My pledge to you…

My family and friends

I will do the best I can to keep you safe.  Please know I would like to be close to you physically, not just socially.  But to keep you safe I will try and be there for you socially, and from a distance.  You will be in my thoughts, as you have always been, and as I write this your name comes up in my mind.  You are the ones who keep me sane, who keep me connected, with life, with you.   This connection does not cease because we can’t be physically together, it may actually grow stronger because of it.

My colleagues in the industry

My heart goes out to you.  To all of and then some more…  The future is uncertain, but that it has always been.  It is the here and now that is the challenge, which makes the future challenging too.  My thoughts are with you, your business, your staff and employees.  Not just here in South Africa, but around the world.  I would like us to stay connected and I hope you would like the same.  I want to hear your stories, your worries, your concerns.  Your dreams about the future, when re-connect in person, in real life instead of in this virtual reality.  My pledge to you is that I remain here, on the ground in beautiful Knysna, in the beautiful Garden Route, in beautiful South Africa.  So when this world moves into this new normal, and people start travelling again, you can call on me and I will once again assist you in growing your business.

Humanity, or all the other people in this world

I promise I will do my best to be kind to you.  I will treat you as I would like you to treat me, and I’ll try to be an example for the world to see.  I may not always succeed, I may forget every now and then, and should that happen I hope you will remind me.  I am a nobody without you, just as ‘you’ cannot exist if there is no ‘me’.  I thoroughly enjoy being part of you, and hope you will stay part of me for a long time still to come.

Mother Nature and our Earth

I pledge I will look better after you in the future than I’ve done in the past.  You are teaching us all a lesson in humility, in understanding our connectivity, in realizing what is actually important in our lives.  Without this virus we would have just carried on in our urge (why?) to deplete you, to harm you, to only think of us humans sharing you for only our lifetime, without thinking about you and how you will still be around once we will have gone.  I was irresponsible, and I apologize.  Thank you for giving me another chance!

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My business Destination Garden Route came to a complete standstill because of the virus: tradeshows cancelled, tours cancelled, future bookings on hold for now.   It is not easy but it doesn’t mean I’m not busy…  The Garden Route Collection’s website is being developed as we speak, and will be THE platform for operators and the travel trade in general to find fact and rate sheets, images, menus, video’s and packages on offer by my clients – once they are ready to trade again…

In the meantime I have launched an online platform on good ol’ facebook called the Garden Route Connection.  Here you can connect with the people in the industry, people who have their own business, or who work in tourism in the Garden Route and Klein Karoo.  In times like these to stay connected is most important, and that is exactly what I’m planning to do: connect people! 

Basically I’ve done that throughout, I just move more of my business online.  See you ‘now now’, here, online.  See you later, in the real world! 

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