{"id":207826,"date":"2020-09-02T12:11:16","date_gmt":"2020-09-02T10:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/?p=207826"},"modified":"2020-09-02T12:13:12","modified_gmt":"2020-09-02T10:13:12","slug":"western-cape-province-and-wesgro-invite-locals-to-visit-the-cape-with-wereopen-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/western-cape-province-and-wesgro-invite-locals-to-visit-the-cape-with-wereopen-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Cape Province and Wesgro invite locals to visit the Cape with #WeAreOpen campaign!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"\"September has traditionally become Tourism Month, starting with Spring Day on 1 September. While the weather is not playing along for visitors at the moment, it is heartening to see the Western Cape Province and Wesgro working together to invite South Africans to visit the Cape, launching its #WeAreOpen\u2019 marketing campaign today.<\/p>\n

Coinciding with the start of Tourism Month is the reopening of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, as well as the Two Oceans Aquarium. A host of museums throughout the province have opened too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Premier Alan Winde posted the following details about the #WeareOpen campaign yesterday:<\/p>\n

\u2018Today we celebrate the start of Tourism Month in South Africa. Tourism is a key job creating \"\"sector in the Western Cape, responsible for thousands of jobs, and the impact of the lockdown regulations on this sector and the people it employs, has been severe.\u00a0In order to promote domestic tourism in the Western Cape, the Western Cape Government and Wesgro launched the “We are Open” campaign tomorrow. This campaign highlights the best that the Western Cape has to offer, and showcases how the province can easily match experiences on offer elsewhere in the world.<\/i><\/p>\n

Today we see the iconic Table Mountain Cableway re-open for visitors, and the Two Oceans Aquarium also open its doors. Last week, we also saw a number of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports’ affiliated museums receiving the go ahead to re-open their doors, among them the Togryers Museum in Ceres, the Caledon Museum, the Huguenot Memorial in Franschhoek, the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum, the Shipwreck Museum in Bredasdorp and the Stellenbosch Museum. A number of others are also awaiting the go ahead to re-open.<\/i><\/p>\n

\"\"These are all signs that the Western Cape is open for local travel and we look forward to welcoming visitors from across South Africa to our province. Thousands of jobs have been lost in the tourism sector and your support can help to save jobs now. If you can afford to, we call on you to visit a local tourism attraction in your city, book a tour to experience a neighbourhood you’ve never visited or enjoy a weekend away in our province. You can also help to promote a local business by taking a photo at your favourite attraction, restaurant, or tourism establishment and share it on social media with the hashtag #WeAreOpen.<\/i><\/p>\n

Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, said that even though many people\u2019s international holidays were cancelled due to Lockdown, \u201cthe Western Cape is full of experiences that match some of the world\u2019s favourite destinations, and we want to show people just how diverse and world-class it truly is.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Travellers have been encouraged to photograph their favourite local eating establishment, museum, and tourist activity in the Cape, \u00a0and post it on Social Media with the hashtag #WeAreOpen. \u00a0The marketing campaign highlights the world-class locations of Cape Town and the Western Cape, \u201cwhere you will feel like you could be anywhere in the world.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018We Are Open\u2019 campaign builds on our efforts to support the tourism industry \"\"during the Covid-19 crisis, and importantly is also one of the first of our immediate action steps towards economic recovery in the Western Cape<\/i>,\u201d said Minister of Finance for the province, David Maynier.\u00a0The campaign also targets travellers across the country, particularly in Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Western Cape, who are looking for world-class and affordable travel options in South Africa, directing them to a curated list of experiences on the Discover Western Cape website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The campaign will also include the province\u2019s \u201cKids Stay Free\u201d initiative,which encourages families to take advantage of the offers for children to stay free at participating travel and accommodation partners across the Western Cape.<\/p>\n

Maynier is to visit businesses across the Province to highlight the great experiences and attractions on offer, and encourage those who can afford to do so, to support them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know times are tough, but if you can, please go out and support our businesses in the Western Cape, particularly those in the tourism and hospitality sector<\/i>,\u201d said Premier Alan Winde. \u201cWith the move to Alert Level 2, which allows for more economic activity, I want to encourage our residents to support local and small businesses. Please remember to always do this safely, by wearing a clean cloth mask in public and following the other golden rules.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Well done to the Western Cape Province and to Wesgro for this Domestic Marketing initiative. But please can they develop a more exciting image for their #WeAreOpen campaign!<\/p>\n

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The Corona Virus Lockdown (Level 5), announced by our President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier to commence on 27 March and to continue until 16 April, subsequently extended to 30 April, lowered to Level 4 from 1 May, lowered to Level 3 from 1 June, and lowered to Level 2 from 18 August, is an unprecedented event in my lifetime. I am posting my daily Facebook post to journal this Corona Lockdown Journey, perhaps to serve as material for a future Book.<\/b><\/p>\n

About Chris von Ulmenstein<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n