Top 12 Travel stories for 2012
2012-12-07 08:18
Things that inspire us to travel certainly can vary. Whether
it be a love of nature, wild life or simply wanting to experience a totally different
culture or rhythm to what we're accustomed to in our everyday life. Here's a
roundup of the most-read stories on News24 Travel...
12. Alternative camping
trips
Campers unite – this piece proves you have a certain
penchant for camping, we’d even go so far as to use the L word, as long as its
laced with a good dose of the
alternative it seems. If you missed it but need
some additional pointers for this specific genre of holidaymaking and
relaxation then take a look.
11.AA sells prime
Heathrow slot
As readers you’re particularly fascinated with the aviation
industry, especially when the content highlights how it affects your ability to
travel, but most importantly how it affects your pocket’s ability to let you
travel. The news that our national carrier decided to cancel its direct flight
from London to Cape Town and then sell a prime slot at one of the globe’s
busiest airports obviously peaked your interested on both these levels.
10.Python curls up in
engine
Animals do strange things. The stranger the better in your
opinion, which is why you loved this story about a couple being unable to head
to a lion kill sighting in the Kruger National Park due to engine trouble. Not
the usual mechanical issue though – instead a cold blooded python decide
it was the perfect place to get cosy.
09.1time founders to fly
again
More on the airline front. Low cost airline 1time dominated
headlines when it unexpectedly closed on Friday afternoon on 2 November, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and
even more holidaymakers and travellers’ plans dashed. The former founders,
currently being accused of mismanagement that allegedly lead to the demise of
the airline, have since launched an application for a licence to run a new low
cost airline. Provided it is granted, Skywise is due to take to the skies in
2013.
08. SAA introduces piece baggage concept
Following suit of many international airlines, the news that
South African Airways was attempting to improve profitability through ancillary
services got quite a few of you clicking. The new policy came into effect in
September. But SAA were not the only ones to do this in 2012, read about kulula's
baggage restrictions here.
07. Kruger impala killer banned for five years
Kruger is seen as one of SA’s most diverse wildlife
experience – recently though critics have complained of its busyness and commercialism. The issue was compounded when the speeding driver of a construction truck killer seven impala and only received a R2 500 fine. Public outcry ensured his penalty was substantially increased.
06. Pilgrim's Rest too white
It’s was a sad state of affairs for local tourism when
reports of the historic mining town of Pilgrims Rest grinding to a halt broke - with the initial story making our top 3 most read stories. The quest to find a reason for the demise of such an
important Heritage site sparked the claim that the department of public works was
trying to evict the existing owners because the majority of them where white.
As the matter stands the businesses of Pilgrim's Rest have secured an interdict against the evictions
and is said to be working on a strategy to improve conditions in the
town.
05. 2000 tourists stranded on cruise ship in Cape Town
The Mother City is known for its gusty Cape Doctor, particularly in December and January. When winds speeds reached 109km recently, the Port of Table Bay Harbour was forced to close causing the delay of the MSC Sinfonia's first cruise for the season - bound for Luderitz and Walvis Bay in Namibia.
04. Stowaway found dead at Heathrow
An incident that sparked security concerns for an Cape Town International,
when security personal where unable to apprehend an individual who had scaled
the airport’s boundary fence and then climbed into the landing gear of an
airplane that was taking off. As an added security measure all foreign flights
out of Cape Town now have a security patrol vehicle driving behind it before
takeoff.
03. Pilgrim's Rest to shut down
With accusations of mismanagement and the
threats of forced evictions of businesses that had been in the town for as long
as 40 years this story got many of you thinking about heritage tourism. As reported above the businesses of Pilgrim's Rest have secured an interdict against the evictions
and is said to be working on a strategy to improve conditions in the
town.
02. Skinny dipping hotspots
It’s official that no top read travel list would be complete without
a bit of skinny dipping thrown in for goose-bump measure. If you haven’t got
your au natural groove on just yet, you may want to take a look at this round up.
01. Chinese secretly copy Austrian town
Who knew so many of you would be so fascinated that a Chinese construction
company had decided to build a replica
of the Austrian village, Hallstatt – the fact that it was without residents'
permission got quite a few knickers in a knot. In fact at one point we were a
little concerned that the Chinese government was now spying on us - but we're still here and uncensored.
