Tuesday, May 15, 2012

CASA-ROSSA :HOME OF ITALIAN QUISIN AND CAMPING



                                                                                                                                                                       It  never dawned on  Mark Grilli,born in 1971 and his Italian wife that their love for travel will ever  make them stay in Malawi running a food and accommodation business  of Casa- Rossa in Zomba City.

MAIN RESTAURANT  AND  DECOR ABOVE THE ITS ATTIC INSPIRED by REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE THINK GREEN TALK

 
With his Finance and Arts background Hospitality 
Mark and me after a good laugh
business seems an easy task because the technical part of it like menu and preparations of dishes the wife takes care of them .She heads the kitchen.She has  worked in Italian Restaurants for many years.

"Seven years ago we were travelling in Africa especially Mozambique and we travelled to Malawi and we loved the country at first sight,then one day i happen to come accross the brothers,late kids of Mr Golosi former National statistics employee and we discussed the possibilty of renting their home" Mark told me.He giggles at the utter of every word.


The establishment consists of Main Restaurant,dome and two standing tents and serve Italian and other International Quisins.
'We regard ourself as a business without competitors because other managers of places here in Zomba they eat here from lunch to dinner and beverages.We are very unique hence no room for comparisons,"he emphatically said

We spoke alot and something on economic situation cameup.He buys his foodstuffs from Mozambique siting the reason of high prices.He gave me one example of cheese he uses to prepare his finger-licking dishes costs him k12000.00 and only found in Blantyre at one shop(name withheld)while  in Mozambique its K3000.00 equivalent of that countries' currency.He does his purchases in bulks and his figures still balance if a question about transportation and other costs popped up in your mind.

Next time you visit Casa-Rossa you will find Italian Pizza and more Italian dishes.This Place to me seemed a place where Zomba meets because there were so many clients by lunchtime and i was told that what i saw was part of the huge patronage they always have.

  

Me downing my drink after a good laugh with Mark
  CheesePlatter,Spaggette ,Orecchiette,Gncchi,samoosas,Chicken nuggets and Chips are some of the items you will get your mouth watering before its served on their well crafted tables.

The challenges of devaluation will not affect his business because he saw it comming and that this new government has done a good thing to busuness for making it official.Power failures are also a scare-scrow in this business and contingency messures are going to be put in place.They are closed on Mondays

Hey Mark "IWILL BE BACK" like Arnord Schwarsnegger in Terminator or the Beatles",i love this place.


                                                    For bookings : 0991184211
                                              email:infor@casarossamw.com
                                                   web:casarossamw.com




 

Saturday, May 12, 2012

MAJETE RECIEVES BIG FIVE FAMILY MEMBER AND 2012 INDABA

MAJETE GAME RESERVE RECIEVES A LION
It’s been good news to learn that Majete Game Reserve is receiving a member of the big five.
On my face book status I stated that tourists come all the way from Norway , Germany or Israel to spot the Big 5 and the Lion is the member to this popular family.Sadly according to Malawi Voice a One day patrol has proved that only one lion is spotted.Possibilities are very high that a tourist who has invested in a package inorder to see the Lion might come and only to see footprints and not the actual Lion.This has been embarassaing to the tourism industry and a country as a whole.We have to put our house inorder if we are to sustain the flow of our clientel.We are not  doing a favour to anybody but we are doing business here.
Many lions, Likomo, MalawiThis is good development to the forex shortage,this news restores the confidence that tourists had lost for Malawi as a reputable destination to potential tourist.

One last job to President Joice Banda is to merge the Ministry of Economic Planning with Tourism and Culture so as we change the face of economy tourism should be part of the products and service we export as we do with Tobacco.
Congratulations to Majete Game Reserve.

INDABA 2012 SOUTHAFRICA

IWas carried away with events a swiftly unfolding in my country and lost sight of world events that our tourism industry can be of benefit. In this blog post I wish to share a few things that highlight the INDABA EVENT. This information and details were sourced from :( http://www.indaba-southafrica.co.za/visitor/default.aspx#travel-tips)
VENUE: Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (Durban ICC), South Africa on 12 - 15 May 2012,
INDABA is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar and one of the top three ‘must visit’ events of its kind on the global calendar. It showcases the widest variety of Southern Africa's best tourism products, and attracts international visitors and media from across the world. INDABA is owned by South African Tourism and organised by Witch & Wizard Creative (Pty) Ltd.
For two years in a row, INDABA has won the award for Africa’s best travel and tourism show. This award was presented by the Association of World Travel Awards.
INDABA is a four day trade event that attracts well over 13000 delegates from the travel tourism and related industries.
Participants at the Indaba 2010
THE REASON TO VISIT INDABA
·         Its Africa’s top travel and tourism exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere.
·         Keep abreast global trends and new developments within the in the tourism and travel industry.
·         Meet industry stakeholders and decision makers face to face
·         Conduct business with new and existing clients.
·         Gain competitive advantage with a view to becoming market leaders.
·         Meet with over 1800 exhibitors from a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors.
·         Opportunity to network with key decision makers and stakeholders on an exciting and informative platform.

