The recent floods in the Western Cape have had a minimal impact on the province’s tourism operations. This is despite some road closures and damage to infrastructure in local communities.

“All tourism offerings remained unaffected while mopping-up operations were conducted,” Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth James Vos told Tourism Update.

“Our tourism industry has gone through far worse in the past than the recent flooding. Tourism is running smoothly and we are open for business as usual,” he noted.

Boutique closed

While one property – five-star boutique hotel, Last Word Franschhoek – was affected, no other accommodation establishments are known to have been impacted by the floods, according to FEDHASA Chairperson, Rosemary Anderson.

Last Word sent out a press statement highlighting that, that in the early hours of June 15, the hotel was severely flooded by extreme rainwater build-up flowing from the surrounding mountains.

“Thankfully, the hotel was under maintenance and no guests were in-house,” the hotel said.

Last Word Franschhoek is still assessing the extent of the damage, but will be closed for a few months, and bookings for July, August and September have been affected.

Disaster management operation ongoing

A large-scale disaster management operation, which included numerous government departments, municipalities, and civil society organisations, was carried out over the past week.

A Government press statement highlighted that the initial focus was to mitigate the impact of the disaster, save lives, and provide humanitarian aid. The next phase will involve assessing the damage and rebuilding affected infrastructure.

If you know of any tourism offerings or establishments that have been affected by the floods, please contact christiaans@nowmedia.co.za.