Message from Plett Tourism Chairman, Peter Wallington
Plett Tourism Chairman, Peter Wallington
Welcome to Plett Summer. We hope you find the Plett feeling you’re looking for! We hope you enjoy our fourth edition of the Plett Summer magazine.
This issue showcases what you can do during the holiday season if you need a break from sun-soaked lazy days on the beach. There’s a list of fantastic less beachy things to do in and around Plett from sipping mojitos at The Table to bird watching at Emily Moon – and much more in between, including getting to know the faces of the various community leaders involved with different tourism projects like our newly established Plett 24Hour Reunion series.
This year’s milestones include our third Plett MAD Festival in July, with celebrity comedian Suzelle DIY bringing loads of laughs and fun to the successful Plett Food Film Festival. Our third annual Sasfin Plett Wine & Bubbly Festival in October, on the iconic Central Beach, with numbers doubling from 2015.
The Sasfin Plett Wine & Bubbly Festival coincided with several other activities over this holiday season, including the Tour de Plett MTB challenge which ended with riders crossing the finish line alongside the festival. With the growth of this event, the students from Kwano Cycling Academy continue to develop their love of cycling with academic excellence. Please check out www.tourdeplett.co.za for further information.
The Plett Trail was officially launched at WTM in Cape Town earlier this year and we have appointed a professional tour operating group, Venture Beyond, to provide administration and facilitation of the product. The trail starts at the iconic and paleontologically important Robberg Nature Reserve, goes through Kranshoek to Harkerville and then across to Nature’s Valley before ending in the Plett Winelands. From sea edge to forest and fynbos landscapes, hikers will hear about Nelson’s Cave and early man, touch on the rich Griqua history, stay at some of South Africa’s finest lodges, visit many of Plett’s much talked about wine farms and hear about (and see) the breadth and uniqueness of Plett’s bird life.
There are several other projects we are currently working on; the Plett Birding Route, the Cape Coastal Cycle route from Cape Town to Plett, Golf in Plett and Weddings in Plett. These and other projects in which Plett Tourism is involved promise to significantly add to Plett’s appeal out of season and create work, the core pillars of our strategy. It’s this commitment which has led increased engagement with communities who have been marginalised from the economic mainstream. In the past year we have helped, in one way or the other, a number of projects and events in Kwanokuthula and elsewhere. This engagement is – and will on an exponential basis – introduce a wide range of community experiences into an integrated Plett feeling, offering greater value to visitors and residents alike.
Finally, our thanks to all at the Bitou Municipality who do so much to keep Plett safe and sound (traffic, safety, beach, fire) and all the departments who keep Plett moving in our busiest times. Thanks also to the NSRI and our beach life savers who keep our beaches and seas safe. Introduce yourself to one of our five Blue Flag beaches, and one of the WESSA Beach Ambassadors – the new Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa initiative launched countrywide. Plett Tourism welcomes you, and we hope you enjoy your time here, and we hope to see you again.
Please browse the website for information on all there is to see and do in Plett, or visit the tourism office in Melville Centre (on Main Road). And please let us have any feedback which can make your experience even better – please drop us a line at info@pletttourism.com.
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This article featured in the Plett Summer Mag which you can pick up at various locations in Plett or at the Plett Tourism office. Or read it online here.
