Dundee Tourism reaches out with soup for hope donations
The soup mixture recipe was brought back from Canada during Pam McFadden’s recent visit to that country.
With tourism coming to a complete standstill because of the restrictions on the movement of people, associated with the lockdown regulations implemented to stem the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the Dundee Tourism Committee has not been able to carry out ‘its traditional obligations’.
This, however, does not mean that the Committee is simply waiting for things ‘to go back to normal’.
Under the enthusiastic dedication of chairman, Naresh Gopie, the Dundee Tourism committee has met almost weekly to come up with ways to ensure publicity of the areas continues – albeit in a virtual way rather than in the traditional way of bringing people physically to the area’s battlefields and other attractions.
The Courier has reported extensively on these efforts to keep the area in the ‘mind’s eye of would-be tourists’ by publishing articles in the Courier, related to promoting the area ,and using social media to make it clear that the Dundee area is ideal getaway once the lockdown and restrictions are lifted.
“Our area is so rich in not only battlefields history, that brings so many international tourists to our area, but we also have other attractions: the culture, the Museum, our heritage routes, the scenery, the people, mind-blowing little known facts – like the route taken by Gandhi when he was here in Dundee, the Russian hospital in Glencoe, not to mention the Curfew Bell on Victoria Street, and of course our many haunted houses,” said Mr Gopie. Check out the social media pages of both Talana Museum and Tourism Dundee and the Courier (at www.northernnatalcourier.co.za) to read all about these and other fascinating historical titbits.
There is great concern that the plunge in tourism numbers (the sector did generate up to R100-million of ‘new money’ per annum into the local economy) will hit local accommodation establishments hard.
Like private pre-schools, which have also been forced to close, hotels and B and Bs have been without business since March 27.
“We know it has been incredibly difficult and will get a lot worse before it gets beter. The tourism sector, including restaurants etc., employs hundreds of people throughout the district. We have asked the local municipality not to only consider a rates relief policy for accommodation businesses but for all businesses and residents in the Municipal area,” Mr Gopie said.
“We have been told we are all in this together and some creative thinking will have to be done by our local authority to bring relief to rate payers and those who rent. We cannot carry as if everything is normal. It is not. “
The Tourism Dundee committee has agreed that the Municipality should look at using money from the central Government’s Covid-19 relief fund to subsidize rates up until at least 50% until ‘’business picks up.”
The Tourism Dundee committee has also conducted a successful fund raising campaign to aid the most vulnerable during the crisis. Members raised around R9000. From this, ingredients to prepare nutritious soup were purchased. Last week committee members spent their Wednesday morning filling the packets which will be distributed to needy people.
The effort has been dubbed the Tourism Dundee committee’s Soup of Hope campaign.
The soup mixture recipe was brought back from Canada during Pam McFadden’s recent visit to that country. The Canadian government distributes the soup mix to schools.
“All you to do is add boiling water and a family can enjoy a nutritious meal. We hope to also put together food parcels to assist the needy in the community. We want to show that tourism can and will impact positively on the lives of all,” said Mr Gopie.
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Dundee Tourism;The phoenix will rise despite the extreme difficulties
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