Whale of a time in Hermanus
With the annual Whale Festival no longer taking place this year visitors are urged to pick something fun to do in Hermanus and to still visit the area and support local businesses.
September is Tourism Month. Usually, we end the month-long tourism focus with the Hermanus Whale Festival Celebration. But not this year.
According to Frieda Lloyd, Whale Coast Tourism Manager, compliance with government regulations for Adjusted Level 2 rules out the hosting of any outdoor event exceeding 100 people let alone the Hermanus Whale Festival where we have seen thousands flocking to Hermanus. “Further to being the district with the highest rate of vaccinations, the upkeep of Covid-19 protocols and regulations is a priority. A priority to assist with visitor confidence and encouraging tourists to return.”.
The fact that Hermanus is a tourism town that thrives off entertaining its guests, made Bruce van der Spuy think back to September / October 1992 when Hermanus Rotary Club and a group of local businessmen introduced the Whale of a Festival. Bruce thought of reviving this Whale of a Festival by hosting the usual events diary as an informal event encouraging people to visit Hermanus and have a whale of a time.
“Our recent nominations as winners in several categories in the KFM Best of the Cape competition speaks to the popularity of the Overberg as a weekend and vacation destination. The question of balancing lives and livelihoods remains a juggling act, and for Tourism Month we ruffle up the vibes and welcome new visitors and say thank you to those who have made the effort to spend time in our region. We encourage all to watch our social media pages with listings of weekly happenings. Next up is the CapeNature Access Week from 13 to 20 September with free entry to the Kogelberg, De Mond, Marloth, Groot-Vandenbosch and Walker Bay Reserves,” concludes Lloyd. Anyone hosting an event can forward details for inclusion in the week’s programme to infomanager@hermanus.co.za.