THE VILLAGE
NEWS
30 SEPTEMBER 2020 YOUR FREE COPY #ALLOVEROVERBERG The next issue of The Village NEWS will be out on 7 October 2020.
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The Hermanus Waterfront was buzzing with visitors and locals enjoying the beautiful weather on Heritage Day last Thursday. The air was filled with the sound of children laughing, music and muted chatter as people enjoyed drinks and meals at the Waterfront’s restaurants. Providing the music for most of the day was Ilitha Lelanga Marimba Ensemble, a vibrant marimba band from Cape Town. PHOTO: Taylum Meyer
Long weekend a success Writer De Waal Steyn
B
y all accounts, the Cape Whale Coast had a highly successful long weekend with thousands of out-of-towners enjoying all the area has to offer. “Most accommodation establishments reported good occupation numbers, with self-catering establishments leading the way. It seems that groups of visitors from over the mountain opted to make use of the option to rent holiday homes for the weekend,” said Frieda Lloyd, Tourism Manager of the Cape Whale Coast. According to her all the markets along the coast did brisk trade on Saturday, with the Farmer’s Market in Gansbaai reporting that goods at some stalls, including the Clivia booth, were sold out by the afternoon. The first Sunset Market in Stanford since February also attracted scores of shoppers and at the Harold Porter
Botanical Garden the plant sale was a huge success. The garden also reports that bookings for free guided tours have been received all the way up until the end of October. All the major towns in the area reported remarkably busy roads leading up to and during the weekend. The weekend also saw several accommodation establishments and restaurants opening their doors for the first time since the lockdown began. The Arabella Hotel and Spa reported that they were fully booked during the long weekend and forward bookings for the rest of the year were picking up, especially over weekends. Despite the inclement weather on some days, many visitors took part in outdoor activities. Both whale-watching and shark-cage diving boat operators said they were busy and that although they were still some way off from the normal number of passengers, there was a marked increase over the weekend as locals took to the water with them.
Brenda Walters from Marine Dynamics in Gansbaai said they undertook a number of trips during the weekend. “On some days the weather did not play along, but we are happy that people are coming to see the whales and sharks. We are offering special deals to locals and due to Covid-19 restrictions cannot accommodate as many people as before. This does have an impact on our business, but we are certain that we will bounce back. While we are looking forward to international travellers returning to our shores, we invite locals to make use of our special discounted rates,” she said. According to Brenda, their Great White House restaurant had a busy weekend with many visitors from across the mountain. The popularity of our wine farms was also evident, with scores of people visiting for a meal and a wine tasting. Carolyn Martin of Creation said they were busy during the course of the whole weekend. “We unfortunately had to show
some people away as we have limited capacity due to the lockdown restrictions. We urge visitors to make reservations, especially over weekends, to avoid disappointment,” she said. According to her the restrictions in terms of mask wearing and social distancing bring with them new challenges. “Especially on days when the weather is not so good, it is difficult to seat everyone and still ensure safe distancing between people. But we are learning to adapt every day and we keep on improving. We are happy that tourists are returning, and we can start seeing business increasing.” Sebastian Beaumont of Beaumont Family Wines in Bot River echoes her sentiment. “It is great to see our tasting room full again and it is heartening that so many locals are buying local wines. We look forward to many busy weekends in the near future,” he said. Continues on P3
