The day aims to foster awareness among the international community about the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values.
Tourism and rural development celebrates the unique ability of the sector to drive local economic development and provide opportunities outside big cities, including in those communities that would often be left behind. In addition, World Tourism Day 2020 highlights the important role tourism plays in preserving and promoting culture and heritage globally.
For many rural communities, tourism means opportunity. It provides jobs and economic empowerment to all groups, but in particular to women and youth. The sector furthermore gives rural communities the ability to protect and promote their natural surroundings, as well as their culture and heritage. In doing so, it allows tourists to enjoy unique experiences.
Tourism has experienced continued growth and deeper diversification to become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world. Modern tourism is closely linked to development and includes new destinations for tourists. These dynamics turned tourism into a key driver for socio-economic progress. Tourism therefore has become one of the major players in international commerce, and represents at the same time one of the main income sources for many developing countries
However, the COVID-19 Coronavirus entered most of the countries globally and resulted in a complete tourism industry shutdown. The South African Tourism industry was only allowed to open up after alert level 2 with the majority of damage already done. Looking forward, Alert level 1 starts on 1 October 2020 which will see restrictions on domestic and some international travel lifted.
As the Garden Route & Klein Karoo, the focus is primarily to restore trust in the tourism industry through promoting world standard health and safety protocols without taking away from the experience of the traveler and in doing so re-imagining the Garden Route & Klein Karoo as a preferred tourism destination. “We thus encourage domestic travelers to experience the uniqueness of our region and the diversity on offer with the support from our Local Tourism offices and their respective members,” said Mr Denver Johnson, Tourism Officer at GRDM.
The GRDM therefore encourages residents: “To go out, re-imagine and experience our backyard in the Garden Route & Klein Karoo; we’re open and ready to welcome everyone with an elbow shake, virtual hug and an experience that will urge you to revisit”.
Each Executive Mayor’s presentation was approximately 10 minutes long and focused on the following:
Financing and concessions district municipalities offer to Tourism SMMEs, including cooperatives;
Non-Financial Development Programmes;
Partnership initiatives with other spheres of government including other development institutions;
Donor funding to support Tourism SMMEs and Cooperatives;
Partnership Initiatives established with private sector including civil society and institutions of higher learning;
Policy response initiated in response of COVID-19;
Action Plans to reset the Tourism Industry post COVID-19; and
The Way-forward/Policy Recommendations.
During his presentation on behalf of the Garden Route district, Executive Mayor of Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), Alderman Memory Booysen, gave a concise overview of the district and its diverse characteristics relating to the Tourism industry which is a coastal, inland and rural region. He further elaborated: “We are home to a port in Mossel Bay which is under-utilised. The port requires official port-of-entry status, as well as expansion. The district also has a regional airport in George, which is currently pursuing international status. If this is approved it will lead to its expansion, especially with the recent oil and gas discovery in Mossel Bay. He furthermore referred to the quality of the beaches within the district, saying that most of the coastal municipalities boast with pristine beaches that have blue flag status. Also, with the region that is very well known for tourism events and taking into consideration all these factors, he said that the Garden Route is the preferred Tourism destination.
Coastal activities – Plettenberg Bay area.
When referring to GRDM earmarked as one of the “district development model” municipalities, Mayor Booysen emphasised that the GRDM looks forward to building partnerships with other spheres of Government, including the sharing of resources and intellectual property for this model to work.
He furthermore mentioned the District’s relationships with stakeholders, referring to the engagement platform with the Premier of the Western Cape and said: “The Premier provides access to all five district mayors to participate in the Extended Cabinet meeting. These meetings are also represented by cluster leaders, such as Safety, Post-Covid-19 Economic Recovery, Tourism etc., to keep all municipalities aligned with the vision of the Western Cape Provincial Government.
Alderman Booysen raised his concerns regarding the district’s support to businesses. With regard to Small, Medium, Macro Enterprises (SMMEs). He further elaborated that the cost-containment regulations prohibit the municipality from providing the best possible support to SMMEs, as well as processes that are delayed as a result of red tape. “Some processes have to be directed to other spheres of Governments for their approvals or to be concluded,” he emphasised. With reference to support programmes for spaza shops and general dealers, Alderman Booysen said that GRDM have been working with the banks (Nedbank, Standard Bank) and SEDA for the successful roll-out of this programme in the district. Support with regards to items and equipment is also provided to SMME’s to assist them in keeping their businesses open and expanding it.
Alderman Booysen made mention of a Webishop that was held in collaboration with all local municipalities on 12 August 2020. This WebiShop aimed to address several topics relevant to re-imagining the Garden Route in an innovative and creative way post the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown period. It also provided a platform for representatives from various think tanks, based locally and internationally, to share how they do things differently in a streamlined way to enable a “next” normal. Presenters logged in from as far as the United Kingdom and Finland to share their ideas.
