Lisa Goosen knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity. In 2015, Tintswalo Atlantic Lodge – part of the Tintswalo Group that Goosen is CEO of – burnt to the ground during runaway veld fires that destroyed huge areas of vegetation and razed homes and businesses in parts of the Cape Peninsula.
After months of rebuilding, Tintswalo Atlantic rose from the ashes and the luxury lodge on the foot of Chapman’s Peak enjoyed a revival. But in February 2019, it happened again: a second fire broke out and destroyed parts of the property.
Once again, Goosen and her team picked up, rebuilt and reopened. And then the unthinkable happened: the Covid-19 pandemic. All six properties in the Tintswalo Collection (four high-end game lodges and two coastal boutique hotels) have been fully closed to guests for months and will remain so for the foreseeable future.
Sure Travel spoke to Goosen about Tintswalo’s recovery plan and how previous adversity is helping her face-off the Corona crisis.
[Sure Travel Journey] As a ‘luxury’ product, tourism is inherently a risky business, subject to many unpredictable factors (exchange rate fluctuations, air connectivity, global markets, pandemics…). Why do you do it?
[Lisa Goosen] I ask myself the same question, especially now – what were we thinking! But seriously, I think in this business you have to have a passion for the guest experiences you create, and you have to have a trust and passion for the staff you have around you, who create this for guests. It’s almost a calling.
Our name almost says it all: the word Tintswalo means “the intangible feeling of love and gratitude that one feels for someone who has given a worthy gift.” This is exactly what we are striving to offer our guests at the lodge. We want people to be blessed by the experiences we create and deliver time and time again. It’s about what they feel when they have left us. That’s an achievement – to spiritually move someone in that way.
What lessons have you learned from the current Covid crisis, personal and business?
It is never a clever thing to only have one source of income. It is always best while keeping your eye on the main prize and main game to have a second or even third stream of income in an area that is not affected by things that affect tourism.
We have also learnt a lot about staff in this time. For the most part, our staff has been amazing and you see in times like this who you can truly work with and trust. It builds something that will last longer than this epidemic; it built family through business.
What are your expectations for inbound tourism to South Africa over the coming months?
We are hopeful that the borders will open towards the end of the year but we are sceptical that international guests will have confidence to travel in these times. Also, with the world economy taking a dip it remains to be seen how much expendable income there will be to use on holidays abroad.
And domestic tourism?
We are more positive about local tourism picking up, as most South Africans who have predominantly travelled abroad will want to stay home and explore their own country… We do, thankfully, have a huge local following at both Tintswalo Atlantic and Tintswalo Lapalala, and we are confident that we will build on this.
You obviously have experience in facing adversity. What tips do you have for others on overcoming unexpected and tough situations?
When faced with a huge adversity it is very easy to be overcome and overwhelmed by it. I have twice stood in front of the ashes of Tintswalo Atlantic and thought “and now?” I think what keeps one going is those your surround yourself with and the people who are a part of your bigger family and team. If it were not for them I would not have had the courage to keep going. We surround ourselves with people who are as passionate and committed to our products as we are.
Ask your Sure Travel agent about special post-lockdown offers from the Tintswalo group. Find your nearest Sure Travel agency here, or call 0861 47 48 49.
