Smile and the world smiles with you The front page of this newspaper shows six happy faces at this weekend’s Makana Edutourism exhibition – but these six smiling women did not reflect the sentiments of all exhibitors at Settlers’ Monument.
Smile and the world smiles with you The front page of this newspaper shows six happy faces at this weekend’s Makana Edutourism exhibition – but these six smiling women did not reflect the sentiments of all exhibitors at Settlers’ Monument.
In fact, there were quite a few grumpy people who, through gritted teeth, indicated their disappointment about the low turnout. It is true that huge throngs of visitors were noticeable by their absence, and most of the 74 exhibitors sold very little during the weekend.
However, those who complained were probably missing the point – even discounting competing activities at the golf course market and the student registration process – the exhibition was an exhibition, and not a crafts market.
We have many opportunities in this town to sell beadwork and other arts and crafts, but we have a long way to go to convince all stakeholders of the value of an integrated edutourism programme for the whole area.
There are many critical attributes to such a programme, but the single most important factor for any tourism business, and the one that is sadly lacking in most commercial establishments in this area, is a big, ear-to-ear welcoming smile.
A genuinely hospitable attitude will attract more visitors than the Big Five, the Cathedral, or any of our museums. Notable exceptions aside, the attitude of most Grahamstown people and businesses toward visitors is appalling.
If you doubt this, spend some time in Church Square and pay careful attention to what happens when a busload of tourists arrives. They are often hot and tired – but there are no toilet facilities. Some locals will stare at them, perhaps sizing them up for a mugging, some will beg for money, but absolutely no one will say, "welcome to Makana".
Surely we can do better. We need to establish a reputation as a hospitable city that loves visitors, and we need to develop a strategy to enable all enterprises in the area to help each other promote their respective tourist businesses. Most of all, we need to learn to do what the wonderful ladies on the cover of this newspaper are doing so well: smile!
