A definite trend towards domestic tourism led to a surprisingly prosperous holiday season for a large number of Eastern Cape tourism products. Members of Ectour, the private sector group marketing organisation for the Eastern Cape, were very positive about the increase in tourist numbers over the December 2010 – January 2011 period.
“Despite the unusually rainy weather in some parts of the province, and the drought in others, some Ectour members experienced a very positive increase in bookings compared to 2009,” says Ectour chairperson, Anleen Louw.
According to Annabelle Hobson, owner of the Angler and Antelope near Somerset East, holiday makers are now including the ‘journey’ as part of their holiday. “Travellers are breaking up their trips into smaller distances and finding places to stay overnight,” says Hobson. “Once visitors have experienced our product, they tend to stop over on the way back too.”
Hobson also noted that the number of spontaneous bookings had increased. “A number of our bookings were not pre-planned. We attribute the success of these spontaneous bookings to our strong internet marketing campaigns, as a lot of these bookings were made using the internet or other mobile devices while the guests were on the road.”
Hobson hopes that increased networking amongst product owners in the Province will help to boost tourism in the region in 2011.
Elza van Lingen, owner of Lyngenfjord House B&B in Cape St Francis, also noted the importance of internet marketing. “We continually put ourselves out there to ensure we reach a wider audience,” says Lingen. “We were very happy with our numbers over the season. December went very well, and it is just starting to taper off a bit now.”
Fort d’ Acre Reserve near Port Alfred had a similarly positive experience over the 2010-2011 holiday period. “We had a good number of bookings in December and January, but are very surprised by the number of bookings we still have for February 2011,” says owner, Lammy Kruid. He noted that there was a definite increase in locals exploring their home province. “This year, we hope to see an increase in foreigners touring the province and also an increase in bed nights,” says Kruid.
Further up the Sunshine Coast, the Fish River Sun also experienced a successful holiday period. “We did very well over the season,” says operations manager, Wessel Benson. “This could be due to an improved economy. We noticed that people seemed to have more cash to spend.”
The resort hopes to see the return of international visitors to Eastern Cape shores this year, as well as the resumption of government conferencing.
Following a very quiet year, Stormsriver Adventures was happy to report a 7% increase in numbers compared to December 2009. “It was great to see our domestic market coming through,” says marketing manager, Michelle Petzer. “We are an all-weather product, so we could still run our tours even with all the rainy days we experienced.”
According to Petzer, they remain positive for 2011, but are not sure what the year will bring. “Our hope is that everyone in the Eastern Cape and beyond strives to offer good, value-for-money products and services, excellent client service and true South African friendliness.”
Click here for Tours, Safaris & / or Operators in Port Elizabeth.
Latest posts by Siyathetha (see all)
- Brace Yourselves for NMB’s Achilles Heel: A Bankrupt Electricity Department - 26 June 2024
- In A Tug of War Between Horses and Humans Who Will Win? - 12 June 2024
- NMB Church Leaders call on politicians to put voters first - 12 June 2024
- Call for Beneficiaries to Step Forward - 3 January 2024
- Help for Business Seeking Capital as Single Point for Government Incentives is Launched - 13 June 2012
