Tag Archives: Tourism Minister

Franschhoek: From Gourmet Town to ‘Ghost Town’?: the effect of the Corona Virus pandemic!

 

News 24 published an article this weekend about the plight of businesses in Franschhoek. It paints a horrific picture of the once famous Gourmet Town, known for its top Restaurants and boutique wineries, to what one business owner speculated could become a ‘Ghost Town’ if tourists do not return to it soon.

Franschhoek, like many other towns and cities in our country, has been hard hit by the Corona Virus pandemic, the South African one-year anniversary of its Lockdown to be ‘celebrated’ later this week. The new South African Virus mutation has made our country very unattractive to visit by international tourists, which probably are the type of tourists South African tourism businesses would love to see return. Continue reading →

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 60 of Level 3, 30 July 2020.

 

Thursday 30 July 2020, Day 60 of Level 3, after 66 days of Levels 5 and 4 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for a beautiful day, also 18C, but it felt warmer than yesterday; for a lazy morning, yesterday’s Quentin’s Restaurant Review rolling into today, leading me to go on a mid-morning walk to check out a police roadblock I heard about, but it had already finished, so I went shopping at Woolies instead; for the good news that my official Tourist Guide card is ready, and that I can fetch it on Tuesday – the department only opens twice a week, even though Tourist Guides have officially been allowed back in business since the beginning of June ; for listening to a National Tourist Guides Association webinar about claiming for the Tourist Guide Relief Fund, it finding one and one not having to fill in any forms – the question is if I am on the provincial list already, as it took them two months to register us!; for the surprise of our Tourism Minister making an announcement about the Curfew being pushed back by an hour, to give some relief to the Restaurant industry, unexpected that a national regulation is changed for the sake of Restaurants and diners; for another walk to Camps Bay, and more shopping at Woolies, bringing a shopping bag this time, and spending time at the Tidal Pool, savouring the reflections in it; for receiving delivery of a special top from Out of the Blue, a bargain I saw on their Instagram account, and fitting perfectly; for a good dose of Vit D on the terrace; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙 Continue reading →

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 26 of Level 3, 26 June 2020.

 

Friday 26 June 2020, Day 26 of Level 3, after 66 days of Levels 4 and 5. 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for a most fabulous day, everything just falling into place; for being so happy with my 🐱 family; for the rain and clouds clearing after rain overnight; for a busy work morning; for the most stunning rainbow 🌈 I saw on my way home, when it started raining, but the end result pic of it was so amazing that it did not matter at all that I got wet; for a good walk to Clifton Fourth Beach; for tea with Debbie, the owner of Sorbet Camps Bay, who showed me the new protocols in her shop; for having the most amazing luck with my photographs, the sunset ones earlier this week, and the Rainbow one today, posting them in Facebook Groups which are just about pretty pictures, not having known about them before, having massively high member numbers (in the 30000s) so it is not hard to get over 1000 likes for a photograph (In my next life I’m coming back as a photographer 😱); for boldly and professionally writing to Sandak-Lewin, our apartment block managing agents, documenting all the issues we have with our Portfolio Manager, a huge relief when I got this off my chest; for dancing 💃 to Kfm out of happiness this afternoon; for a lovely honest chat with Stuart Bailey; and for being very happy and healthy. 🙏💙 Continue reading →

Western Cape Tourism Minister Alan Winde warns tourists to ‘Travel Safely this Summer’!

Cape Town StadiumYesterday Western Cape Tourism Minister Alan Winde welcomed tourists to Cape Town and the province, and issued a safety warning to tourists, a surprise in its communication that our region may not be safe.

The timing of the Minister’s media statement is odd, being late in welcoming tourists, who have been in the city and province since the start of the summer season beginning in October.  The safety warning would make it appear that Cape Town and the Western Cape are really dangerous destinations, a shame if this is how tourists would interpret the Minister’s safety guidelines.   Perhaps the Minister forgets that any crime hotspots (and they are really only Signal Hill at night and hiking tracks in the Table Mountain National Park) will be pointed out to guests of hotels and guest houses, when they discuss their plans for the day, and probably are pointed out in guide books and on websites too.  Advising tourists to call 10111 is a bad call, as they would show up the emergency number as the most inefficient service, especially if the tourist were to be Continue reading →