This Tourism Week 25 November 2007

This Tourism Week - Monday 25 November, 2007

Brought to you by the Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge

Join the Debate

Imagine what it must have been like for those tourists who were removed from the SAA plane a while back because the carrier refused to load their electric wheelchairs. Imagine the humiliation, the inconvenience and the discomfort (they were spastic and likely to spasm in stressful situations - yet they were literally carried off the plane in someone’s arms because the passenger assist vehicle had already been removed. And OR Tambo is short of those vehicles. And the tour leader had phoned ahead to check whether the chairs could be accommodated).

What’s wrong with this world if we can treat each other like this? What’s wrong with this world if The Regulations are more important than The People?
Are we so scared, so cowed, so paranoid?

Mind you, it would be good to know what the truth behind the story was - because I think it points to a far more basic, far more worrying problem than how we Apply The Regulations.

What I think it is, I think many people in this country lack any sense of decency when it comes to the needs and feelings of others.

I’m talking about the overwhelming amount of violent crime (somebody just published a book called ‘A Country at War With Itself’ - you couldn’t find a more appropriate title). I’m talking about the rudeness and inefficiency of state departments (Home Affairs? Pah, that’s nothing. Try some of the petty officials in local municipalities). I’m talking about the aggressive way in which we drive, about the Stuff-You attitude we adopt when we’re out there on the roads, about the way we push each other out of the way when we’re out walking on the streets.

It’s a deep and worrying thing and it has massive implications for tourism - because, after all, who’d want to come here if they aren’t made to feel welcome?

Unless we change this attitude, people are going to start realising that it’s no fun going to South Africa. So they’ll stop coming. And we’ll blame it on rip-off pricing, the cost of getting to a long-haul destination and unfair competition from warm and fuzzy Australia (which is a hell of a lot further away). And we’ll sit at our dinner parties and say that the government should be doing more blah, blah, blah…

But will we say what we, ourselves, each one of us, is doing about it? That’s another thing I’d like to know.

Perhaps you’ll tell me?
martin@barefootclients.co.za

Oh, and I ought to mention this: thanks to Gerry (you’re getting to know him well by now, I’m sure), we’re working on building me a blog - so you’ll soon be able to debate these things with each other on This Tourism Week.

Enter The Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge
December 28, Plettenberg Bay

Actually, there are a lot of people in South Africa who do care a lot about the people around them.

In the six years since it was founded, the Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge has become one of the best-loved sporting events on the Garden Route’s summer holiday calendar. It takes place on the same day every year - 28 December - on Plettenberg Bay’s Central Beach and has now attracted the support of the international family wealth adviser, Stonehage.
It’s designed so that almost anyone can enter - you can choose between a 6 km open water swim, a 20 km paddle, a 10 km run or a 2 km fun walk on the beach.

“The walk is a tradition of the event and provides an opportunity for people who wouldn’t normally take part in long distance sports to give moral support to the swimmers while also providing financial support for the Foundation - and that fits in well with the sponsor’s slogan (‘Always There’),” said Mark Collins of race organisers Magnetic South.

The Challenge will be fully supported by the NSRI and other emergency services, and swimmers will be accompanied by paddlers equipped with electronic Shark Shields.

Entries are open online at www.magneticsouth.net. Early entry costs R150.00 for adults and R100.00 for children under 12 years of age whilst on-the-day entries cost R180.00 for adults and R130.00 for children.

All entry fees go directly to the Sabrina Love Foundation, which was begun by the Lubner family in celebration of the life of their daughter. It aims to provide financial assistance for the purchase of equipment, medical treatment and professional services and thus help to improve the quality of life of physically disabled children and their families in Plettenberg Bay.

“The Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge has all the ingredients to become one of the biggest and best events of the summer - there were over 500 entries last year and we’re expecting a much larger field this year,” said Mr. Collins. “We strongly urge everyone to enter for the fun of it - and to help the Foundation to spread the love.”

Enter on line at www.magneticsouth.net

And Have a Great Tourism Week!

MARTIN HATCHUEL
BarefootWriter
Want To Advertise to More than 8,300 Names In The Tourism Industry? ant to tap into the power of internet marketing? Want to speak to my audience? Mail me - and let’s see This Tourism Week can help you