In the past two years tourism has indeed moved forward as a tourist destination in Montagu. The amount of tourism related activities increased, many tourism staff have been trained, our festivals increased, we now have more restaurants and some with longer hours, the amount of accommodation establishments increased, membership of MATA increased and there has been many tourism related infrastructure upgrades in town. Other than this we have experienced a sturdy growth in the amount of visitors we receive and our office is filled with articles from various media showcasing our tourism package as a town.

Not only have we grown as a tourist destination but the general business sector is growing, property sales and prices are healthy, thus all contributing to a growing economy. Hereby I must add, one of our big challenges growing as a tourism destination is growing without selling ourselves out. To be sustainable long-term the character and charm of our town is a priority, thus I was glad to see you say “ Montagu is as charming as ever”. To grow quickly is easy by opening the floodgates to commercialisation, but long-term we will hurt ourselves in my opinion. We are not Barrydale or Franschhoek (with all due respect), we are Montagu with a very individualistic identity (architecture, culture, community etc.), so please do not compare us. Let us rather embrace our differences and take pride in what makes each place such unique destination.

I would like to end of my comment by a video, simply for your readers interest and enjoyment:
https://youtu.be/N6JFtDiyxVA