Municipalities around South Africa are wasting millions of rands promoting themselves and killing tourism in the process. No-one gives a damn about what municipal area… Read More »Municipalities/areas are NOT attractions or destinations!
In 2007, driving through Langebaan towards Club Mykonos for the first time in ages, I was horrified by the huge housing estates — many Tuscan… Read More »It’s time to debate the growth of holiday homes — major #gamechanger
There are hundreds of millions of Rands of foreign donor funding in these projects. It should be an embarrassment to every South African. Dear… Read More »This is Criminal Incompetence, Pravin Gordhan: do something!
I drove into George — the supposed capital of the Garden Route — at lunchtime on a Sunday looking for the information office. I found… Read More »George: why municipalities can’t run tourism
Mossel Bay has been on the up-and-up for some time and tourism numbers to the area have grown steadily. The town includes more rural areas… Read More »Mossel Bay — a rising tourism star
Most tourism offices whinge about inadequate budgets without demonstrating that they do provide value for money or create significant numbers of extra jobs with taxpayers’ funding.
Well, Swellendam has turned the “liability” of development on its head and gained itself a cash budget of R11 million a year for the next three years. And there’s much more in kind.
Brand Swellendam is the winner and it’s a credit to the board of Swellendam Tourism Organisation (STO) and the Municipality that this has been achieved. And to Peter Gratton for his dedication and perseverance — the submissions to DBSA were rejected twice before a visit to them convinced them of the benefits.
We (that includes Beezus) met Peter Gratton, who drove the project, and Rob Hicks, Swellendam Tourism’s development planner (discovering that we had crossed paths in a previous life) over breakfast at the pet-friendly Grace Walk B&B. It was a memorable breakfast in every respect… thank you Esther.
Rob Hicks, development planner, and Peter Gratton, head of Swellendam Tourism
Read More »A Lesson for all Tourism Offices who whinge about inadequate budgets
There’s not that much to attract a traveller to stop in the main road that runs through Robertson, especially if you’re driving eastwards. It’s probably… Read More »Robertson’s opportunities lost
It’s been an interesting first few days of travels, and one realises how much observations and thoughts are always formed by the experiences that went… Read More »Tourism will never be Helen Zille’s game-changer until there are lots of changes
Montagu is one the the Western Cape’s premier heritage towns and a rock-climber’s haven. It is a really great place to visit. But has it… Read More »Montagu is as charming as ever… BUT… tourism authorities need a wake-up!
Thirty years ago, Franschhoek was sleepy hollow personified, and very little had changed in the preceding 70 years. It was a farming dorp which attracted… Read More »How Franschhoek became such a successful tourist town