Tourism

The stars are aligned for Northern Cape tourism.

Astro-tourism could be the next big thing. The Northern Cape has always attracted star-gazers with its wide-open skies and superb facilities for astronomical observation at Sutherland. But two pupils at Carnarvon High School have seen how this sector could reap huge benefits for the province on the back of the allocation of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.

Amy Lee Visage and Chrislin De Koker won a national tourism competition for their project on the benefits of astro-tourism. Northern Cape Tourism has organised a number of initiatives to ensure that local communities can be part of the growing sector. Tourist maps have been produced for walking trails at Carnarvon, Fraserberg, Sutherland and Williston.

A visitors’ centre, the Carnarvon SKA Exploratorium, is planned as a key piece of tourism infrastructure around which to plan other activities. The Department of Economic Development and Tourism reports that in 2018/19 training was provided to 86 tourism entrepreneurs, 43 of whom were young people. By giving financial support to some businesses, 20 permanent and 30 temporary jobs were created.

The province is aiming to broaden its offering to include coastal towns and regions. The suggested new brandings include beach experiences, coastal experiences and marine experiences.

Another thrust is to put increased emphasis on existing assets in the social and cultural field such as events and festivals and cultural, historical and mining experiences.

An existing event combines elements of adventure with wide open spaces. The Tankwa Trek traverses the southern part of the Great Karoo through the Bokkeveld and Witzenberg areas to “star-gazer’s Central” at Sutherland. It is a mountain bike trail marathon over 265km that typifies the adventure tourism of the province’s brand.

Tough sportsmen and women take to mountain bikes and canoes to take part in the Desert Knights Tour through the Richtersveld Transfrontier Park and on the Orange River. The river is also the venue for the 73km Orange Descent Canoe Marathon.

Sector Insight Coastal regions have a chance to shine.

National parks

There are no fewer than six national parks and five provincial reserves in the province, each with distinct geographical and biological features. Most of the province lies in the Nama-Karoo Biome and the annual display of spring flowers is spectacular.

The north-western portion of the province is known as the Green Kalahari, much of which is taken up by national parks.

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (with Botswana) encompasses 3.7-million hectares, making it one of the biggest conservation areas in the world.

The Kalahari in the north-east is home to many of the province’s biggest mines, but also to great numbers of raptors, vultures and owls. A specialist raptor route has been developed. Birders can look out for 50 species, including the Booted Eagle, the Pygmy Falcon and the Bateleur. Tours of the area’s vast open-cast mining operations can be arranged.

A proposed Heritage Route traces the footprints of the early missionaries to Southern Africa and will include Kuruman and the Robert Moffat Mission.

Hunting is a lucrative subsection of the tourism

sector that brings valuable economic development to rural communities.

The Diamond Fields region contains the spectacular Big Hole, the Mokala National Park and portions of the famed South African War or Battlefields Route. The Magersfontein War Memorial is an iconic attraction. The town of Kimberley is itself an extremely popular attraction.

The Karoo region encompasses the south-eastern portion of the province. While most of the region is dry, the Vanderkloof Dam is a major tourism asset. Many of the region’s small towns are geared to cater to tourists drawn to the magic of the Karoo’s open spaces and features famous Karoo towns such as De Aar, Britstown, Hanover, Victoria West and Carnarvon. Other attractions are the unique Karoo architecture, rock art, ancient Paleo surfaces, farm stays and the famous Karoo lamb.

The Namakwa region is famous for its flowers, such as those that surround the church at Kamieskroon (pictured), but it also hosts the South African Astronomical Observatory, several historic mission settlements, the Namaqua National Park (on the West Coast) and the awe-inspiring Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. Springbok and Calvinia are the two major towns in this huge district, which is also the only Northern Cape region with a coastline and soon to be the home of a new small harbour.

The Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This 160 000-hectare landscape lies on the border between South Africa and Namibia.

Investment opportunities

General opportunities for investors in the tourism sector include: • Nature and game reserves • Adventure tourism • Upgrading of accommodation facilities • New attractions and entertainment features (theme parks) • Improve air transport networks. Adventure sports at Kimberley: the possible establishment of an adventure sports resort in the Big Hole Precinct, Kimberley. Steam train: reviving steam train tourism (“Gems on Track” is the working title) could be done along a variety of routes including routes out of Kimberley to Belmont and from De Aar to Victoria West. Eco-resort at Boesmansput: development of a diver training facility would form part of the plan at this popular fresh-water cave-diving site. An eco-lodge is envisaged and a conference facility. Wildebeest Rock Art Centre: more than 400 pieces of rock art would form the cornerstone (together with the nearby Nooitgedacht Glacial Paving) of a world-class heritage and archaeological site. Developments would include the creation of a performance arena (for the depiction of San Bushman culture) and facilities for game viewing and photographic safaris. ■ Online Resources

Gariep Arts Festival: www.gariepfees.co.za Northern Cape Tourism Authority: www.northerncape.org.za Orange Descent Marathon: www.orangedescent.co.za Richtersveld: www.richtersveld-conservancy.org South African National Parks: www.sanparks.co.za