Unknown to many South Africans (isn’t it amazing?) is the Perfume Museum in Franschhoek. It’s part of the Hugenot Memorial Museum. Over 95% of the visitors is from abroad. The Perfume Museum also organises workshops in perfume making.
Tag: visitors
Photography and Social Media
For one of my social media clients I recently did a photoshoot during Mother’s Day. The idea was that the pictures would be published on their blog before the extended buffet lunch was over. That was fast work and hurrying up during photo processing. The result however was great. Within 12 hours after the blog post (with automated links to other social media accounts) went online there were almost 800 hits of which around 90% originated from Facebook and 95% from South Africa. In the meantime, a week after, the number of hits has more than doubled. Not too shabby for a local business. BTW; on FB it was shared on 6 or 7 other pages.
But I do wonder: although most to the blog visitors clicked on virtually every picture most of them did not click the ‘like’ button on FB…… 😀
Stanford Harvest
In our town there are many eateries, coffee shops and restaurants (even the only one in South Africa with a Michelin Star!!!) that we sometimes doubt if they can all survive. Lucky for these establishments there is a steady growing influx of visitors. And yes; another one recently opened its doors: Stanford Harvest; an eatery combined with a gallery of a resident artist. We wish this newcomer all the best.
For a true Stanford Harvest we just look from our verandah to the neighbour’s landmark tree every morning. See for yourself.
Labyrinth key ring
… One of the few ‘left overs’ of our previous adventure (Soekershof, with maze, cactus labyrinth and succulent garden). In the workshop we had several local artists/craftspeople (one of them with an international reputation) who sold their (hand made) products to visitors who could appreciate true South African made arts and crafts. And it’s so fulfilling to know that all of them were able to uplift themselves from poverty and gathering an above average income from their own home and/or workshop.
The new owners transformed the workshops in a (money generating) trendy restaurant and accommodation. In South African tourism there is nowadays hardly any place for a truly mutual beneficial initiative between proprietors and artists/craftspeople. Most of the crafts for sale along the roads and on markets are from abroad … For the tourists there are also state and private funded ’empowerment’ initiatives where local people hone themselves in craft making… Some of these survive, most unfortunately not.
Visitors of the South
Imaginary of the Esplanade in Hermanus, South Africa. It’s South Africa’s whale-watching hotspot for tourists but most of them eat and drink on the terraces …. and … , seemingly, forget about the whales…. More eye for what is on the menu…
The neighbor has visitors
The ‘Baardskeerdersbos’ Art Route
Today we visited 4 of the 19 participating artists of the Baardskeerdersbos Art Route. Baardskeerdersbos is a small hamlet somewhere in nowhere in the Overberg in the Western Cape, South Africa. This artist community organizes annually the Art Route attracting visitors of all walks of life and from all over. The pictured sculptures are the work of ‘multi-disciplinary’ artist Niel Jonker.
The 'Baardskeerdersbos' Art Route
Today we visited 4 of the 19 participating artists of the Baardskeerdersbos Art Route. Baardskeerdersbos is a small hamlet somewhere in nowhere in the Overberg in the Western Cape, South Africa. This artist community organizes annually the Art Route attracting visitors of all walks of life and from all over. The pictured sculptures are the work of ‘multi-disciplinary’ artist Niel Jonker.
Herman van Bon Photography 