All South Africans wishing to escape the World Cup and make use of the six-week-long mid-year break are welcome in Mossel Bay.

This is the message from Mossel Bay Tourism’s, Marcia Holm.

“Mossel Bay will definitely be open for South Africans during the World Cup.

“The host cities around South Africa are going to be crowded, busy and bustling, and while the Garden Route and Klein Karoo regions certainly are expecting more visitors than usual, Mossel Bay is, without a doubt, going to be the place to be this winter – especially as most of our accommodation establishments are currently quoting very affordable winter season prices,” she said.

She pointed out that winter was when the fynbos flowered at their best, when the waves were at their finest, and when the beaches, the shops and the roads were relatively quiet and uncrowded.

She said, too, that Mossel Bay was a good base from which to explore the region.

“The town has become known for our beaches – and we definitely have fantastic beaches – but Mossel Bay is also at the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains, which offer endless opportunities for exploration, and adventure and which host some of our most sought-after accommodation establishments and camp sites.

“Over the past few years, a number of game farms and private nature reserves have opened up in our area, and winter is a very pleasant time of the year for game and bird watching. But it’s also the best time of the year for whale and dolphin watching, because that’s when the migratory species (and especially the Southern Right whales) are most likely to come to the Bay to mate and calve,” she said.

“Also, within an hour or two’s drive of Mossel Bay, you have all the attractions of the Klein Karoo (the ostrich farms, the mountain passes, the Cango Caves and so on) and all the attractions of the Garden Route – with its golf courses, forests and its national park.”