Business: Franschhoek Wine Tram Back on Track Post-Lockdown in South Africa

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 08:24 am

All aboard the famous South African Franschhoek Wine Tram back on track following a six-month hiatus due to strict sanitary regulations in light of the Covid-19 pandemic — as was the case with many businesses across the globe who saw their activity shut down or negatively impacted by the global coronavirus health crisis.

David Blyth, owner and founder Franschhoek Wine Tram, explains the return to the commercial enterprise activity, “In February it was a thousand people a day. And today, on Saturday, we’re doing 250. And this is the 0.33 Saturday we’ve got been going, so the numbers are going up. They are going up. But we only work on the weekends, which is Saturday and Sunday.”

During South Africa’s lockdown, the whole of one hundred of the Franschhoek Wine Tram workforce had to be put on unpaid depart for almost half of a year. Just like the tram itself, the wine farms were also closed to customers for nearly six months. A essential evil that hurt the earnings of the associated business such as bars, restaurants and guest accommodation.

And now, passengers can now trip through South African wine us of a — sipping on a few glasses aboard and experiencing full-on wine tasting at detailed farm stops alongside the route.

Sweety Roro, a neighborhood tourist, shares her excitement, ” Ooo, it’s fabulous. You understand with COVID-19, being a healthcare worker, it is very hard due to the fact you’re in and out, you’re both at work or at home. So being out genuinely doing wonders with the fresh air, you know. Escaping the mask as lots as we can. So it is fabulous. And we’re slowly opening the economy. So it can solely be suitable for us.”

(AFP)