TRAVEL TIPS

Here are a few valuable tips (by those in the know):
·         Make accommodation and car-hire bookings as soon as you can. There are a number of accommodation options in Durban and surrounding areas including boutique hotels, self-catering apartments, city hotels and even residential homes to hire, but you need to move swiftly.
·         Start setting up your appointments and making contacts as soon as the relevant details are available.
·         Ensure you have sufficient business cards for those many meetings.
·         Keep scouring this website for details of events and happenings; you really need to keep in the know.
·         Remember comfy clothing, and comfortable shoes and of course your bathing costume and beach hat for those extra sunny days in Durban.
·         Don’t forget to choose a tour from the pre & post tours available on the website while you are at INDABA and explore the surrounding areas (if you have the time).

Thursday, May 10, 2012

LESSONS FROM SEYCHELLES';ON DEVALUATION OF KWACHA AGAINST TOURISM




Desclaimer:Unedited,My views

I hate the name they call it;devaluation of the Kwacha? i would rather put it as a CONVERTIBLE currency,free to float  and not a CONCENTRATED ONE which was  gluttony of foreign currency in the previous regime.Will people accept this or  framing my PHD on the wall and people  start believing in you  OH ! yeah, i will talk about the past because it is gone and i can ably rewind all of it at once but JBs regime give it time we shall see when we cross the bridge or should i just say they are wrong before we see one or two eggs hatch into monster   or  a good-chick.? tell me now.
To Tourists and Volunteers The central Bank has allowed you  to settle your local bills in any convertible major foreign currency or in Malawi kwacha again. It was the same bank under former boss Perks Ligoya who came before the microphone and  said that all tourist operators shall ensure that foreign exchange obtained in the course of business is deposited into the Foreign Currency Denominated Accounts (FDA) or is sold to an authorized dealer in foreign exchange within the country.
Hotels Resorts and other related operators  maintained appropriate records on all foreign currency transactions and submitted monthly returns/Reports to the country’s central bank. This statement came with warnings that failure to comply with the requirements will result in withdrawal of licence or penalties in line with Financial Services Act which has been shelved for my homework ,aah LAZY ME.

Last Tuesday just like we expect more to change not only Ministerial positions , RBM under the new boss Charles Chuka before he even booked for a weekend room night stay along the lakeside Resort to celebrate his appointment has  announced the devaluation of the local currency bowing down to the World bank demands to  devalue the so called artificial overvalued currency,exchange rate from K168 to K250 per United States dollar.
 This comes in the wake of the proposed Comprehensive Plan  put in four areas:
  •  Regaining macro balance,
  •  social impact and mitigation,
  •  Growth rebound – including where growth and jobs would come from, and
  •  the medium term agenda for productivity and diversification. 
Last time kWACHA  was touched we were told that it was devalued by only 10% from MK150 to US$1 to MK165 to US$1. This was the time The Late President Bingu WA Mutharika was still under this plannet earth.

 The RBM Chief clearly indicated that this devaluation, the kwacha is now fully liberalised, which shall mean what? Demand and supply power i guess.
This is the opposite of what the former head of state would have loved to see.He wanted a concentrated Kwacha which swallowed alot of foriegn currency in turn (I love to repeat this part)

