? Or maybe Mandela Day isn’t such a big thing overseas yet? Or maybe the guys at the Googleplex need some prodding and poking?
Regardless.
I think Mandela is worthy of a special Google Logo. Don’t you?
On a positive note, our team did commit their 67 minutes of duty in honour of Madiba. We even got a mention on the BBC news Africa website. Nice one!
And kudos to the printing company around the corner from our office in Cape Town. I spotted their equivalent of a “Mandela Google Logo” when I popped out for lunch on Monday.
Mandela Day Google Logo Equivalent
That cheered me up.
Happy birthday Madiba. Google logo or no Google logo, we love you.
We’re looking to hire a junior developer with sound XHTML/CSS/JavaScript/PHP skillz and some exposure to ExpressionEngine (or other CMS’s like WordPress, Droopal, Jumla etc).
We will accept someone looking for a dev environment where they can learn all there is to know about EE on the job, in a team which includes one of SA’s early adopters of EE, Luke Hardiman (www.newrelease.co.za).
Good starting salary. Potential for growth. Position available immediately.
Interested? Contact Andre
Earlier this month TripAdvistor users voted Cape Town as the #1 place to visit in their annual poll of top travel destinations around the world.
Cape Town #1 on TripAdvisor (photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/coda/)
What an amazing achievement. Well done Cape Town!
However… Today I noticed that Cape Town was nowhere to be see in the TripAdvisor TRIPWOW slideshow. WTF?
TA’s TripWow slideshow features is a fantiastic way for people to explore potential holiday destinations visually. It’s very dissapointing to see that Cape Town has been excluded from the Travelers Choice Destinations slideshow. Bleak.
I hope that the TA guys have some answers for us in the TripAdvisor Support Forum.
I’m please to see that Google is celebrating Africa Day today (25 May 2011) by including Africa in their logo.
Google celebrate's Africa Day by including Africa in their "Google Logo" today (25 May 2011)
Google frequently alters its logo to commemorate holidays, special events or birthdays of famous people from around the world. See previous special Google logos.
We have 3 digital jobs available in our web / content team in Cape Town. Please get in touch if you’re interested.
Related wiki articles: Electronic Waste, E-Cycling
The question of “what to do with old electronic office equipment?” plagues individuals and businesses all over the world. From Tokyo to Tokai.
Old CRT monitors, old keyboards, broken mouse(s?) / mice(?), defunct hard-drives, stiffy drives (who even uses those anymore) and all sorts of electronic equipment pile up in store rooms and server rooms in businesses across the globe.
Well, this exact problem has been on my mind for the last few months here at our offices in Cape Town (Discover Africa Group, 38 Hout Street, Cape Town City Centre, 8001, South Africa).
I had simply had enough of the old computer equipment gathering dust in our server room, so I did a quick Google to see if there was a company in Cape Town that recycles old electronic equipment.
Bingo!
Recycle with Ecycle Cape Town
I found http://www.ecycle.co.za/ – a company which specialises in electronic waste recycling also know as “ecycling”.
The catch phrase on their website says it all:
“Ecycle: collection, dismantling and recycling of commercial & domestic e-waste > easy”
The guys from Ecycle were friendly, professional and efficient. The same traits we aspire to in our travel divisions Drive South Africa and Overlanding Africa.
The folks at Ecycle replied to my email promptly, called me back when I asked them to and arranged a time to collect the waste material from our offices at a convenient time (at no cost).
And here’s the best part:
Within an hour of the old electronic equipment being swooped away from our offices, I received an email from their director, Florian Schiller, thanking us for “disposing of your e-waste in a safe and environmentally friendly way”. Attached to the email was our very own “Certificate of Safe Disposal”.
Great way to do business guys. Keep up the good work.
I hope lots more individuals and companies will be in touch with Ecycle to dispose of their electronic waste in an environmentally friendly fashion.
Related articles:
- http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/
– http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/solidwaste/Pages/ReduceReuseRecycle.aspx
– http://www.defza.com/notes/south-africa/recycle-reuse-sa-za/
– http://www.ita.org.za/EnvironmentalProgramme.htm
There are many things to consider when renting a car online. Follow these tips from Drive South Africa to make an intelligent car hire decision.
Tips for intelligent car hire include:
- Book in advance
- Know your vehicle requirements
- Check if the car rental agency you book with, have consultants you can speak to
- Compare quotes
- Check insurance details
- Does the rental company offer road-side assistance?
- Refuel the rental car before you return it
- Check cancellation penalties
- Check optional extras
- Return the vehicle on time
About Discover Africa Group
Discover Africa Group is an online travel company that owns and operates some of Africa's top travel websites.
Visit our Websites
Latest on our Blog
- Google Flight Search Launched
- South African Tourism: Doom & Gloom… or Upward Boom?
- Google Scraps TripAdvisor Reviews
- No Google Logo for Madiba on Mandela Day
- Wanted: PHP web developer with ExpressionEngine skillz
- Where has Cape Town disappeared to? TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Destination 2011
- Africa Day used in Google Logo Today
- 3 Digital Jobs in Cape Town
- Ecycling: Recycle electronic equipment in Cape Town?
- Intelligent Car Hire: How to Choose the Right Car Rental Company
Making a Difference
Discover Africa Group supports the work of the Tourism Community Development Trust in local communities in South Africa.
Proudly associated with
South Africa Tourism
Cape Town Tourism