Archive for South Africa Tourism
Where have all the flowers gone?
Posted by: | CommentsFinding the right field in Namaqualand is sometimes all about knowing who to ask
‘Welcome to the flower capital of the North Western Cape,” proclaimed a billboard near the entrance to the town of Vanrhynsdorp off the N7. The problem was there was nary a flower in sight.
“Where are all the flowers?” I inquired of a grizzled old mechanic with filthy fingernails fixing a tyre at the local garage. “It’s the weather,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Predictable, I thought. The usual response in this part of the world when things are not as expected is to blame it on the weather.
Only, this time, he was dead right. The late and sparse winter rains, followed by unseasonal hot, dry berg winds, had resulted in one of the worst flower seasons ever recorded in this springtime botanical wonderland.
Flower guru and botanical expert Hendrik van Zijl, owner of the Van Zijl guesthouses in nearby Nieuwoudtville, tried to put a brave face on it.
“Yes, the flowers are unusually poor this season,” he told guests over dinner. “There are some blooms around Matjiesfontein and, if you’re heading north, there are quite a few in the Namaqualand National Park near Garies on the N7, but hurry as they are wilting fast.”
Then, as any good marketing man would do, he pointed out that there were things of interest in this high, Bokkeveld country of the Hantam Karoo other than flowers — such as visible, ancient glacial tracts, historical wheat mills, a spectacular aloe forest, San bushman paintings and waterfalls in the surrounding hills.
Small consolation, I suppose, for the assembled flowers fanciers, many of whom had travelled half way round the world, eagerly anticipating the carpets of bright flowers that annually constitute one of the world’s botanical miracles.
I have my own sources, however.
I asked one of the waitresses where the best flowers were. And she should know — she lives there.
She directed me to a campsite called “Olive Camp”, just outside Nieuwoudtville. And there they were — lovely shows of yellow and orange Namaqualand daisies in the fallow lands surrounding an old farmhouse. Patches of bright-pink vygies mixed in with them.
And there were indeed some flowers at Matjiesfontein, but nothing like in previous years, I was told.
And I stopped at Clanwilliam on the way up to Nieuwoudtville and there were some lovely displays of wild flowers in the town’s Ramskop Wild Flower Reserve.
Sad, that one has to go to a wild flower reserve to see cultivated wild flowers in an area that calls itself the flower capital of the country.
But then, there’s no helping the weather, is there?
Source: Times Live (http://www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/travel/article673755.ece/Where-have-all-the-flowers-gone)
Why Is South Africa So Popular
Posted by: | CommentsEach year, South Africa grows in recognition as a long haul destination for British holiday makers. It affords excellent weather throughout the year, a well established tourism and transport infrastructure, a range of memories, impressive landscapes and a warm, colourful local people.
The country itself is large and allows holiday makers the promise of adventure combined with the freedom to explore. From the time that South Africa surfaced as a democratic nation, its place on the worldwide sporting stage has helped raise South Africa’s international appeal.
The ‘Rainbow Nation’ is a land rich in cultural diversity with eleven recognized languages and there are a wide variety authentic cultural activities available. Visitor fulfillment plays an key aspect of South Africa’s popularity as a holiday location and a good number of tourists return time and again looking to try to find fresh experiences and relive old ones.
South Africa has an extensive coast line with a great number of beaches attaining a ‘Blue Flag’ and it is also accepted as one of the world’s best diving destinations. Cape Town is exceptionally popular with in the region of 70% of British visitors making Cape Town part of their itinerary.
In the north of the country is the world famous Kruger National Park but there are actually hundreds of private and national game reserves to be found almost everywhere in the country including a number of the premier game lodges in Africa.
The breathtaking Drakensberg mountains in KwaZulu Natal are a truly spectacular sight and are in demand with hikers and adventure tourism. Hidden away are also a handful of mountain retreats where you can really feel relaxed.The Drakensberg is a spot that fuses the splendour of the KwaZulu Natal Midlands with the traditions of Zululand.
If you’d never thought of it before, why not embark on organising your South Africa Holiday today. The only challenge you’ll have, is trying to choose what to do in the limited time you’ll have in this renowned country.
South African steam train runs its final passenger service
Posted by: | CommentsSouth Africa has lost its only unique heritage and tourism asset—the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe train—which was the only remaining steam locomotive passenger train in the entire continent of Africa.
A sad day dawned for steam locomotive enthusiasts and tourists this week as the iconic steam-hauled passenger train undertook her final 52-km journey between George in the Eastern Cape to Mossel Bay in the Western Cape.
In 2006, the Choo-Tjoe train used to carry about 115,000 passengers a year, 70 percent of whom were foreign tourists who enjoyed the view along the train’s route.
Conservationists and tourism experts are blaming the government for failing to take over the running of the train as it provided both entertainment and as a tourist attraction.
The train, which has been operating since 1907, was owned by Transnet, but in 2007, the parastatal identified the train as one of its non core assets and decided to terminate its services.
