I’m willing to bet that at some point over the past few months, you’ve had a friend from overseas ask you exactly what the hell is going on in Cape Town.

Two that stand out for me came from the US and Scotland, and both peeps asking were under the impression that we were already living in some post-apocalyptic Mad Max-style wasteland.

Cool your jets, man, because we’re not quite there – yet.

It’s worth looking at what two of America’s most prominent news organisations have to say to tourists who are headed our way. We’ll start with the Washington Post, spurred into action by the visit of Sisa Ntshona, chief executive of South African Tourism, last week.

Ntshona was in Washington as part of a multi-city speaking tour, and he set the record straight:

“It’s not pandemonium — ‘I can’t shower. I can’t flush the toilet. The taps don’t work,’ ” he said, airing and then refuting many of the worries.

One of the greatest misconceptions is that the entire country is struggling with a water shortage. Only Cape Town is. The rest of the country, including Johannesburg, the Cape Winelands and the whale-watching hub of Hermanus, is drinking and rinsing as usual.

“People think that if there’s a drought in Cape Town, it must be all over,” he said. “But it’s quite the opposite.”

He also addressed tourists who might balk at the idea of visiting Cape Town, for fear of siphoning water from locals. The number of annual international visitors is so modest (about 1 percent of the population of 3.75 million) that their effect on the overall supply is as negligible as swallowing a mouthful of water in the ocean. Also of note, the Western Cape province supports more than 300,000 tourism jobs that will suffer if people stay away. Visitors don’t have to pick sides: They can boost the tourism industry and contribute to the cause.

“It’s water-wise tourism,” he said. “Save like a local.”

Good work, sir, because it’s clear there are some serious misconceptions being touted overseas.

The article goes on to detail how businesses, hotels and restaurants are all doing their bit (or most of them), and I particularly like this quote:

“It’s not cool to have a green manicured lawn,” said Ntshona, “or a clean car.”

Yup, all the cool kids are letting nature do its thing. Oh, and your landlord can’t do squat about it.

You can read the rest of the Washington Post article here, but let’s move onto CNN asking if travellers should still visit our shores.

No messing around because this one is straight to the point:

The city faces a delicate balancing act in managing finite water resources while trying not to discourage the visitors it depends upon.

So should travelers [sic] change their plans? The official line is an emphatic “no.”

“Cape Town is open for business in spite of the current drought,” says South Africa Tourism.

“Tourists are welcome and will still be able to visit the region and access primary tourism attractions such as Table Mountain, Cape Point and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.”

…traveling [sic] to Cape Town right now feels far from a voyage to the Dark Ages — although it’s far less luxurious than usual, as infinity pools have been replaced with bracing sea swims and cacti are growing over all the rose bushes.

Oh, the horror of having to swim in the ocean instead of the pool.

Let’s just take a moment to enjoy the splendour of Hout Bay, which CNN somehow skipped over:

Marvellous.

As for whether those popping past the Mother City will still enjoy themselves:

Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities on earth and water restrictions won’t change that.

The hidden coves and generous beaches are as lovely as ever, and the mountain walks are browner but still exhilarating…

“On balance, I think tourists should keep coming so long as they are water-conscious,” says Taryn Walker, an advertising director.

“Ultimately the damage that a drop in tourism — one of the greatest economic drivers in our city — would do is even worse than the current water crisis.”

Very little scaremongering in either of those articles, so perhaps we won’t be seeing a drop in the number of tourists visiting our shores.

Bad news if you’re looking for parking anywhere in the CBD, but great news for hotels and restaurants looking to offset the increasing cost of their water usage.

Just warn your friends that they’re probably not going to get tap water at the table, although they will get shoddy service in general.

[sources:washpost&cnn]