The potential for tourism in Drakenstein is huge and the region should be promoted accordingly.
In a normal year more than 10 million visitors descend annually on South Africa, bringing with them a monetary injection of hundreds of billions of rands.
With a multitude of natural beauty, excellent wine estates, adventure activities and historic venues, the Drakenstein area should indeed be biting off a huge chunk of this cake.
But, once again, it seems as if our region is standing at the back of the queue, with the local tourism authority now seriously hampered by some game being played by the Drakenstein Municipality. The news last week that it will no longer contribute financially to the DLTA, our local tourism body, is disconcerting.
Such a short-sighted decision by the municipality is really a kick in the teeth for all residents, for much of our local economy relies especially on the wine tourism industry.
This annual grant from the municipality must continue, for without it the DLTA may not survive. If the municipality thinks it can take the reins of running tourism in the valley, then we can wave a large portion of our tourism economy goodbye.
We’re in dire need of a functional tourism bureau, an attraction in itself, unhampered by politicking and power struggles.
