PRESIDENT'S LETTER

Dear Skålleagues,

It is truly amazing how things change and how fast they can change.  In my little piece of paradise we are now exiting what has been recorded as the wettest winter on record and along with that the coldest in my memory.  We have had so much rain that our water tables are literally water logged and those unfortunates that live on very flat areas have very spongy ground at present.  The strange part about this is that 10 months ago we were sitting in a severe drought with extreme water restrictions in place and potentially water outages on the cards, now we have more than we need with dam sluices still open nearly three months after the first severe falls.

Nature is wonderful and unpredictable and in Africa more so than any other place on earth, but would we have it any other way, I certainly would not.  Talking of nature, we have seven entries in this year’s Sustainable Tourism Awards at the Skål World Congress that will be hosted by South Korea during October 2012.  These are all projects that have been selected and entered because of their unique and well planned strategy to help make the world a better place to live, true Eco-tourism products and I wish one and all well with their entries.  I think that I am correct in stating that South Africa is the only country in the world who has had entries into this competition since it’s inception, so keep up the good work guys.

Recently the national committee, club Presidents and observers were all spoiled rotten by the Durban club when they hosted the second Bi-annual meeting of 2012 at Jozini Tiger Lodge in Zululand.  What made this even more special was the fact that this club were celebrating their diamond anniversary, 60 years since their inception.  The weekend was a splendid opportunity to see an area many of us have not yet seen and offered an insight into this wonderful part of the country.  I must laud Nic De Klerk and his team for the fabulous effort and amazing weekend enjoyed by one and all.

We will be shortly sending a contingent over to South Korea shortly to represent South Africa at the Skål word congress in Seoul and Inchon.  This is going to be a wonderful trip with a lot of interesting and new experiences for all who are travelling.  I wish you all a safe journey and know that you will all represent the country with honour and decorum.

2012 is fast coming to an end and currently we are seeing all the trees sprouting new foliage, flowers starting to show their true colours and I can just think that cities like Pretoria are starting to celebrate the jacaranda tree’s return to life after a long cold winter.  Although the recession is nowhere near an end, we have definitely seen an improvement in business patterns but still have a long way to go.  I would like to wish you everything of the best heading into tourist season and hope that your Christmas bookings are coming in thick and fast.  We need a bit of cheer this year to have a cheerful Christmas.

Kind regards and personal best wishes

Dave Snuggs
President
Skål International
South Africa

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