GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Graaff-Reinet residents recently gathered at Profcon Resort for the launch of the REVIVE GRAAFF-REINET initiative hosted by the Graaff-Reinet Tourism Board and led by Shaun van Eck - an award winning tourism coach and the author of Make Money From Tourism, A Practical Guide.
Remember KODAK film? Remember Betamax and video stores? Remember World Books and Encyclopaedia Britannica? Remember the first Donkey Kong and Nintendo Game Boys?
Where are they today? Gathering dust in the attic.
Times are changing - fast. Products and companies either adapt or disappear.
With tourism it is exactly the same.
We live in a time when people have access to the world at their fingertips showing us the wonders of the world and cell phones to watch every step (and meal) that friends are experiencing.
Tourists want experiences that technology cannot give them! They want to touch, taste, smell, hear, learn, interact and experience life in ways technology can’t.
About 75% of people plan their holidays around what they see on social media through their friends’ selfies, Instagram, hashtags and comments. Most bookings are made online. Only 8% of tourists still go to Travel Agents to plan their trips. They tend to trust their friends more than travel agents and brochures.
Enticing tourists
How do we reach these tourists? How do we stand out above the rest? What makes us so UNIQUE that visitors will take selfies of experiences that they will share and recommend to their friends.
Graaff-Reinet and surrounds have so much to offer, and this is what REVIVE GRAAFF-REINET is all about.
It will take team work - lots of team work - but it all starts with ideas, people coming together, people putting their differences aside and focusing on common goals.
Bring your ideas
REVIVE GRAAFF-REINET is taking the first step and asking people for their uniquely Graaff-Reinet IDEAS. Once we have gathered all these ideas, we will come together to discuss which ones are possible and would work best.
From there we will put together small work teams consisting of motivators, leaders, workers and supporters and move forward from there.
Yes, we know there are the practical, obvious aspects that we first need to tackle - car guards, security, potholes, dead trees, vandalism, playgrounds for children, quality service from businesses and access to information – and then many more.
But let’s take a few moments to go beyond that and come up with some uniquely Graaff-Reinet experiences such as:
- nature walks with an expert where you collect your indigenous plants to flavour your evening braai
- stoep stories of ghosts, war heroes and legends while sipping a locally made drink and enjoying a meal around a campfire
- sleeping under the stars and searching for fossils
- following in the footsteps of past and present heroes…
What do you suggest?
Send your ideas to REVIVE GRAAFF-REINET via WhatsApp: 084 468 0027, Email: info@graaffreinet.co.za or if you want to remain anonymous, you can write your ideas and drop them in the drop-box at the Tourism Office.
The writer of this article, Graaff-Reinet resident, Nicola Woods, has a passion for her town and is part of the Revive Graaff-Reinet team.
Shaun van Eck - an award winning tourism coach and author - advising Graaff-Reinet residents on attracting tourists. Photos: Neco Bokwe
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