4
www.thevillagenews.co.za
30 September 2020
Minister visits Hermanus to boost local tourism Writer Hedda Mittner
T
he Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier met with several representatives of the local tourism industry on Thursday, in support of Tourism Month and the #WeAreOpen campaign. The minister’s visit to Hermanus formed part of a road trip to showcase the many affordable and world-class experiences on offer in the Western Cape, while encouraging South Africans to support the province’s tourism and hospitality sectors. Maynier’s itinerary included the West Coast, the Garden Route, Prince Albert, where he launched the exciting new Karoo Crossing Cycle Route, and finally, Hermanus. Meeting up with Mayor of the Overberg District Municipality, Sakkie Franken, Cape Whale Coast Tourism Manager, Frieda Lloyd and Head of Wesgro: Leisure, Tourism & Trade, Inge Dykman, the Minister’s day in Hermanus
kicked off with a boat trip on board Majestic Cruising to spot some whales and other marine life, followed by a walking tour of the FynArts Sculpture on the Cliffs exhibition at Gearing’s Point. The group also joined in the Heritage Day celebrations by taking part in the Jerusalema Dance Challenge at the Old Harbour. This action-packed morning was followed by a festive lunch at La Pentola, where the Minister joined Chef Shane Sauvage in the kitchen to lend a hand with the preparation of the starters. This also gave him the opportunity to engage with Shane on the challenges he is experiencing as a restaurateur and to learn first-hand how the Covid-19 regulations have impacted his business and his staff. After lunch, the Minister’s last stop before returning to Cape Town was a visit to the community garden in Hawston, established by environmental consultant and natural scientist, Melun Jeptha and a handful of volunteers on the property of the St Andrews Church, 1
behind Ability House and the Overstrand Care Centre. With the help of several partners, including the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and committed locals such as Carolyn Martin of Creation and Ann Wright of Rotary Hermanus, this ambitious vegetable and herb garden project will give residents whose job and food security have been impacted by the pandemic, the opportunity to grow their own food for their families throughout the year. “We know that times are tough, but during my visits across the province, I have also been inspired by the great innovation, adaptation and resilience that can be found in our towns and communities,” said Maynier. “We have stood with business through the crisis and we remain committed to standing with business in recovery, which is why we are now moving forward and focusing on our economic recovery with all the urgency of the health response in the Western Cape. “With the relaxation of regulations under Alert Level 1, we are now focused on our market-
ing campaigns that will place the Western Cape front of mind for leisure and business travellers looking to find unique, affordable, world-class and importantly, safe destinations to visit. These campaigns include encouraging locals and domestic travellers to explore the many attractions, adventure activities and wide-open spaces of our smaller towns.” Maynier stressed the importance of rebuilding our tourism and hospitality sectors, which have been hard-hit during the pandemic and remain vital to our economy. He added that the relaxation of restrictions on international travel, and the certainty that borders will open on 1 October, will be a welcome relief to the tourism industry because international visitors tend to stay longer and spend more in the Western Cape. “We will now be moving to expand our campaign to target key audiences in international source markets as soon as we have more certainty on the re-opening of international travel,” he said.
1. Chef Shane Sauvage of La Pentola (left) showed Minister David Maynier how to prepare a simple yet delicious dish in the restaurant's kitchen. 2. Whale Coast Tourism Manager Frieda Lloyd, ODM Mayor Sakkie Franken and Shane Sauvage of La Pentola with (in front) Inge Dykman of Wesgro and Minister David Maynier. 3. Mayor Sakkie Franken and Minister David Maynier being shown around the Hawston community garden by Melun Jeptha and her two daughters. 4 & 5. Chef Shane showed off his skill in the kitchen by creating some mouth-watering dishes for the visiting Minister. 6. The Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier joined the Mayor of the Overberg District Municipality, Sakkie Franken in performing the Jerusalema Dance Challenge at the Old Harbour. PHOTOS: Taylum Meyer
3 2
6 4
5