LESSONS FROM SEYCHELLS ON FLOATING CURRENCY aka DEVALUATION AND TOURISM

Sychelles Tourism is one of the sectors of their economy contributing about 16.6%  of GDP apart from fishing .Bingu just like the Former President of Seychelles Albert Rene wasted  energy talking about the effects of devaluation rather than the advantages of the free convertible currency which given time stabilises and the economy is brought to a recommended normalcy per world financial bodies.
Rene tied  the Seychells Rupee as if he is the only citizen in the country. In fact scholars do not have a conclusive answer on devaluation so alternative measures should always be given a try.When they lastly though very late ,The Minister of  Finance of African Development Bank Danny Faure  wrote at the nod of the USD20 Million loan for turning around the economy he said: The liberation of the exchange rate regime has lifted the severe constraints on the development of the economy and the government is committed to the floating of the currency.(Rupee).
The African Development Bank document of SEYCHELLS Appraisal in paragraph clearly paints  the spirit  of a country that sacrificed alot to bail its citizens out of the economic hardships., you can read on ,patiently AND Agree with Charles Chuka when he said its a big sacrifice,echoe with Goodall Gondwe when he fearlessly said it was long ovedue.Seychells sailed in troubled water for just a year and some months and we need this big patience  as JB requested us to  go through this period and 18 months seems good projection.This is the only price to pay.
The Seychells Appraissal by AFB-come-on read on please so that we understand this necessary evil.
You can personally check this site   article: 2.2.5 (www.afdb.com/seychellsappraissal)
As regards the government budget, the overall fiscal balance on cash basis (including grants) moved from a surplus of 1.7% of GDP in 2005 to a deficit of -6.2% in 2006, and stood at -9.7% in 2007. In 2008, although the fiscal deficit improved slightly, it remained negative at -3.7% of GDP. These deficits, associated mainly with high spending in the social sector and net transfers to the parastatal sectors (accounting for over 29% of total government expenditure and net lending in 2007), have been financed by external borrowing.
As regards the country’s external position, the current account deficit deteriorated to -32.1% of GDP in 2008 compared to -23.4% in 2007. Foreign exchange reserves dwindled so rapidly that import coverage fell to the equivalent of 0.1 month imports by end-2007, before increasing to 0.7 months import cover by end-2008.
  First review of the SBA in March 2009, the IMF concluded that program implementation was broadly satisfactory, reflecting the authorities’ strong commitment and ownership of the reforms. The exchange rate has stabilized and the parallel exchange market has disappeared. Interest rates have begun to ease from their peak, and inflation is declining rapidly. Implementation of the frontloaded reform program has led to early positive results.
To major investors’ devaluation is bonus for tourist visitors, compaired to their  home currencies and this might increase tourists’ traffic than before.
They devalued by 33%  in Seychelles and it paid off in the tourism industry at last. 
The  the number of kwacha a tourist can buy for  foreign currency eg Dollar, the affordable the destination it becomes.Then one thinks we might be so cheap ,no not at all The turnover of such development will or forever turn around the economy because of  lot of forex and the growth of revenue .However Tourists operators should see this as  a longer term solution because some of the supporting industries rates of commodities' like for upgrades of property construction/refurbishment  might jump but in line with the liberised exchange rate.

 Sunbird Tourism the biggest chain posted 6% loss attributing to the poor Macro-economics environment which detered the usual good business they enjoy  the year ended 31 Dec 2011 according to Nation 07.05.12 published their financial statement.There is a ray of hope though.

This is another direction that should start with swallowing a bitter but energy packed pill.
Malawi can also get there like Seyshells

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

LABOUR DAY LAMENTATIONS FOR THE HOTELIER















This pension bill 
The least on the thrill
He toils,in the burning Mangochi sun
In hope of having fun
Guides them in bare foot to far places of pleasure and joy
They think hes robot or walking toy
He greets them and grins
Gets ridicules in turn ,”go back to xool and learn English”

The  shift  around the clock  keeps smiling
For bookings they keep dialing and calling
                                  The tips he gets an insult to labour laws
                                               He smiles  when they call him stupid and follows
                                          Has a monthly deficit in the miniatures budget
                      Hence he works on a bill racket
                                                She laughs and he thinks shes single and available
                       In pretence he poses as  lovable
                          in the biting cold of Mzuzu,Zomba
                                                     rises to serve breakfast at six ,from  a good slumber



Tuesday, May 1, 2012

SILVER LINING IN BINGU WA MUTHARIKAS' 8 YEAR REIGN IN PICTURES




 I was patiently waiting to wrap up the mourning period and probably waiting for the anger of many who did not share Bingus expertise in running the country simmer down.
Bingu might have offended malawians in someway or the other,he was not ECONOMICAL with his words when pursuing his econimics agendae.

This time he was holding a fort on behalf of Malawians he did a few worrisome errors in the Tourism industry but some must go to his credit without ommission.
The hereunder structures remains in the history books his success story whether you like it or not;
Karonga Chitipa Road

He did not approve of Gay rights,putting culture of Malawi first than anything Material
Parliament Building -Lilongwe
5 Star InterHotel
Maker of first Female President  in Malawi  in pursuit of 50/50 Campaign
Kayerekera Mines for the First Time in History
University of Science andTechnology
Kayerekera Mines
Driver of Change Award regarding Food Security
Zero -Torelance ,Mwawa was a Minister when he was fired after a fraudulent special client account at Mount Soche wedding Reception


Abundunce of food through subsidy Programme
Rest in Eternal Peace,the dead have no unfinished job,you did your part.