Tidbits

Meetings’ must-know minutiae

Egypt launches first-ever low-cost airline

A new low-cost airline is preparing for take-off in Egypt. It was announced on 8 July 2022 that Air Sphinx will begin its flight schedule during the 2022/23 Egyptian winter.

“The Cabinet was briefed by the start of procedures in preparation for launching a low-cost activity ‘Air Sphinx’, which is scheduled to start from the winter schedule for 2022/23 from the Egyptian airports in Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh, Luxor, Sphinx and Cairo, in order to activate the movement of tourism arriving to Egypt from different countries,” stated a press release.

Air Sphinx is a subsidiary of EgyptAir, the country’s official carrier. The newly launched airline will fly domestic and international routes and aims to provide competitive pricing within Egypt’s travel market.

Boardwalk Mall completion on track for Q3-2022

The much-anticipated completion of the Boardwalk Mall in Summerstrand, Gqeberha, is gaining momentum, with developers reporting that the final phase is now 80% complete and on track for completion for its official opening on 22 September 2022.

“The mall will introduce the first Checkers, Woolworths Food and Dis-Chem stores to the Summerstrand area while also providing all the convenience and choice of a Pick n Pay, Clicks and the very latest cinema upgrade from NuMetro,” Paul Gerard, managing director of the Flanagan & Gerard Property Group, was quoted as saying. The developer is part of the Sun International Group.

In addition to the mall, the Boardwalk complex will be home to the Sunpark Events Arena – a new 2 500 m2 events arena.

“The Sunpark Events Arena will add to the lifestyle and entertainment activities on offer and provides an exceptional quality Eastern Cape venue for the legendary events that Sun International hosts around the country,” noted Paul.

STRONG PR launches dynamic organisation

In combining their collective industry expertise, the founders of STRONG PR, Marketing and Events – Mika Stefano, Herkie Du Preez and Jerri Mokgofe – have come together to launch a one-stopservice agency.

According to its founders, “Edgy, fun, dynamic, creative, established, goal-driven, supportive, strategic and dependable” are words that best describe this new media agency, which was launched in mid-July.

Established and experienced is what more people look for when searching for a firm to represent them. STRONG PR, Marketing and Events embodies these traits. And with a ‘no-excuses’ attitude, the agency is set to shake up the industry.

Sojern announces expansion into South Africa

Following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions in South Africa less than a month ago, Sojern has announced its entry into the country with a new trends report.

It was expected that tourism activity in South Africa would quickly ramp up after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted on 22 June 2022. Sojern, a digital marketing platform built for travel marketers, is positioning itself to take advantage of the increased activity and has announced its foray into the country.

“With South Africa remaining a top travel destination for global travellers, we see lots of opportunities for growth throughout 2022. We look forward to building Sojern’s operations and supporting the local travel industry in its rebound,” the company commented.

You can access Sojern’s full South Africa Travel Trends report at theplannerguru.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/SATrends-Report.pdf.