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| Negative Social Impact | |
 Irresponsible Tourism | Main Forum | Negative Social Impact |
 Topic: Irresponsible tourists in Robertson |
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Soekershof
Newbie 
Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Location: South Africa Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
   Topic: Irresponsible tourists in RobertsonPosted: 23 Oct 2007 at 11:08 |
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The Robertson Wine Valley is one of the destinations within South Africa worthwhile to stay and to discover for a while.
But there is also a negative aspect: irresponsible tourists!!
The valley promotes itself as the Valley of wine and roses but for at least 50 percent of the tourists the roses are not important; the wine is.
Free wine tasting attracts, especially in the weekends, alcohol related tourists.
Being a small entrepreneur in the tourism business I welcomed three different tour guides during three successive weekends. These were attracted to this area by us and we made arrangements including a visit to our place (unusual mazes and botanical gardens).
Their respons: "We will never visit Robertson anymore during the weekends. Our guests, wine lovers themselves, are shocked by the alcohol (ab)use".
What did these guests notice?
Most people do not know how to taste wine. They just swallow the different samples and ask to 'taste' a few samples again.
They buy 'papzak' wines (cheap wines in cartons).
On a wine tasting boatride the average 'passenger' consumed one bottle. And they all drive away in their cars ...
One Saturday four alcohol related accidents on a stretch of 12 kilometres along some of the most visted wine callars including one roadkilling (3 died).
What we experience ourselves:
The Robertson Wine Valley has more to offer than free wine tasting. Unfortunately approx. 70 percent of the visitors only know about wines and not about other things to do. Unfortunately during the weekends the free winetasting also attracts a lot of Capetonians who are not able to appreciate good wines (we call them the 'weekend alcoholics'). The most visited wine cellars, certainly have their qualities but also attract this kind of tourists.
In the past 7 years we experience that the quality of wines in Robertson has significantly increased and some are nowadays reckoned among the best in the world. These are highly appreciated by the more sophisticated South African wine lovers and overseas visitors. And these are avoiding the more 'popular' cellars. Without telling names of cellars we always advise visitors to go to cellars they've never heard of. Wine tasting is very personal. The charm of this wine producing area is that some of the farmers (small cellars) create their own wines out of their best grapes (this passion you can taste) and the second quality grapes is sold to some of the large (co-operative) cellars. Those small producers are in some cases able to sell their entire production (let's say between 6000 and 60,000 bottles per annum) to their visitors, some upmarket restaurants and collectors.
If the cellars really want to avoid irresponsible wine tasting practices they should introduce a wine tasting fee. This witholds this kind of tourism but will also have a negative impact on the cheap mama-papa accommodation.
It will certainly uplift the reputation of Robertson as a true wine lovers paradise.
The past weeks there have been at least one funural every weekend related to alcohol related roadkillings ...
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Soekershof
Newbie
Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Location: South Africa Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
Posted: 25 Oct 2007 at 11:52 |
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And this is the "Intern Memo" of the Robertson Wine Valley, send to all member wine cellars:
Geagte lid
INTERNE MEMO
Neem asseblief kennis van die onderstaande blog wat deur Soekershof op www.irresponsibletourism.info/forum geplaas is. Na gesprek met die RWV Bestuur, het ons besluit om onsself as organisasie totaal van die onderneming en individue te distansieer agv afbrekende impak. Indien u enige navrae het, kontak my gerus by 083 701 5404
Vriendelike groete
BONITA MALHERBE
ROBERTSON WYNVALLEI
Luckely there are still quite a few wine cellars of which the management/owner do not always agree with the views of the organisation.
We also have the feeling that the management of the Robertson Wine Valley has been under pressure of a few influential (large) members who only read the negative part. The 'intern memo' is a bit pathetic.
We love the Robertson Wines!!! |
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Gert Lubbe
Newbie
Joined: 25 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
Posted: 25 Oct 2007 at 13:46 |
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Trying to market your own product up by playing others down is of utmost bad taste. Soekerhof will have to show me one farm where one can buy a "papzak" after having tasted wines. Our Wine Route is unique for three reasons: Beautiful flowers line the roads, one is aware of the Breede River running all the way, and the fact that it is not commercialized. The reason it is not necessary to charge for tastings is that we are far away enough from Cape Town to have no day excurtions and therefore only have serious tourists that want to taste some of the best wines in South Africa on the Robertson Wine Route. I am not a wine producer, so I may say it!! Gert Lubbe |
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Gert Lubbe
Montagu Country Hotel Route 62 |
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Soekershof
Newbie
Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Location: South Africa Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
Posted: 25 Oct 2007 at 13:56 |
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Forgot to mention that we are very happy with the 'intern memo' of the Robertson Wine Valley.
The members of this organisation cannot deny the existence of 'South Africa's own Primary Unusual Attraction' anymore. See also this.
The same blogsite but today's contribution.
We all have responsibilities towards society.
That's how we feel.
And it is shortsighted to say that our contribution in this forum keeps tourists away from the Robertson Wine Valley. If it keeps the mentioned 'few' (?) away we don't mind as long as we all get more of the good ones in. To the benefit of all involved in the (local) tourism industry.
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Soekershof
Newbie
Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Location: South Africa Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
Posted: 25 Oct 2007 at 14:04 |
This is not (with all respect Gert) about trying to market our own product. You, of all people, should know that in all our marketing efforts the whole region (competitors or not) is an integral part. That includes wine cellars.
But we all have also responsibilities to our own community. That's where it is all about!
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Soekershof
Newbie
Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Location: South Africa Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
Posted: 09 Jan 2009 at 06:32 |
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Although 'banned' from almost all local tourist maps we are glad that at least some of the involved wine cellars have undertaken positive action during the past year. Good signage at the wine tasting facilities and staff who are instructed not to let 'tipsy' drivers taste. The number of alcohol related accidents has significantly declined.
The 'branche organisation' Robertson Wine Valley always advertised 'responsible drinking and driving' but most South Africans are not concentrated readers and there is this 'cultural' issue of drinking.
The bearer of an unpleasant message is always blamed and sometimes also the ones who caused all the tragic are getting away with it.
Most of the local wine cellars have always (silently) supported us although they themselves would never ever have come out with this story.
If one reads the original submission one can also question why the Robertson Wine Valley made such a fuss about it instead of questioning its own 'backyard' (which they might have done afterwards)..........
We sincerely hope that the Robertson area attracts more visitors who can appreciate Quality of Life and a glass of good wine goes with it.
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