If the flight chaos hasn’t managed to put you off and you have flights booked for this great occasion, then consider these points when entering the country for the first time.

• Make sure you are inoculated and have had vaccinations against the chances of catching a number of serious diseases while out there. Be sure to check with your GP.
• Take a first aid kit with you as medical facilities, especially in rural areas, aren’t always up to what you’d expect.
• Only drink bottled water as the local tap water may not be suitable to drink.
• Always keep an eye on your belongings, cash and stick to the main tourist areas as crime is rife in this country.
• Finally, be sure to purchase travel insurance that covers you for the trip. Oh and let’s hope for an England win!

Many England football fans were today warned that the strikes planned by British Airways may prevent them from going to the World Cup tournament in South Africa.

This bad news was delivered by experts in the travel industry who said that BA customers would be the ones to lose out in the battle between the airline and the union, Unite.

As the strikes are to be carried out over the mid-term school break, those who had booked holidays with this operator would also be affected.

If you are due to fly out to South Africa or go on holiday between the following dates, your flight may be affected by the walkouts by cabin crew; May 18-22, May 24-28, May 30-June 3 and June 5-9.

Those fans planning to attend the World Cup this summer in South Africa have been reminded by travel insurance provider AXA to get the right policy before travelling.

This warning comes amidst fears that many people will leave this essential task till the last minute and arrive in the country unprepared. It is a well known fact that tourists will be a target for thieves operating in areas where the football matches are due to take place.

Alison Patrick, head of travel at the firm has explained:

“It is really important people understand the risks and that they mitigate those risks by being sensible while they’re away and taking out some insurance before they go.”

England supporters have been told to compare travel insurance providers to get a comprehensive policy that will sufficiently cover them for the trip.

A new working group has been created by the city council in Cape Town.  The main goal of this new organisation will be to establish inroads into the international cruise market.  The council is aiming to propel Cape Town to the position of a top cruise destination.

The reasons behind this move are that the city council has identified the cruise industry as a rapidly growing world sectors within the tourist industry and believes the position of Cape Town located on the southern end of Africa makes it ideally positioned to make the most of this increasing market.

The council is planning several initiatives to increase Cape Town’s exposure to the market including the development of a brand new liner terminal and the development of several marketing programmes to drive interest in Cape Town as a destination.

The development of the new focus group is also likely to run alongside the development of working partnerships with other cruise destinations.

A tourism mayoral committee member, Simon Grindod commented:

“Globally, the number of cruise liner passengers has grown from about 4m in 1990 to 13.6m in 2005.  This high-level service industry has enormous job creation potential, sustaining over half a million jobs each year.”

South Africa will be a high profile nation in 2010 when it hosts the Fifa World Cup.

In Cape Winelands in South Africa the Persia to Paarl Festival will take place later this month on 16th August.  Wine guzzlers from around the globe will be making a beeline for the festival to make the most of the opportunity to taste and savour the delights on offer.

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Tourists holidaying in South Africa were shocked and delighted when a hippo surfaced in the sea near the luxury holiday locations of the town of Barrito.  The hippo even sauntered up onto the beach before turning back and swimming off into the sea.

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