Like the cavalry in historic battles, tourism was first in COVID-19’s economic line of fire. As the virus began its rampant spread across the world, in a mere matter of weeks usually vibrant establishments and crowded destinations now stand desolate and closed as nations across the globe find themselves under lock down.
In South Africa, our lock down has just begun, and I am sitting at home bursting with mixed feelings about where we find ourselves. Although we have been told that we are being brave and doing our bit for the world by staying in our property, I can’t help but feel rather useless as the world out there fights the onslaught head on.
But there is actually so much we can do from home, to support our communities and help each other through this terrifying crisis. We have been given the gift of time, and we can try and use our time wisely for many things – to connect with our families, learn new things, declutter our homes, work on our business strategies, the list goes on and on. But all those things are about helping ourselves and I think we all need to also donate some of our time to helping our communities survive this.
Here are three little (and enjoyable) things you can do during lockdown to help tourism businesses.
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We recently attended a couple of events that highlighted what impact we, as consumers, can have on the environment just by the simple choices we make every day.
I have to admit, although we take great care in not supporting tourism products that exploit wildlife and negatively impact the environment, we don’t give a lot of thought to how the essential items we consume every day (like water and chocolate) impact the environment. We make most of our choice based on economics, convenience and preference.
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Last week we hosted visitors from the United States. They were on a countrywide tour and were in the Eastern Cape to visit our famous Addo elephants. Their highlight, they explained to us, was sure to be the elephant back safari they had booked. I bit my tongue – clearly they did not know how cruel this is to elephants.
We too have ridden elephants. It was only when we met Lara Mostert, avid animal rights activist and owner of Monkeyland, Birds of Eden and Jukani near Plettenberg Bay, that we gained some in depth knowledge on what constitutes a true animal sanctuary, and how we can all make a difference by being responsible tourists who refuse to support facilities that place economics above ethics.
So if elephant back riding is cruel to elephants, how can it be that it is so popular among both tourists and locals? I guess it must be from a lack of information and education as surely most people would not knowingly support cruelty to these majestic and magnificent creatures.
When Cian was in Grade 6 last year, he was tasked with preparing an oral to persuade his audience about something he felt strongly about and he chose to tackle the topic of elephant back riding. His words are simple and emotive and I’ll bet they will cause you to think twice before you head off to ride an elephant.
There are some facts in life that leap head first into your brain, nuzzle up, make themselves comfortable and stay with you forever. For me, one of these was taught in primary school English class. We were learning how to write a good story and our teacher reckoned the best way to start was with the “5 W’s” – what, when, where, who and why.
As tempting as it is to launch straight into the how, let me start with an intro that would make ma’m proud.
In essence, anyone who travels and publishes regular stories and photos on their travels is a travel blogger. These stories can be published on your website, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube – you name it. Hobby bloggers write about travelling as a hobby, often with a hope of becoming a professional travel blogger, who earns a living out of their travel blog. I mean, who wouldn’t want to get paid to travel, right?
We are busy gearing up for an epic cross-country road trip from Port Elizabeth to Mozambique, and part of our preparation is making sure our medical kit is fully stocked. Our family travels a lot, both locally and internationally and we have learned through trial and error how to pack a compact, portable but extremely useful medical kit that should address all minor conditions and avoid having to spend precious holiday time at the pharmacy or doctor.
Here is what to pack in a travel medical kit for families with teens and older kids:
(Note – the brands mentioned are all from South Africa, similar products are available globally)
