T
o escape a snowy Western Cape in late
September, Stanford’s own Mariette du
Toit-Helmbold went to … Moscow. In
winter. Alright, that’s not really why she
went; formerly the CEO of Cape Town tourism, she
was invited to speak at the 2nd UNWTO Global
Summit on City Tourism hosted by the Moscow City
Government and the Russian Federal Government. It
wasn’t all smooth sailing.
It would appear, in hindsight, that the local
organisers did not have the faintest idea where
destinations like Cape Town and Melbourne were
located on the globe in relation to Moscow. They
did not think it inappropriate to make their guest
speakers and delegates fly at obscure times in
the morning, wait at airports for 15 hours or
stay at the Cosmos Hotel for a night before the
conference started despite what the official
itinerary says. Bruce from Australia tells me the
Cosmos gets full marks for authenticity. That is if disco
lights, stretch limos with suspicious looking Russians,
exotic dancers and grimy carpets are your thing …