SA gets own international mag

The objective of South Africa magazine is to capture the attention of the half a million tourists who travel annually from the UK to SA on holiday, as well as international business people who recognise SA for its increasingly attractive investment opportunities.

The glossy A4 publication, published by the London-based ZA Publishing which has published the weekly SA Times newspaper in the UK since 1993, is packed with entertaining features about SA including travel, culture, property, food and wine. This will be combined with practical information on topics such as buying property and doing business in SA, as well as insider views by well-known British and SA commentators.

“As publishers of specialist SA publications we have watched the international interest in SA grow over the past decade. South Africa magazine will fill an important need in the market to showcase SA tourism and investment opportunities globally,” says ZA Publishing MD Johan Govea. “With the 2010 FIFA World Cup approaching, the spotlight is now firmly fixed on this exciting emerging democracy, which also serves as a gateway into the rest of Africa.”

"Vibrant diversity"

Said South Africa magazine editor Elizma Nolte: “We have tried to capture the vibrant diversity of SA, while showcasing everything that is excellent about the country. We are showing the world that SA is about more than just wildlife safaris and Table Mountain. It is a fascinating world class destination and deserves to be promoted more widely.”

Some of the highlights in the first edition of South Africa magazine include:

• A fabulous Cape Safari holiday to be won, including a stay at the award-winning Shamwari Game Reserve, flights courtesy of Nationwide and car hire courtesy of AVIS.
  
• An in-depth look at SA's stadiums currently being built and renovated for the first ever football world cup to be held on African soil.
  
• Jamie Oliver's right-hand man at Fifteen restaurant Tony Elvin talks about how he fell in love with SA and is relocating there.
  
• A journey of SA's World Heritage Sites as photographed by renowned nature photographer Tim Hauf.
  
• Internationally renowned actor and satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys tells it like it is in his column “My South Africa”.
  
• A sneak look inside the ultimate Cape Town beach house overlooking Llandudno beach.
  
• SA flavoured recipes, wine notes and a run down of SA's top 10 restaurants.

British celebrities Graham Norton and Martin Clunes were among the first to get their hands on a copy of the launch issue of South Africa magazine when the publication was introduced to the 700 guests at the Born Free Freedom Ball in London on 15 June. The charity ball, which aids conservation across the globe, had a SA theme and was attended by many other celebrity guests, including Born Free founder and actress Virginia McKenna, actress Joanna Lumley, GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips and model Caprice.

South Africa magazine will launch as a quarterly magazine, available at news outlets such as Borders and WH Smiths, as well as other selected retail outlets and by subscription. It will retail at £2.95.

For more information, go to www.southafricamag.com.