What’s popping in travel this week?
Airbnb wants to fund your wackadoo home ideas
Airbnb is on the hunt for the world’s craziest spaces — and will help foot the bill to build them. Whether it’s the next boot, UFO house or a 6-tonne potato, the first-of-its-size $10,000,000 OMG! Fund is seeking ideas from existing and aspiring designers, architects, DIYers and makers from around the globe.
The fund’s $10 million (R167m) will help finance 100 of the craziest ideas, giving 100 people an opportunity to turn them into actual Airbnb OMG! Category listings, which are Airbnb’s collection of the most unique homes.
Ideas will be judged by an expert panel for their originality, feasibility, the experience the space will provide guests, and sustainability.
More hotels are becoming pet friendly
Pet ownership in South Africa is on the rise, and the need for pet friendly accommodation is becoming a necessity. Radisson Red Rosebank recently announced that pets are welcome to stay at the hotel, something that its sister hotel in Cape Town had been doing for some time.
Rosebank hotel also hosted a cute pet adoption day in partnership with Woodrock Animal Rescue where guests and visitors were encouraged to mingle with the pups that were up for adoption. All in the hope that it would be love at first sight for many potential adopters.
God’s Window is getting a skywalk
The stunning area called God’s Window in Mpumalanga is receiving an upgrade. It will be a cantilevered glass walkway suspended off the edge of the cliff that offers guests a 360-degree panoramic view of the area.
In conjunction with the land claimants from the Blyde River, the local Motsamayi Group is forging ahead with the project and it will offer visitors a new way to experience God’s Window and take in the beauty of the surroundings. Other offerings on-site include a sky swing, a zero-gravity chamber, artisanal foodie and craft delights, as well as meetings and events facilities.
Visit Mzanzi for the annual township dish contest
The Blue Ribbon Soweto Kota Festival will be returning to Soweto in September. The fifth edition of the annual township dish contest will give chefs from around Mzansi a chance to showcase their creativity through a flavourful dish.
The dish will be made from a quarter loaf of bread and variety of meat fillings, fruit, and vegetables, relishes, trusted achaar, condiments, eggs, mopani worms, as well as spices.
All this will happen during a fun-filled day with loads of entertainment at the Elkah Cricket Oval in Rockville, Soweto on the weekend of September 3 – 4, the perfect township outing for adults and children.
The popular dish kota is known by different names, depending on which part of the country you come from. If you are from the north, you may know it as “sphathlo”, if you are from around the Vaal triangle, “skhambane”, whereas people from Durban call it “bunny chow” – though the jury is out on this one because a “bunny chow” involves a curry or stew and normally has a saucier texture.
Head of Marketing and Communications at online booking platform Jurni platform, Tshepo Matlou says: “I’ve been to many townships before and I’m yet to visit one that doesn’t regard ‘kota’ as its fast food of choice.’’
“Township travel should leverage events like the Kota Festival as one of the events that South Africans relate to because of its common theme, to boost township economies.’’
‘’It’d be great to see people from outside Soweto and Gauteng coming to the event and booking accommodation in Soweto as part of supporting local tourism and to experience Soweto,” Matlou says.