In the words of many tourism is dead in the water right now. With Covid-19 most trips and holidays have had to be cancelled. Many lodges and activities have reduced staff and adopted a “care and maintenance” strategy merely to survive! The future will not be the same as the past. Things will change. Those who can adapt to change will emerge even stronger because there will always be a need for people to travel and visit.
The popular view is that local tourism will be the first to revive. People are tired of being restricted to their homes and many have “Cabin fever”. At the same time, they do not necessarily have the same money for discretionary spend. The Waterberg offers an attractive alternative to getting away. It is only 2 hours from Gauteng and in a relatively free Malaria area. The weather at this time of the year is unbeatable!
Lodges who can see their way clear to adapting to the local market and adjusting their prices and offerings will be the ones to survive.
Conservation hunting is another extremely popular source of visits to the Waterberg. Many fathers and sons are dying to get out into the bush as are groups of friends. We have already had many enquiries from visitors as to where they may be able to hunt (for leisure and under level 3 regulations). Please let us know if you have hunting facilities available.
Also, ask yourself: How can you offer day trip activities or adventures that are affordable and appealing to the local market? It’s not always about cheaper prices, but how you can add value and personalisation to your products and services that appeal to guests.
Keep your eyes and ears open for packaging and marketing initiatives that Waterberg Tourism is putting together! Or contact Judi at judi@waterbergtourism.com to find out more.
It is believed that it could be some time before international visitors will be contributing to our economy. In the meantime, we must ensure that we are ready to welcome visitors by having our facilities safe and by having good health practices.
Waterberg Tourism has developed a unique and comprehensive training program to help establishments become legally compliant and functioning optimally within the COVID-19 regulations. The program, COVID Clean, aims to ensure establishments have all the legal documentation in place, that their staff is trained and they have all the correct and functional systems and processes in place to ensure their guests, staff and community is as safe as possible from the spread of COVID-19. To find out more, call Judi on 083 285 2979, or send us an email at training@waterbergtourism.com
We are ready for the re-opening of tourism, and here to support you through it all!
Keep safe, and we’ll speak again soon!
Daar is al gans te veel uitsprake die laaste paar weke dat toerisme dood is. Covid-19 het to gevolg gehad dat die meerderheid vakansies gekanselleer moes word, met die gevolg dat baie toerisme besighede hule werknemers moes laat gaan en ‘n houding van “sorg en onderhoud” oor hulle fasiliteite moes aanneem om net te kon oorleef. Die toekoms sal nie dieselfde wees as die verlede vir die bedryf nie. Dinge gaan verander. Die wat kan aanpas tot hierdie skielike veranderinge sal moontlik sterker aan die ander kant kan uitkom want mense sal altyd wil reis en verken.
Die dominante voorspelling is dat plaaslike toerisme die eerste deel van die bedryf wees om weer aan die gang te kom. Mense is nou moeg om tot hulle huise beperk te word en baie lei aan “kajuit koors (cabin fever)”. Maar, op dieselfde tyd het die meerderheid mense nie meer dieselfde fondse beskikbaar vir vakansies en vinnige wegbreek naweke nie. Om daardie rede is die Waterberg ‘n baie aanloklike bestemming vir mense om te ontvlug. Bloot 2 ure van Gauteng af in ‘n Malaria vrye area, met ‘n fantastiese klimaat en verskeie akkommodasie opsies!
Besighede wat kans sien om hulle aanbiedinge aan te pas vir die plaaslike mark (in aktiwiteite, dienste en pryse) sal heelwaarskynik die beste kans op oorlewing staan.
Bewarings-jag aktiwiteite is ‘n baie populere tydverdryf in die Waterberg. Baie pa’s en seuns kan nie wag om uit in die bos te kom en tyd saam te spandeer nie. Ons het alreeds so baie navrae gekry van besoekers wat graag wil kom jag (vir genot en binne die huidige raamwerk van die vlak 3 beperkings). Laat ons gerus weet indien julle enige fasiliteite beskikbaar het.
Vra dan ook jouself: Hoe kan jy voldag aktiwiteite en ekskursies aanbied wat aanloklik vir die plaaslike mark is? Onthou dis nie altyd goedkoper pryse wat mense lok nie, maar bykomende waarde aanbiedinge en persoonlike dienste en aandag wat die dag wen. Hou julle oe en ore oop vir die bemarkings en spesiale pakette wat Waterberg Toerisme skep, en as jy meer wil weet, kontak gerus vir Judi by judi@waterbergtourism.com.
Dit blyk of dit nog ‘n rukkie gaan wees voor internasionale besoekers weer na Suid-Afrika kan terugkeer en ‘n bydrae tot ons ekonomie maak. Ons moet dus intussen seker maak dat ons geriewe veilig en skoon is, dat ons goeie gesondheidspraktyke in plek het. Om daardie rede het Waterberg Toerisme ‘n unieke en omvattende opleidings program geskep wat daarop gemik is om toerisme besighede wettiglik en bedryfsgereed te kry. Die program, COVID Clean, is daarop gemik om te verseker dat besighede alle wettige dokumente op datum and in plek het, dat hul personeel korrek opgelei is en dat al die nodige, korrekte en funksionele stelsels en prosesse in plek is om te verseker dat hul gaste, personeel en gemeenskap so veilig as moontlik van die verspreiding van COVID-19 gehou word. Om meer uit te vind, skakel Judi op 0832852979 or stuur vir ons ‘n epos na training@waterbergtourism.com
Ons is gereed vir die heropening van toerisme, en hier om u deur alles te ondersteun!
Kind regards,
Ken Maud
Founding Director – Waterberg Tourism NPC
