2013 set off at a cracking pace, with holiday festivities a distant memory and New Year’s resolutions mostly forgotten!  We trust this has been a busy and profitable time for you – we’re certainly receiving positive feedback regarding occupancy levels for 2012/2013 summer season.

GHASA’s new website design has been finalised & our developers are now dealing with the painstaking task of transferring everybody onto the new database. We do empathise with them – they deserve a medal.  It’s going to be a great new site and will be well worth the wait!

HOUSEKEEPING MATTERS

Please add these 2 issues on top of your To Do list:

1.    Business Friendly button:  If you’ve not yet done so, please complete & return the form we sent you.  It really is very easy and without it, you’re losing out on a great marketing opportunity. We know that on the existing website there is not much to see, but more details will be revealed on our new website.

2.    HOSTEX Gauteng 17 to 20 March:  If you’re in the area, please come & visit us at Sandton Convention Centre.  We’ll even give you a little goody bag for your efforts.

TOURISM STATS & FACTS

1.    SA tourist tally jumps 17% (Fin24 – 28/01/13):Johannesburg – The number of overseas tourists to SA jumped by 16.5% year on year (y/y) to 242 475 in October 2012‚ compared with an overall increase of 8.7% y/y in the number of foreign arrivals in SA‚ Statistics SA (Stats SA) said on Monday.
In October 2012‚ the distribution of overseas tourists was as follows: Europe‚ 146 550 (60.4%); Asia‚ 35 805 (14.8%); North America‚ 34 311 (14.2%); Australasia‚ 11 638 (4.8%); Central and South America‚ 10 822 (4.5%) and Middle East‚ 3 349 (1.4%).
Virtually all tourists from Africa came from the SADC countries at 521 290 (96.5%).
The distribution of the remaining tourists from Africa was as follows: West Africa‚ 10 345 (1.9%); East and Central Africa‚ 7 084 (1.3%) and North Africa 1 366 (0.3%).
This was one of the reasons why total income for SA’s accommodation industry rose by 9.1% y/y in October.
Total income for the industry rose by 12.3% in the three months ended October this year compared with the three months ended October last year‚ figures showed.  Total income includes income from accommodation‚ restaurants and bar sales‚ and “other” income.
Stats SA said that income from accommodation alone rose by 13.7% in the three months ended October 2012 compared with the three months ended October the previous year.
The rise was mainly due to a 6.6% increase in the number of stay unit nights sold‚ and an increase of 6.7% in the average income per stay unit night sold.
There was a 14.2% y/y increase in accommodation income in October.
The number of stay units available increased by 1.8% in the three months ended October this year compared with the same period last year‚ while the number of stay units available rose by 1.7% on a y/y basis in October.

Stats SA describes a stay unit as a unit of accommodation available to be charged out to guests. Examples include a powered site in a caravan park or a hotel room.
Stay unit nights sold also rose on an annual basis‚ Stats SA reported. Stay unit nights sold refers to the total number of stay units occupied on each night during October.

2.    W Cape visitor numbers soared in December (hotelandrestaurant.co.za, 29/01/13).  By Andrew Moth: Official figures have shown that visitor numbers to the major tourist attractions in the Western Cape grew by 8.9% in December from the figures for the same month in 2011. The figures were released today by the Western Cape’s Minister of Tourism, Alan Winde, at a press conference held at the Cheetah Outreach Centre in Somerset West.

3.    Robust 2013 forecast for global tourism (04/02/13)

WHILE leisure bookings for the 2012/13 holiday season reached record levels for a number of South African wholesalers and travel agencies, the latest forecast by the UN World Tourism Organization has supported the overall expectation of another year of growth. A stronger-than-expected fourth quarter helped push international tourist arrivals over the one billion mark at the end of 2012, according to the UNWTO’s World Tourism Barometer.  Asia and the Pacific was the best performer, up seven% South East Asia and North Africa grew nine% and central and Eastern Europe eight%, with Asia/Pacific at seven%.
Africa recovered from 2011with six%.
UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai, said the growth showed, despite economic volatility that international tourism managed to stay on course and called on governments to support tourism and recognise its potential to stimulate economic growth.
The organisation forecast growth for 2013 at a slightly slower three% - four%.

PREFERRED SUPPLIER INFORMATION

1.    The "Suedafrika-perfekt" guest guarantee!

When booking an entry on our REISE KNOW-HOW  website,

www.suedafrikaperfekt.de, we will give you a guarantee that you will reach new guests.  Read more on www.owner.suedafrikaperfekt.de

2.    Better Earth Natural Cleaning Products were again finalists in the 2012 Fairlady Best Buy Awards for their Laundry Gel. This year they will be bringing out a car wash gel and a furniture polish.  Please contact Kerry if you have any questions or would like to know about specials: Kerry@betterearth.co.za

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

We welcome the following new members to GHASA and look forward to a long and happy working relationship with you all:

Rosedale Self-Catering Guest Suite; Thai Heaven in Wilderness; Maison Sur Le Parc; Gariep Gardens; Goodey's Guesthouse; VIP Cape Lodge; Pomegranate B&B; Clarens Manor;  103 Vaal De Grace.