LOVEWORLD FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND ARTS OFFICIALLY OPENED IN SOUTH AFRICA ON 25TH APRIL 2015

Tourism in South Africa just got a Big Boost amidst the  recent incidents of violent attacks on immigrants. South Africa's blossoming tourism industry is under threat from the stain of recent incidents of xenophobic violence in Durban and Johannesburg.

The wave of violence during the last two weeks against immigrant communities in Durban and Johannesburg, is now creating repercussions for the country’s travel industry.
Travel warnings against travel to South Africa have been issued in Australia, China, Hong Kong and the U.K. The Australian government warned its citizens traveling in South Africa to “exercise a high degree of caution in South Africa due to the high level of serious crime.

Also the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government posted a warning on its website saying, “Residents intending to visit the country or who are already there should monitor the situation, exercise caution, attend to personal safety and avoid protests and large gatherings of people.” China and the U.K. have issued similar warnings

The SA government and many of the citizens have come out to openly condemn the Act, by making Speeches and protest march etc respectively.  In the midst of this situation the Believers Loveworld Nation Festival of Music and Arts was officially opened on 25th of April 2015 in South Africa in grand style.
These indicates that travel into South Africa is save and  the situation is under control and normalcy is been restored.

This is a Big boost to SA's threatened tourism industry as tourist from various Countries arrived to attend the  program including top gospel musicians from the Loveworld nation and several talents as well.

The Loveworld Festival of music and Arts is a  fully loaded 3 days of creativity exhibition, a festival Organized to show case the gospel in an extraordinary way. It is a fun-filled trilling exhibition of talents and abilities and anyone can attend.

The venue of the event is Nasrec Expo Centre Johannesburg.  South Africa.
According to the Organizers, it promises to be a complete package of Blessings unimaginable.

A PLACE TO VISIT: Jura & Three-Lakes La Chaux-de-Fonds La Chaux-de-Fonds,

Law Chaux-de-Fonds is 1,000 meters above sea level.
It is the birthplace of the  world-famous architect Le Corbusier, whose actual name was Charles Edouard Jeanneret-Gris. One of his early works, "Maison Blanche", is located in the city. He built the house in 1912 for his parents.

The City was the world capital of the watch-making industry for over a hundred years. It thus makes sense that the first house designed by the world-famous  architect and the International Watch Musuem are located here.
The cityscape of La Chaux-de-Fonds, was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009 and is characterized by a chessboard design that was created at the beginning of the 19th century after a catastrophic fire.

The international watch museum "Musée International de l'Horlogerie" (MIH) is entirely dedicated to the history of time measurement. It houses over 4,500 exhibits, including 2,700 watches and 700 wall clocks.

The climate in the Jura is harsh. On the lonely heights west of Le Locle is the village of La Brévine, which is called the Siberia of Switzerland, and holds the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded in Switzerland – 41.8°. In summer the Jura mountains are a popular place for walking and cycling, while in winter the main sport is cross-country skiing.

With these bits of information am sure you will love to visit and take a City tour of this historical city in Switzerland,  especially if you love wrist watches,  you can get your fill. TIME TO EXPLOUR THE HAPPIEST COUTRIES OF OUR TIME....

SWITZERLAND: THE HAPPIEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

The 2015 World Happiness Report has ranked Switzerland has the happiest Country in the world f4 closely followed by Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Canada, according to a global ranking of happiness unveiled in New York on Thursday.

The 2015 World Happiness Report is the third annual report seeking to quantify happiness as a means of influencing government policy. The United Nations published the first study in 2012.
Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia round out the top 10, making small or medium-sized countries in Western Europe seven of the top 10 happiest countries.
Academics identified the variables as real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption and generosity.
Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and one of the editors, said the top 13 countries were the same a second year running although their order had shifted.

They combined affluence with strong social support, and relatively honest and accountable governments, he told a news conference.
Countries below that top group fall short, either in income or in social support or in both,” Sachs explained. The United States trails in 15th place, behind Israel and Mexico, with Britain at 21, pipped by Belgium and the United Arab Emirates. France ranks number 29, behind Germany in 26th place. Afghanistan and war-torn Syria joined eight sub-Saharan countries in Africa - Togo, Burundi, Benin, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Chad - as the 10 least happy of 158 countries. Despite the conflict raging in Iraq, that country was ranked 112, ahead of South Africa, India, Kenya and Bulgaria

. The 166-page report was edited by Sachs, John Helliwell of the University of British Columbia in Canada and Richard Layard from the London School of Economics. “One of our very strong recommendations is that we should be using measurements of happiness... to help guide the world during this period of the new sustainable development goals,” Sachs said. The report would be distributed widely at the United Nations and closely read by governments around the world, he said. “We want this to have an impact, to put it straight forwardly, on the deliberations on sustainable development because we think this really matters,” Sachs said. 

