Dundee Tourism received funding from the municipality for the first time in four years, easing the pressure on the organisation following the Covid-19 lockdown.
Dundee Tourism chairperson Pam McFadden told last week’s annual general meeting that the R320,000 allocation had been paid out in four tranches.
“We are very thankful, but have still had to be frugal in our spending because, after a four-year gap, we have no idea if our funding will be cut again.”
Committee members do their work voluntarily and the funding has led to the re-designing of the information panels on the Dundee Tourism building.
“Another new initiative was the holding of the Biggarsberg Cycle Challenge in June, which we hope will be an annual event.
“There were 70 entrants, which Cycling KZN says is very good for a first attempt in a rural area. Such events bring people into the area, who spend money at our local businesses,” McFadden said.

Dundee Tourism also lent support to Zulu Time to assist with the building of new hiking trails up Mpati Mountain, while funding will be given to the Township Tourism initiative once a business plan has been received.

“Various military cemeteries in the area and the Cenotaph war memorial are being maintained by Dundee Tourism, as no other organisation seems to do so. Visitors cannot be encouraged to visit sites that are not maintained and which are an embarrassment.”
Tourism officer Patricia Zoya and other committee members visited various hospitality establishments in the area to ascertain how these are coping following the Covid-19 lockdown.

Committee members also attended tourism shows, including the Tourism Indaba in Durban.

To be as inclusive as possible, Dundee Tourism is looking at restoring what is left of the Hindu Temple at Burnside, outside Glencoe.
“There is a very rich history there related to our Hindu community and we are looking at a walk from Burnside into Glencoe, just as the Burnside did over 70 years ago to do their shopping.
“These projects have the backing of the Dundee Hindu Temple,” McFadden said.
It was heard that the number of international visitors is yet to recover to pre-COVID-19 levels when around 25 tourist buses a month used to stop over in the area, McFadden said.
“That is now about two a month. Remember, a bus of 40 tourists equals a lot of spending power in our area, which all businesses – directly and indirectly – benefit from.”

Cllr Naresh Gopie, a former Dundee Tourism chairperson, and Cllr Ameena Sadeck were present at the meeting, with Cllr Sadeck backing Dundee Tourism’s efforts.

“We know that the town can be cleaner – visitors do not want a dirty town. Funnily enough, I get comments from outsiders who say Dundee is cleaner than other towns. We have 80 Extended Public Works employees engaged (down from 150) who we use to keep the town clean.”

Cllr Sadeck said the municipality is having to cope with the onslaught on infrastructure, streetlights and electrical cabling; and is looking for the support of residents to report such theft.

“In a bid to curb copper theft, we are looking at replacing streetlight cabling with no copper products.”
She was also pleased to see that Township Tourism was also a project to ensure inclusivity.
She added that the municipality also has projects to promote the area and suggested a streamlined approach to prevent duplicity, which committee members supported.
The meeting ended with certificates of gratitude being handed out to those who have gone the extra mile to promote the area.
Friends of Dundee Tourism
Dundee Tourism is looking at an informal initiative whereby locals can join the organisation as ‘Friends’.
“These volunteers will have a keen
interest in our area, be outgoing and assist us when we need people to man our stalls at various events like the Dundee July, tourism shows, etc. These are very useful to promote our area and in that way, they promote local business,” said tourism officer Patricia Zoya. A similar ‘Friends of Talana Museum’ setup has seen a successful band of volunteers assisting at the museum, which was recently under severe financial hardship until an article in the Courier saw many pledging funding and practical assistance.
Anyone wanting to volunteer can call Patricia on 072 183 5850 or pop around to the Tourism Office adjacent to the public library.