What rubbish! Tourism is still booming.

Dear Sir,
Allow me to answer the very pessimistic views of letter writer ‘Still irate, but a little less so’.
As a person who has lived in this beautiful and friendly town for over 50 years, and having been in the tourism industry for over 23 years, I think I am well qualified to reply to his letter.
I agree that there is rubbish before the entrances to Dundee, and most of it is outside of the municipal area. The turnoff to the R68 being a case in point (where at the turn, rubbish from items purchased in Dundee is tossed out of the window). As far as the town is concerned, the main area where rubbish is a problem is the taxi rank in Victoria Street, and until the people using the facilities there become more educated about litter and where it should be placed, there is always going to be a problem. Buildings in the ‘old’ town centre, particularly in Willson Street, have looked dilapidated for years, and until the Council starts using a bit of muscle to get the owners of the buildings to spend some money on repairs and paint, the town in that area will always look shabby.
The writer, from what I have read, doesn’t seem to have a clue about tourism:
Dundee generates yearly between R75-million and R85-million in tourism. These facts are compiled by Dundee Tourism each year.
Call in at the Dundee Tourism Office and find out for yourself. The Dundee Tourism Office on the municipal grounds is the nicest-looking tourism office in KZN – without a doubt! Dundee Tourism is run by people who are all volunteers. Talana Museum, which is owned by the municipality, is the finest country museum in South Africa, and visitors will confirm that. The writer should find out what is, and what will be, going on there this year.
Talana Live will be on from October 17 to 19 – pick up a programme at Talana or the Tourism Office. Creations will open at Talana on October 19. There will also be an International Military History Conference from October 20 to 22.
Oh, and by the way, Dundee will feature as ‘Town of the Month’ in the November publication of Country Life! The Dundee Airshow will be on May 23 at the Dundee Airfield – entrance is free! The Fly-In will be on at the Battlefields Country Lodge from May 9 to 11.
Let’s not forget the Dundee July either! The KZN Guides’ Association of the Battlefields is one of the strongest tourist guides groups in the country, with over 30 members. All the guides are friends with each other and help each other out with the placing of tourists with a guide if they are already booked. Last month there was a Guides’ Educational at Spion Kop Lodge, where 32 were present.
What are we going to do about it, the writer asks. It’s about time the writer of the article did some investigation before steaming off about something of which he is obviously ignorant!
Evan Jones