Current Edition >> Archive Section >> Letters to the editor >> 1-16 Sep 2006

Call for update of FS Tourism website

Just some quick webpage suggestions: The FS Tourism website needs a drastic update, in the contacts section especially.
The Maloti Route section totally leaves out the most important part of the route, North from Ladybrand all the way to Clarens, Golden Gate, Bethlehem, Memel etc. Linkage to other routes would also be desirable.
The Steam Train Route is fiction (non-existent is maybe a better word) on public lines due to Spoornet turning down numerous proposals, BUT Sandstone Estates outside Ficksburg has done wonders to promote steam photographic tourism on their private rails hosting annually two or three events.
A Bloem-Bethlehem Steam Route on public lines would be wonderful! What is holding it back?
The development of the Maloti-Drakenberg Transfrontier Park should feature prominently.
I was also disappointed when doing a search for Frans Claerhout - there is nothing in celebration of his life and work. Should FS Tourism not maybe have a webpage specially dedicated to him / establish a museum in Tweespruit or Thaba Nchu / further catalogue and publicize his works and thus capitalize for the Free State on this wonderful icon of our culture and society?
Under Services you should add AgriTourism and link it to NAMPO (the biggest AgriTourism event in the Southern Hemisphere!?), Farmstay and government's AgriTourism SA initiative www.agritourismsa.co.za (unfortunately also a dead website with nothing added since inception in December 2005).
There is regularly interesting tourism information published on the website of the Free State Business Bulletin at http://www.bulletinonline.co.za/ that could possibly be added to the FS Tourism site on a regular basis.
In order to get people to visit the website, to make it credible and to turn it into a good expenditure of taxpayers' money, it has to be updated regularly!!
With the World Cup Soccer around the corner, we need to get all systems in place and this website could prove crucial for the Free State as a communication tool reflecting to the rest of the world our level of professionalism and what we have to offer!

In the interest of Free State Tourism.

Yours constructively

Jack Armour