Umhlanga name change

Umhlanga Rocks is one of a number of names in KZN set to change, according to a list published in the Government Gazette, as recommended by the SA Geographical Names Council. Others on the list include Amanzimtoti, Umdloti, Umkomaas, Tongaat and more.

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Umhlanga Tourism Centre’s Chairman Peter Rose said he didn’t think it was something to get overly concerned about. “Our signage, something we worked hard to implement, is all in upper case. We were actually quite clear when it was made that we wanted it to say: Umhanga Rocks – A Tourist Friendly Destination. It’s all in upper case, so if it changes to uMhlanga it’s not really a big deal for the tourism body.”

They would only change the signage if forced to do so by the relevant municipal department, he said.

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We asked Rose what the impact would be of potential tourists searching the web for the destination uMhlanga Rocks, as opposed to Umhlanga Rocks. He said, as most searches were in lower case, he didn’t think there would be an issue with search engines.

“In that regard, I don’t think it’ll hurt us, but where it might be a problem for some companies is that their stationery will have to change, and that’ll be rather costly. But perhaps most companies will simply use what they have until it runs out and then purchase new material.”

Some towns, he said had had significant name changes, and this would not bode well for tourism in those towns.

Overall, Rose said it was not something his organisation would lose sleep over.

NORTH COAST NAME CHANGES

Umhlanga Rocks – uMhlanga Rocks

Umdloti – eMdloti

Tongaat – oThongati

Bruce Stephenson, Chairman of the Umdloti Ratepayers and Residents Association commented: “The name change from Umhlanga to uMhlanga for example is not dramatic and the new spelling (lower case “u”) is probably the correct one. In the case of the Umdloti name change to eMdloti, the consequences are likely to be more severe. The name change will no doubt have an effect on Umdloti tourism industry in that the various hospitality establishments in the area will need to change web information, stationary, advertising etc.

“Businesses in the area will have to do the same as well as re-brand vehicles. Signage will have to be changed. There is a ‘knock on effect’ to all this and so the cost of the name change escalates.

Stephenson said Umdloti had been working with the municipality for years to complete necessary repairs and improvements in respect of damage caused during the storm which washed away beaches, fencing and roads. The reason this has taken so long and remains incomplete is as a result of the lack of available funding.

Undervalued

He said the association and municipality would continue to work together to try to improve infrastructure and access to the beach areas: “Umdloti is largely undervalued in terms of its tourist pull. In peak season, municipality figures show that our beaches are as busy as Umhlanga. We need to work with the city because the demands, particularly on roads and parking are heavy and will continue to grow each year.”

Stephenson commented that top restaurants in Umdloti, such as Bel Punto and La Casa Nostra regularly drew crowds of appreciative diners from well outside the Umdloti area, and the dining options in the area continued to improve.

**The Umhlanga Tourism website, started only a few years ago, today attracts just under 100 000 page views a month, and is an important vehicle to drive tourists to the area. Rose said he had set very ambitious targets for the next two-and-a-half years and hoped to increase traffic by tenfold in that period.

Now see “Pearls a great addition to Umhlanga skyline”.