Butthead’s Beat: Hug a tourist – we need ’em

EVENT organisers must think that we South Coasters are all very flush at this time of year.

Why else would they all choose the same winter weekends to lay on such a feast of fun and entertainment?

There’s everything from jazz… to classical… to rock to listen to, everything from Portuguese… to German fare to eat, everything from wine… to craft beer to drink and then put a little aside for a Winter Wonderland Ball for the SPCA for good measure.

This festival, that festival, this show, that show…. nothing but choices, choices, choices over these next few weeks.

Then, for the rest of the year, it’s back to the humdrum routine of weekend golf, bowls or DSTV.

Hopefully, there are enough people with spare cash to support all these events. One suspects that locals might have to pick and choose what to support. However, with a ‘little bit of luck’ (as somebody sung once), there will be an invasion of overly optimistic sardine chasers from afar to add a second layer to the cake which currently has a very thin base.

Ugu South Coast Tourism is certainly doing its best to woo outside loot to our neck of the woods.

Now it’s up to every one of us to open our homes to friends and relatives who might like to shed their winter woollies for a weekend or two.

The message must be: “Help! We need your cash, your stomach and your livers. We can’t do it all on our own.”

CEO Justin Mackrory and his cheeky, but delightful sidekick, Nikki Tilley, seem to be prepared to go to any lengths to get into the spirit of things. ‘Fresh’ from a sleep-over (for charity) on the beach in front of the Wild Coast Sun last Thursday, Justin yawned his way through a lunch with Nikki and I. (He drew the line at joining us in a foolish attempt to show off our skills in the Port Shepstone Country Club business bowls afterwards.)

However, just before he nodded off into his beer, Justin did manage to get a good point across that everyone who relies on tourism should take heed of.

“Tourism” can only do so much to get holiday people to look south. Once they are here, it’s up to all of us to show them a good time.

Hug a tourist if you see one these school holidays.

We need them if all these events on the programme are to succeed.

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