9 January 2019
3
www.thevillagenews.co.za
Muted but successful season for Overstrand Writer De Waal Steyn
T
he bells jingled, the stockings were filled and another rotation of earth around the sun was celebrated with joy and happiness as the Cape Whale Coast successfully hosted thousands of visitors for the summer holidays. Although the peak holiday season started later than normal this year, mainly due to the shorter school holidays, accommodation establishments, restaurants, wine farms and other businesses all reported brisk trade during the last few weeks. Restaurants: “I was pleasantly surprised by the season, even though trade during the first three weeks of December was extremely slow. By the 20th we were filled to capacity daily and the trend continued straight through to the first week in January,” said Rayno Rabie of Betty Blue in the CBD. His sentiments were echoed by Rick Oosthuizen of Tapas above the Old Harbour. “After what can be described as a challenging year, we were delighted by the number of visitors to our restaurant. Although it was quieter than normal and we did not have the usual rush of younger people, especially students, early in December, we can still say we had a good season. In total, trade is down by about 10%, but one must consider that last year we had a good season and the year before was one of the best the town had ever seen. In the current economic climate, we are happy,” said Rick. Rudolf van der Berg of Burgundy says the restaurant had its best day ever on 31 December. “It was extremely hard work, but it was an amazing day in terms of trade. I have to thank my staff for putting in the effort and making not only that day, but the whole season a success. We are in the fortunate position that the restaurant is an iconic venue and throughout the holidays there were queues of people waiting to be seated.” New products on offer such as De Vette Mossel at Prawn Flats, The Wine Glass, together with their Chill Guru sightseeing bus, Hemel-en-Aarde Brewery, the splash water park at
Benguela Cove, summer carnival rides in Kleinmond and the Jolly Rooster Fynbos Distillery in Stanford helped to increase the variety on offer for visitors, and reported good trade. Events and activities: Cape Whale Coast Tourism Manager Frieda Lloyd said overall the season was successful. “The shorter school holidays did have an impact, but the weather was perfect for beachgoers and all the activities and events were well attended. “There was no shortage of events and activities and the increased number of Christmas Markets in the region were all well supported. Rotary’s Carols by Candlelight filled Hermanus Old Harbour to capacity, Hermanus First Fridays Artwalk raised a record amount for local charities, Stanford-based activities and events were well attended with the three music concerts at Stanford Hills almost sold out. “Gansbaai ended the year on a high note with an exceptional Danger Point Half Marathon on 31 December. Athletes stayed over in bigger numbers than before and similarly the Penguin March and Lomond Triathlon raised the stakes and indicated that visitors are keen to stay active while on holiday. There was also a definite upturn in requests for hiking routes.” In Kleinmond the beaches were full of cheerful sunseekers and the Boonzaaier’s annual Christmas lights in 15th Avenue were a definite highlight for visitors and locals. The 'Hot Summer of Touch' touch rugby series sported 47 teams and not even the bad weather could dampen the spirit. Accommodation: Hermanus Tourism received enquiries for accommodation throughout December, with mostly families looking for last-minute lodgings. Gansbaai and Hangklip-Kleinmond’s tourism offices echoed this trend. As has been the case the last few years, self-catering accommodation was most popular, with B&Bs and guest houses also reporting high occupancy rates. More expensive
accommodation options and hotels were not fully booked but did report vacancy levels of less than 10%.
"We need to make every effort to ensure that the coming year is a successful one for tourism, our communities and our economy" Wine and wineries: Paul du Toit celebrated his 20th December at Hermanus Wine Village and was pleasantly surprised, with a season that started earlier than expected in the first week of the month. This iconic business with its extensive selection of South African wines welcomed more international visitors than the previous season. “Clients attributed their reason for visiting us to the power of word-ofmouth marketing and they came looking for our unique selection of wines and the gin and brandy tastings that their friends spoke of. There was a 50% split between foreign visitors driving through for the day and those staying over. “It certainly helps that the Wine Village is open seven days a week, with extended hours ensuring that customers don’t arrive at a closed door,” said Paul. Similarly, Creation Wines prepared for the influx by opening four sittings to wine enthusiasts. They were also open throughout the week and extended their trading hours during the season to 19:00. Hermanuspietersfontein reported a better season than last year with an increased number of visitors from the Free State and Mpumalanga, as
opposed to drawing visitors mainly from Gauteng as in the past. Wine tastings were free during December which was a definite drawcard in an industry that has moved towards charging for tastings.
Both police and Fidelity ADT confirmed that Fernkloof was targeted, with an increase in both attempted and committed burglaries in the area. An upsurge in burglaries in the CBD was also reported.
Benguela Cove was busy, with many options for those arriving at this new Hermanus cellar. Most other wineries experienced quieter trading with the usual rush limited to a few days only.
An unintended consequence of the establishment of the informal settlements of Marikana and Dubai in the suburb of Zwelihle has been a spike in serious crime during the holiday period, according to SAPS. Although no official statistics may be released at this time for the second half of December, two murders, one attempted murder, two rapes and two assaults with intent to do grievous bodily harm were recorded.
Retail: Andrea van Rensburg of the Whale Coast Mall said there was good foot traffic during the peak season, with especially the opening of Food Lover’s Market adding to the shopping experience. “Although people tended to spend less than previously, they still took time out to pamper themselves and go out for lunch or dinner. The Whale Coast Theatre was especially busy and restaurant owners said they were satisfied,” said Andrea. Wayne Castle of PnP said they had a bumper season and trade was higher than last year. “We are very happy, and we will continue to build on the good work of the past year. We are confident that the CBD will continue to offer a good mix of businesses for locals and visitors.” Crime and traffic: As happens every season, there was a spike in crime in all areas of the Overberg, said security officials. Police confirmed that there has been an increase in burglaries and theft across Hermanus. However, SAPS points out that at least 25% of the burglaries and theft reported were opportunistic, a result of holiday makers leaving doors and windows open or forgetting to put away bicycles in the evenings, for example, or leaving valuables in cars. These trends were confirmed by Fidelity ADT, who said that during the December period they had 20 reported break-ins, which is normal for the month, but that general theft increased to 20 reported cases against a norm of 10 to 11 cases a month.
According to Xen Titus, Superintendent: Traffic Services, most road users abided by the law this year. “We had a busy, but thankfully uneventful season. The awareness campaigns to warn drivers against drunk driving and the roadblocks we held, were successful. There was only one fatality on our roads early in December and 14 accidents. “We operated 88 checkpoints where the drivers of 1 407 unlicensed vehicles were fined, together with 217 drivers who did not have licenses. The highest traffic count was on 27 December between 12:00 and 13:00 when 1 573 cars entered Hermanus.” According to Frieda, this year will see a longer summer school holiday of almost seven weeks at the end of this year. "We can only hope that the downward trend in petrol prices will continue to bring more people to our area and have them stay longer. “Nationally and locally the start of the New Year offers us an opportunity to move forward positively. For the Cape Whale Coast the season is not over. We look forward to focussing on our regional market and the international visitors who will be returning shortly, as they do every year towards the end of January. "We need to make every effort to ensure that the coming year is a successful one for tourism, our communities and our economy,” said Frieda.
