Domestic tourism is opening. No thanks to SA Tourism. This organisation kindly delivered to star graded properties a sanitizer dispenser this week. While grateful for a gift – there is no mention it was coming. No bottles of sanitizer with it, but a lovely stand, nonetheless. Do we need this? I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but it is like being given a car – without wheels, and not being told where to buy them.
Sisa, their outgoing CEO is a friendly engaging chap, but their understanding of what we need as graded properties and what this country needs for marketing and promotion, locally or internationally is close to zero. It is an utter embarrassment, and it is the MAIN REASON we re-engineered the GHASA offering. We are on a mission to do something in an area I know we can. Running a leisure and a corporate guest house, and having engaged and published and done marketing in this sector for 20-plus years, it kills me to see potential wasted.
People want to get out, and they simply can’t do what they used to, or travel where they used to – so that is good for South African properties and we all need to be ready. A farm guest house in the middle of the karoo, between Hanover and Colesberg is booming. Clarens this weekend is 100% full.
I am not sure who has walked the beach at Cinsta… it is, as a German who moved there told me one day – the finest beach in the country. Eighteen kilometres of flat beach as you turn left at Crawfords Lodge.
Sure, local corporate travel and the properties that host them are all suffering, but that is where we have to keep adjusting, cutting costs, and looking for new customers. Some of the more dodgy guests (booking for the afternoon) who are there for needs not in line with what we all hope; sometimes they simply help get us to the end of the month and keep settling bills – and we need to suck it up. Who are we to question guests’ values? We just don’t want our linen and accessories stolen at the same time. 😊
So, as we head into the month of May, listen to the great song by ELO – it’s called Hold on Tight…..to your dreams.
Regards,
Richard Lendrum & the GHASA team
