ON trend with the increasing market for slow and soulful holiday experiences, several Mid-Karoo Express <\/i>readers were among the 40 people who introduced their projects during a tourism marketing day in Port Elizabeth on March 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The audience included tour operators from major centres (including Cape Town and Gauteng). Hosted by Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Authority (ECPTA), local projects and businesses were each allocated five minutes to tell their stories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a privilege to interact with the national tour companies,\u201d said Kim van Niekerk, of Thrive in Bedford. \u201cBut we also gained so much from networking with colleagues offering visitor services in the country districts. We made new friends and discovered lots of potential synergy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thrive offers holistic country lifestyle experiences both as stand-alone breaks and as add-ons to more extensive tour packages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe present yoga, herbal wisdom, healing through food, mindfulness and creative workshops in our edible gardens, retreat centre, wellness kitchen and studios (ceramics and textile arts) at Albertvale farm, 10 minutes out of Bedford,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another Mid-Karoo Express <\/i>reader, Lisa Ker, from Victoria Manor and Die Tuishuise in Cradock, spoke passionately about her home town and historic family-owned hotel with its street of heritage cottages where time seems to stand still. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She gave each of the tour guides a copy of Chris and Julie Marais\u2019 book on road-tripping in the Eastern Cape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alan Hobson from Somerset East explained the slow magic of fly-fishing in the Karoo. He and Annabel Hobson host groups at the Angler and Antelope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All three are members of the Karoo Heartland Marketing Association that promotes collaborations like the new Karoo Food Tours project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Karoo Food Festival in Cradock (April 27 and 28) is next on the agenda.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ON trend with the increasing market for slow and soulful holiday experiences, several Mid-Karoo Express readers were among the 40 people who introduced their projects during a tourism marketing day in Port Elizabeth on March 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