The themes and topics discussed provided a perfect baseline from which to begin with a process of re-imagining the Garden Route. He said: “More sector specific workshops are envisaged to take place between September and October 2020 and by the end of October, a final economic recovery plan would be ready as a result of these engagements,” Mayor Booysen added. Furthermore, a memorandum of understanding with tertiary institutions in the region is in place to allow these institutions to assist the Garden Route with the turnaround of the economy.
GRDM furthermore embarked on many other campaigns, such as the launching of the Business support campaign. To assist businesses to recover, remain open and keep their current employees post-COVID-19.
September is also Tourism month, with a specific focus on boosting tourism and rural development. These role players are critical and play a major role towards the development of rural communities through measures that could alleviate poverty, create jobs and stimulate the economy. The impact of COVID-19 on the Tourism sector was devastating, causing most businesses not to operate for months. This resulted in many communities to losing their income streams.
Garden Routers were invited to participate in a campaign which aimed to boost the visibility of small businesses on social media. This could be done by posting a positive review of a business you often support to your personal profile on social media using the hashtags (#gardenrouteandme and #myfavouritebusiness), Mayor Booysen explained.
As COVID-19 was the key element of the presentation, Mayor Booysen further spoke about how GRDM is dealing with COVID-19 through various partnerships. He elaborated that safety kits and masks were distributed in collaboration with local municipalities and the Department Economic Development and Tourism to SMME’s in hotspot areas, to ensure client and employee safety and that the district made provision for isolation facilities in the areas of Mossel Bay to accommodate more than 200 beds. GRDM also made two of its resorts available in preparation of any eventuality that might occur in relation to COVID-19. Due to partnerships with clusters and discussions with the business chambers in the region, Mayor Booysen highlighted and said that these chambers did surveys regarding the impact of the COVID-19 within various sectors such as construction, tourism etc. He said: “These Chambers came back with reports that indicated that the district have to go into overdrive for the economy to be revived”.
The Garden Route is home to many world-class golf courses, Mayor Booysen confirmed that all these golf courses qualify to be part of the world calendar. Adding to this he said: “Mr Ernie Els who is a world renowned golf champion, engaged with GRDM regarding a plan to attract golfers and the golf community around the world to the district through the hosting of a golf tournament. “However, as District Municipality we are still constrained with the cost containment regulations”.
All inputs made by the Executive Mayors will be compiled into a report in preparation of recommendations that will be presented to the National Council of Provinces for consideration.
The Cape Town Weather Office has issued the following weather alert:
Hazard : Damaging Winds
Alert Level: Advisory
Valid From (SAST): 25/09/20 – 00h00
Valid To (SAST): 25/09/20 – 00h00
A strong north westerly to westerly winds (50 to 60km/h) are expected over the Central and Little Karoo District (Western Cape) on Friday (25/09/20200) late morning until early evening.
Description: Dangerous veld/bush fire conditions
Whenever there are prolonged periods of little and no rain coupled with warm dry winds, veldt or bush fires can easily be sparked and will spread rapidly in strong winds.
Precautions: Dangerous veld/bush fire conditions
Don’t make fires in the open and/or leave fires unattended. Don’t throw cigarette butts out of cars or in the open veldt. Don’t throw bottles in the veldt as they can magnify the sun’s rays and start fires. Prepare and maintain fire breaks in a controlled manner. In the case of a large fire report it immediately and move away from the area to let the professionals deal with it. Never throw water onto a fire started by an electrical fault or fires started by oil or paraffin lamps. In this case, sand or a blanket should be used to smother the fire. Listen to the radio or TV for warnings and obey the instructions from disaster management officers.
Contact the Garden Route Disaster Management Centre at 044 805 5071 to report any severe weather related incidents.
The Western Cape Government has estimated that 170 000 jobs will be lost due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is thus critical that a fund providing relief to businesses operating in the Western Cape Province be implemented to minimise the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The purpose of the Fund is to alleviate the economic impact on small and micro enterprises operating in the Western Cape caused by COVID-19. The Fund will provide relief in the form of financial grants to the affected enterprises.
In providing support and assistance to selected businesses, the objective of the Fund is to contribute to the sustainability of qualifying Western Cape enterprises i.e. for the assisted enterprises to remain going concerns (sustainability) during the C-19 crisis in order to emerge (post the crisis) as viable labour-absorbing businesses
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
The application guideline, which must be reviewed before submitting your application can be downloaded here
Media Release: George Hospital one of ONLY six in the World
For Immediate Release
18 September 2020
George Hospital is one of only six hospitals in the world that were selected to participate in The Balcony Bands Mural Project by painting six murals that depict the coming together of people during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The multi-panel design is based on real life stories of people bringing joy to their neighbours during periods of lockdown. The design is painted on six continents in the countries where the stories took place: Italy, Brazil, South Africa, Iraq, Australia, and the United States.
