“Live Again” says South African Tourism

Can you believe that it’s been almost 2 years to the day that I started working from home on 18 March 2020. We thought it would be just for 2 weeks, which became 2 months and now 2 years!

As more people start the transition back to working from an office or at least a hybrid of working from home and working from the office, so too has our borders opened to vaccinated travellers who wish to explore our beautiful South Africa.

South African Tourism have announced their new advertising campaign to entice tourists to “Mzansi” (a colloquial and informal term for South Africa) and hence the name of this website – Mzansi Life and Style 😊

Here’s some more information about SA Tourism’s new campaign and some insight from the advertising agency that conceptualized the concept called Joe Public United.

Joe Public United is thrilled to join forces with South African Tourism (SAT) on a new global campaign called “Live Again” which is set to reposition South Africa firmly in the hearts and minds of international travellers.

With its diverse landscapes, cultures and creative assets, South Africa offers global business and leisure travellers a host of experiences, as well as a strong science-based approach to managing COVID-19. In line with this, the campaign captures and highlights the South African spirit of endurance, resilience and “ubuntu” as it showcases bucket-list destinations, adventures and experiences.

“As we collectively begin to live again, after two years of the pandemic, South Africa is open for business to leisure and business travellers. This is what we wanted to bring to the fore,” says Xolisa Deyshana, Chief Creative Officer at Joe Public United.

Speaking at the launch, SA Tourism Acting Chief Executive Officer Mzilikazi Themba Khumalo echoed these sentiments saying, “The Live Again campaign captures the country’s brand promise to inspire new ways, as travellers enjoy unique leisure, cultural, business and events travel experiences that will re-energize body, mind and spirit.”

“This campaign sums up South Africa’s offer to international travellers to take the opportunity to be inspired by our beautiful country and recharged by our people and everything else that is uniquely South African. It taps into this country’s renowned optimism and resilience that has stood this nation in good stead at every turn. Through it all, we have never lost our spirit to overcome, and we are inviting the world to experience our country and recover from the COVID-19 situation in the same way. We are saying it’s time to ‘Live Again’.”

In challenging travellers to live again, the advertisement captures the spirit of a captivatingly beautiful landscape, dynamic culture and people, vibrant nightlife and exquisite cuisine. Its production also served as a ‘proof of the pudding’ sampling of the country’s tourism products, with over 170 crew staying for various periods in over 1000 rooms across the country.

“This campaign is special to Joe Public United because it has as its core message that South Africa is open is for business, the tourism sector is open for business and we are ready to welcome the world.  The campaign resonates with our commitment to the growth of our clients and of our country. It is time for South Africa to reclaim its place in the international tourism space.  It is time for our people and our country to shine, while we inspire the world,” says Mpume Ngobese, Co-Managing Director at Joe Public United.

“We are also honoured to have been part of producing South African Tourism’s first ever global audio-visual marketing campaign in five years and look forward to it inspiring travellers to visit South Africa,“ concludes Deyshana.

South Africa is open for business and looks forward to welcoming travellers and to witness the growth and transformation of the tourism sector.

WATCH THE “LIVE AGAIN” COMMERCIAL BELOW:

21 Things to do on the KZN South Coast for under R150 this Summer

Wild 5 Adventures in Oribi Gorge. (Images: Supplied by USCT)

It’s time for #summervibes and #familyadventure, and with budgets stretched this year, visitors are looking for places that offer #adventuretravel that doesn’t break the bank! Fortunately, the #KZNSouthCoast stretching from Umkomaas to the Wild Coast has the perfect selection of exciting, yet affordable, activities to keep the whole family entertained.

“With summer on its way, many families are considering nature-based travel options that provide unique experiences within a reasonable budget,” said CEO of Ugu South Coast Tourism, Phelisa Mangcu. “With our many nature reserves and animal farms, the KZN South Coast has a wonderful variety of family-friendly excursions that are great either for day trips or for those wanting to extend their stay. We’ve compiled a list of the top 21 fantastic options – and this is outside of the 58 beaches, world-class dive sites and numerous tidal pools found here!”

#gosouth for these 21 activities under R150*

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Zeitz MOCAA WOZA at home online event

Join Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) online on 8 August from 6 p.m. (GMT+2) for WOZA at home, an evening of style, beautiful food, and art-making.

This virtual event picks up from the museum’s pre-lockdown WOZA Friday sessions when it would stay open late. There would be live music, art sessions on the rooftop, and museum scavenger hunts.

Now that it’s going online, they’re kicking up the lineup.

This month is all about style. The evening will include three virtual rooms: MOCAA Insights will feature conversations about fashion, MOCAA Making where attendees will be guided through art and food making, and MOCAA Vibes showcasing a musician and DJ.

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Terrific Thailand – Part 1: Patong

 

Start of Bangla Road – reknown party street in Patong, Phuket

 

Sawadee Ka everyone! That’s hello in Thai.

Let me start off this post by saying that this is NOT a sponsored post at all. I saved, hustled, waited, done my research and eventually we travelled to Thailand earlier this year. I have divided this post into 3 parts as we had the privilege of visiting 3 locations in Thailand. I researched quite a bit and eventually got a terrific deal via Holiday Factory. It was about R12 000 (ZAR) each for the Etihad return flights to Thailand, including all private car transfers and water transfers, accommodation for 10 nights including breakfast, and we stayed in Patong, Phi Phi Islands and Krabi. I paid for the booking in March 2018 and we flew in September 2018.

I am mentioning the costs because:

a) It was a really good deal

b) People always ask me how much it all cost

c) Sharing is caring 🙂

d) Once you do some research online, one can still find good travel packages, in this case it was via Holidayfactory.co.za

 

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Medi-Sculpt Aesthetics Day with Dr Anushka Reddy

Dr Anushka Reddy (left) with Actress Jay Anstey

In an era of Instagram and now IGTV, where everyone has the opportunity to have their own personal “channel” to broadcast whatever they want, living your best life (thanks for the payoff line Oprah!) also means having to look your best. And sometimes that means having “work done” but you don’t need to “go under the knife” for many treatments these days.

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