OVERVIEW
Tourism SANParks has launched a Stokvel and Travel Club. SECTOR INSIGHT Country Hotels has opened a new series of restaurants.
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Credit: Sun International
here are six national parks 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 announcement by SANParks in 2021 that a special programme for members of stokvels opened up the prospect of a new market for the province’s national parks. There are more than 800 000 stokvels, or savings clubs, in South Africa and the prospect of discounted rates might well interest members. The scheme is called Stokvel & Travel Club and is part of an attempt by SANParks to grow domestic tourism, particularly among black people. Other goals include raising awareness of SANParks’ role in environmental science and conservation. A 21-year search came to an exciting end in 2021 when botanist Pieter van Wyk found a Namaquanula bruce-bayeri flower in the |Ai|Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. Under severe pressure from trampling by animals, the plant is described as the single rarest flowering plant in the park. Other rare succulent plants in the Succulent Karoo biome have a new level of protection with the declaration of four new parks in the Northern Cape. The Karrasberge Protected Area which is the collective name for the four new provincial reserves will also preserve these plants. UNESCO describes the Succulent Karoo as the “most biologically diverse arid area in the world”. The north-western portion of the province is known as the Green Kalahari. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (with Botswana) encompasses 3.7-million hectares, making it one of the biggest conservation areas in the world. NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2022/23
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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. A proposed Heritage Route traces the footprints of the early missionaries. 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 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, but it
