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Without Prejudice<\/p>\n
Good day travel partners<\/p>\n
It has been more than a month since we arrived at the lodge for lockdown. Normally, the saying goes: \u201cTime flies, when you\u2019re having fun.\u201d I am sure that most of you would agree that time also sometimes flies, despite difficult circumstances\u2026<\/p>\n
The Covid-19 pandemic is still very much a reality in our midst. The calm before the storm, it seems. It feels like a lifetime ago, when we first started dealing with its influence on us, as a tourism destination. The virus is affecting the whole world, the young and the elderly, the rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick. Nobody is exempt from its influence and impact on our day-to-day existence.<\/p>\n
Although it proves very difficult at times, we at Elephant Plains Game Lodge are choosing to embrace the positives that can come from the Covid-19 pandemic. We are not indifferent to its negative impact. Not at all! And the choice of having this frame of mind is definitely easier said than done, I know. But we are choosing to see this as a reboot opportunity. A reset button that was pressed on our behalf. Maybe we were so busy doing \u201clife\u201d and \u201cbusiness\u201d, that we needed a greater power to grind the entire world to a halt. On a much larger, grander scale than any of us could ever have imagined.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.elephantplains.co.za\/big-5-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/IMG-20200425-WA0021.jpg” alt=”Game drive” title_text=”Game drive” show_in_lightbox=”on” _builder_version=”4.4.6″ box_shadow_style=”preset1″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.6″ header_2_line_height=”1.2em” header_2_line_height_tablet=”” header_2_line_height_phone=”” header_2_line_height_last_edited=”on|phone”]<\/p>\n
At EP we have chosen to grab this reboot opportunity with both hands. We are working hard. Not only on some general maintenance in and around the lodge, but also on our administration. There is so much to do! In a way, I see this time as an opportunity to redefine ourselves. There are no fool proof guidelines on how to perfectly handle Covid-19 in the tourism industry. We are all learning something new every, single, day. Some days are easier than others. Sometimes decisions are easier to make and sometimes they are almost impossible.<\/p>\n
Still, Covid-19 has lent itself to the opportunity of showing character and instil, in those who do not already know EP that well, our values and commitment towards the industry.\u00a0\u00a0We are sensitive to the uncertainties and fears that the outbreak has imposed on both our travel partners and our guests. Nobody knows for certain, when business, as we knew it before, would return to normal. As I am writing this sentence, I actually have a problem with this statement. I would love to see the world changed, for the better, after the pandemic. I would love for a new kind of \u201cnormal\u201d to grow from this. \u00a0<\/p>\n
As a tourism destination, we will have to wait and see when guests (both local and international) would be able to return to the lodge. Because we\u2019ve always had very competitive rates and used to have a relatively large South African market, we would like to continue with this, going forward. Competitive rates have also made us a firm favourite in the international market. We offer an authentic, luxurious experience. Affordable, but still extremely good value for money. This positioning in the market should help us, when we re-open our doors one day.\u00a0 We have always been an honest family business. We\u2019ve always had the correct values in place and I believe that these are the basic traits that would distinguish us in the future.<\/p>\n
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