Besides money, the report emphasized fairness, honesty, trust and good health as determinants, saying that economic crisis or natural disaster themselves did not necessarily crush happiness. Iceland and Ireland were the best examples, the report found, of how to maintain happiness through resilient social support despite the severity of banking collapses during the financial crisis.

 The Fukushima region of Japan also saw “increased trust and happiness” after the 2011 earthquake by allowing people to build their mutual dependence and cooperative capacities, it said. On the other hand, recession-hit Greece was the “biggest happiness loser,” down almost 1.5 points from 2005-2007 to 2012-2014, and where data points to the erosion of trust, it said. They said more and more governments are listening and responding with policies that put well-being first. Political consensus in Britain, Layard said, had fueled “a major transformation” in mental health services to give evidence-based treatment to 500,000 people with 50 percent recovery rates. But he singled out German Chancellor Angela Merkel as “the most interesting world leader” in responding to happiness data. He praised her for initiating a grass roots project “of very great importance” that seeks to find out “what people want to see changing in order that their well-being might change.”

A positive outlook during childhood also lays the foundation for greater happiness during adulthood, the report found. “We must invest early on in the lives of our children so that they grow to become independent, productive and happy adults, contributing both socially and economically,” Layard said.

So, are you looking  for happiness? Go to Switzerland

SOUTH AFRICA TOURISM CEO THULANI NZIMA APOLOGISES TO AFRICANS ON XENOPHOBIC ATTACK

NoTo Xenophobia: Says South Africa Tourism Chief Executive Thulani Ndima as he condemns the xenophobic attacks on African immigrants in South Africa by some groups of angry youths.

As Durban is ready for Indaba 2015, the Chief Executive Officer of South African Tourism as this to say in his address.....

I want to state that I categorically condemn the appalling xenophobic attacks taking place in the various locations in our country.It is with embarrassment and shame that I come before the world and especially my fellow Africans to apologise for these senseless attacks. I hold in contempt the loathing and subsequent attacks suffered by our brothers and sisters from the continent.

The majority of us South Africans, perceive and carry ourselves as Africans and believe what we have witnessed in some parts of our country goes against the grain of who we are as a people, our constitution, and the principles of Ubuntu that we so dearly adhere to.I personally extend my sincerest apologies to you.As my colleagues and I prepare for our Pan-African Trade Show, INDABA, from 9 to 11 May 2015, in the city of Durban, we wish to reassure all INDABA delegates and foreign nationals coming into South Africa that our country is safe for you to visit. 
We do not take for granted the support we have enjoyed over the years from our brothers and sisters throughout the continent in contributing to the growth of tourism into our country. We are also appreciative of the backing of our counterparts on the continent who have ensured that our flagship Trade Shows, INDABA and Meetings Africa, have grown in stature in the years they have been in existence.We are heartened and uplifted that this matter is being managed at the highest level of the land.

President Jacob Zuma has assigned the South African Ministers of Home Affairs, Police, State Security to work with provinces affected to contain the violence. Task teams have been established to coordinate the response. Additional law enforcement officers have been mobilised from around the country and deployed to the affected areas to enforce the law and prevent further attacks. Since Monday morning 310 suspects have been arrested. All district disaster management centres have been placed on high-alert and a 24-hour call centre has been established. Shelters have been set-up to accommodate displaced foreign nationals and basic amenities such as water, sanitation, and healthcare are being provided. 

Government is working closely with the UNHCR, UNICEF as well as non-governmental organisations to provide food, psycho-social and other support to those affected. The process of reintegrating those who were displaced back into their communities has begun. Community engagements are being conducted through the Communities in Dialogue programme, Community Safety Forums, Ward Committees and through Community Development Workers, amongst others. The South African Constitution protects the rights of all people living within the country, South Africans and foreigners alike and everything is being done within the law to ensure safety of all citizens and foreign nationals irrespective of their status.

 On behalf of South African Tourism, please accept our sincerest apologies during this time as we extend our hand of friendship to you. Please be rest assured that South Africa remains a welcoming destination filled with warm people. 

South African tourism board as worked tirelessly to promote their beautiful destination,  so unfortunate that a despicable act like this as come up, we are our Brother's Keeper and we should protect our Brothers. We are glad the situation is under control and perpetrators of these violence should be brought to book under the law and the government must look into the root cause of the matter and prefer lasting solutions to the needs of the people, be it unemployment etc.

South Africa is beautiful as well as Africa. Together in peace and love Africa must unite against Terrorism and Violence against fellow African.