The paintings displayed at George Hospital
The paintings were unveiled on Friday, 18 September, at The Balcony Bands event. Singer Elvis Blue and local artists entertained staff at George Hospital at The Balcony Bands event.
“The paintings serve as a reminder of the strength of the human spirit and how we responded as a hospital, and a global community. It is a testimony to the determination and resilience of all the Health Care Workers at George Hospital who joined together to care for patients with SARS-CoV-2 during the 2020 pandemic. The Balcony Bands Mural Project was a tremendous opportunity for staff to participate in a creative and stimulating activity, away from the frontline and support their emotional wellbeing. We are excited to unveil the completed project today,” says George Hospital CEO Michael Vonk.
Staff painting the six murals
Staff had the opportunity over two days in August to put brush to canvas and create a finished product that will be viewed by staff and patients for years to come, reflecting on 2020 and its challenges. The project was initiated and funded by Foundation for Hospital Art: FFHA, an international non-profit organisation (www.hospitalart.org).
George Hospital would like to thank the following persons for making this event a memorable one: Elvis Blue (artist), Musi-sean (artist), Lynette De Jager (artist), Maria van Rooyen (staff member and artist), Coenraad (artist), Hanly Jumat (artist), Deidre Cloete (photographer), Jacques van der Merwe (videographer), Marais Kruger ( MC), and SND Productions for the sound and stage. We would also like to thank the staff responsible for all the arrangements. Also, a huge thank you for the George Community and their support during the pandemic.
Coenrad Claassen(staff), Maria van Rooyen (staff), Lodelia Odendaal (staff) and Elvis Blue (artist).
More about The Foundation for Hospital Art
The Foundation for Hospital Art was established in 1984 and is dedicated to involving patients and volunteers worldwide to create colourful, soothing artwork donated to hospitals to help soften the often stressful hospital experience. Throughout the years, over 1 000 000 volunteers and patients have united to create over 48 000 paintings for over 6 000 hospitals in 195 countries.
Fighting COVID-19 is a collective responsibility. Therefore, this guideline is developed to guide churches and places of worship to adhere to the golden rules of COVID-19 to curb the spread of the disease.
The virus can spread in churches and places of worship through singing, shouting, talking, preaching, sneezing and coughing. It can also spread if social distancing and no physical touching protocols are not adhered to.
Everyone should be aware that returning to place of worship will be different and a lot of adjustments need to be made. All churches are different and it is important that these principles should be viewed as a guide in developing their own document.
For more information, contact:
Mr Johan Compion,
Manager: Municipal Health & Environmental Services
Tel: 044-803 1300 / 044-803 1525
E-mail: jcompion@gardenroute.gov.za
The African Footprints of Hope Organisation, in partnership with Construction SETA, offers an opportunity to 50 (fifty) unemployed young people who wish to participate in the Apprenticeship Programme in Bricklaying for a period of 3 years.
Applications are invited from qualified unemployed candidates residing within the Garden Route District municipal area of jurisdiction with the minimum requirement of Grade 09.
Contact Person: Reginald Salmons at 044 803 1363
(During office hours (Monday to Thursday (7:30 to 16:30) and Friday (7:30 to 13:00).
Closing date: 23 September 2020.
(All applications to be submitted on/or before close of business. No late applications will be considered. (Commencement date: Subject to CETA approval)
Media Alert: Executive Mayor to present the Garden Route’s ‘COVID-19 Policy Response to the Tourism Sector’ to National Parliament
For Immediate Release 15 September 2020
The Executive Mayor of Garden Route District Municipality, Alderman Memory Booysen, will at 19:40 this evening present the Garden Route’s ‘COVID-19 Policy Response to the Tourism Sector’ to the Select Committee on Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Tourism, Employment and Labour. The engagement is hosted by the Committee on behalf of the National Parliament.
All Mayors who will present their response plans are required to specifically focus on the followings aspects, namely:
-Financing that the District Municipality offers Tourism SMMEs including Cooperatives;
-Concessions and incentives that the district municipality offers Tourism SMMEs and Cooperatives;
-Non-Financial Development Programmes;
-Partnership initiatives with other spheres of government including other development institutions;
-Donor funding to support Tourism SMMEs and Cooperatives;
-Partnership Initiatives established with private sector including civil society and institutional of higher learning;
-Policy response initiated in response of COVID-19;
-Action Plans to reset the Tourism Industry post COVID-19; and
-The way-forward/Policy Recommendations.
This engagement started at 14:00 today and is expected to conclude at 21:00.
