Overstrand tourism businesses are preparing for a busy long
weekend today (Friday) as tourism is allowed to operate at a limited capacity
and under strict regulations. The weekend will
start with a massive banner with the message “Hermanus is open” being on
display from 15:00 at the Hermanus Old Harbour.
The announcement from
Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane that roads are open for travel, and leisure
venues and accommodation are open, all subject to a curfew, which moved from
21:00 to 22:00 to assist the restaurant industry, has brought
some relief to the hospitality sector. This, after the
hospitality industry held a peaceful protest across the country on Wednesday 22
July, due to the major losses, in business and jobs, leading to many closures in the industry. According to Penny
van den Berg, owner of Stanford Hotel, she really felt the brunt of Covid-19 what
with staff who had been with the hotel for up to 18 years being retrenched.
“This announcement
was too little, too late for many
businesses,” she said. “Had it been announced earlier many businesses may have
been saved. Businesses should not, for the next six months at least, be charged
residential rates and taxes by municipalities until they have clawed back
whatever is left of their businesses.” Van den Berg said
the Stanford Hotel will operate under the new regulations with many changes.
René Hartslief, who
owns a guest house in Vermont, was forced by Covid-19 to close her doors, as many other businesses, for she had
not received any guests for a while.
“All my guests who booked between March and
December 2020 have cancelled their bookings, and have been refunded in full.”
To many
restaurateurs the curfew does assist their business in someone way, but it does
not help with the income, and need more time in which their businesses can
thrive.
Petri Hendriksz,
owner of Char’d and Pear Tree restaurant in Hermanus, says it is difficult to
run a restaurant at 50% capacity. “The alcohol ban needs to be lifted,” he
says, “which will help businesses get back on their feet and so people can
enjoy a glass of wine with their meal.”
According to MPP
Deidré Baartman, while the the extension of the curfew to 22:00 is welcome, as
is the opening of intra-provincial travel, “but this is a classic case of
too-little-too-late.”
She says the
blanket-ban on alcohol is yet another short-sighted instrument that stifles
tourism in the province. “Research indicates better alternatives could involve a potential
temporary minimum price per unit of consumption, enforcement of limited
availability of liquor, bolstered and targeted psycho-social support,” Baartman
said.