KNYSNA NEWS - Visit Knysna, the destination marketing organisation for the Greater Knysna area, recently nominated Mark Dixon of Sedgefield with his Moonlight Meander tours, as well as Ypie Kingma to take part in the One Day Virtual Tours campaign launched by the Western Cape Government, and provincial tourism entity Wesgro.
Kingman’s tour footage, which gives viewers an opportunity to virtually experience a small piece of Knysna while also encouraging and helping them to properly plan their trip to the area, was officially launched at this year’s Virtual Knysna Oyster Festival as part of Visit Knysna’s destination promotion campaign.
The footage covers the following areas:
• The 7 Passes Road entering through Rheenendal
• Margaret’s viewpoint and the Belvidere’s Holy Trinity Church
• Brenton on Sea beach walk to Buffalo Bay
• Oyster/culinary lunch experience at the Knysna Waterfront
• The lookout at The Heads
• Knysna Elephant Park.
Evelyn Pepler of Ocean Odyssey commented: “It was a great opportunity to be able to show what we have to offer to the world during these times. We are hoping this will make tourists want to visit our area once things are up and running again.”
Ten other local tourist guides who incorporate a broad range of offerings have also been identified to receive more support. In the coming months their footage will officially be launched on Visit Knysna’s social media platforms, while Dixon’s Moonlight Meander tour has launched as a podcast.
“Remember, every town has its own story to tell and being advertised through the virtual tours the guests get to see and hear different tours and areas of Greater Knysna in a short period of time,” said Michelle Lencoe of Lithemba Crafts & Tours.
“Virtual tours have now become very popular, especially as a teaser for travellers who are still saving money for their trip and an informative platform for people to plan their travel. While undoubtedly a tragedy, the Covid-19 pandemic could end up being the accelerator that transforms virtual tours from a luxury addition into a standard baseline expectation.
"It’s great to see the One Day Virtual Tours campaign giving these tourist guides a seat in the transformation table,” concluded Wesgro CEO Tim Harris.
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