Following extensive studies and consultations with shareholders, Transnet decided to follow an open tender process to find a new operator for the train.
Unfortunately, no operator came forward and Transnet was left with no choice but to finally terminate the train’s services. Finally, this week, the Choo-Tjoe train stopped operating.
The train offered its passengers a unique picturesque and scenic 52-km journey experiencing the Garden Route with spectacular views of the Indian Ocean.
The line traverses mainly agriculture land used for grazing.
Construction of the line started in 1906 and it was officially opened the following year.
During its construction, a temporary wooden bridge built over one of the river it crosses collapsed resulting in the locomotive plunging into the river.
Luckily no one was injured.
The line crosses two rivers—the Gwaiing and Malgate, and the steam locomotive can haul five coaches on the line.
Because the line runs through an ecologically sensitive area in which there is considerable risk of veld fires, from time to time, the train was forced to operate with diesel locomotives, depending on the weather.
The train is hauled by a Class 19 D steam locomotive which weighs about 80 tons and with a coal capacity of 12 tons.
The engines were only serviced after 20,000 km.
The train is now part of a transport museum complex in George which has a variety of 13 steam locomotives, including a narrow gauge, the Emil Kesser, which was Johannesburg’s first steam locomotive.
The museum complex can be booked for different functions such as weddings, corporate functions, product launches and for other social events.
There are also three souvenir shops selling railway memorabilia and African art, a coffee shop, restaurant and an information center.
Entrance to the exciting facility is 20 rands for adults and 10 rands for children under twelve years.
When the line was built, it was that time regarded as “the most expensive piece of clickety in the world.” It was built at a cost of 296,820 British pounds.
In 1992, the railway line was declared a preserved asset, and during that time it was carrying about 40,000 passengers a year.
In 2006, the number of passengers quadrupled to about 115,000 annually, with 70 percent being foreign tourists.
However, hope might not be lost as yet as the Western Cape government has shown interest in taking over the running of the train.
The province’s Minister of Development and Tourism, Alan Winde, told Xinhua he was confident the train will take to the tracks again “soon.”
“An asset this valuable should not be left to rot. The provincial government (Western Cape) has applied to Transnet to take over the train and the line from Knysna, in the Garden Route, to George.
“Because of its special place in the hearts of locals and steam enthusiasts around the globe, were are confident that Transnet is considering our request seriously. We hope to have a response to our application soon,” Winde told Xinhua in an interview.
The transfer will have to go through strict Public Finance Management Act regulations because the train was a state asset.
If the requirements are met and the train was transferred, Winde said, he would seek a private operator to run it to promote tourism.
Kobus Volschenk, the acting manager of the Transnet Heritage Foundation said the 26 employees who used to work on the Choo-Tjoe train will be redeployed elsewhere.
Source: Coastweek (http://www.coastweek.com/3339_train.htm)
Tourism to promote Mpumalanga’s townships
Posted by: | CommentsTOURISM packages will be redefined to promote township tourism, Mpuma-langa tourism and parks agency chief executive Charles Ndabeni said at the launch of the township tourism and stokvel movement.
“In the past 16 years we haven’t promoted everything possible — our missing link is the people,” Ndabeni said.
He said they had targeted stokvels as it was an already existing social network.
“They are a powerful network as consumers and potential investors in tourism.”
Ndabeni saidthere were more than 800000 stokvels in SA and they are targeting 10percent of them.
He said they had already assessed and rated taverns and guest houses at Kanyamazane, Kabokweni and Matsulu.
“Tourism is about the country’s people and should benefit all its citizens. W e promote tourism to foreigners but not to our families.”
MTPA board chairperson Sabelo Mahlalela said there was no point in marketing Mpumalanga to the world if the majority of people were not benefiting.
“SA is marketed so much , but the traffic does not go where the people are.
“We have to ensure economic benefits for previously disadvantaged people like mothers of stokvels.”
Source: Sowetan Live (http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2010/09/20/tourism-to-promote-mpumalanga_s-townships)
Cup tourists felt safer
Posted by: | CommentsMost 2010 World Cup tourists from South America and Eastern Europe felt safer in South Africa than in their own countries, a research by the DA has found.
The findings are the result of a survey by the DA in which 98 face-to-face interviews were conducted with tourists in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Free State and Mpumalanga during the soccer World Cup.
DA parliamentarian Greg Krumbock said tourists were asked to describe their reception in South Africa, how safe they felt, whether the country was a value-for-money destination, as well as their best and worst experiences during their visit.
The interviews were conducted in and around stadiums during matches, at airports, and travelling to and from World Cup fixtures on domestic airlines, the Gautrain, inter-city shuttles, Rea Vaya park and rides and fan walks.
“They [the tourists] were led to believe that they were going to a very dangerous and expensive place. It turned out that it was safe and cheap,” Krumbock said.
“South Americans felt that some areas in their own cities were much more dangerous than what they saw here,” he said.
He added that Eastern Europeans felt the same. The survey revealed that:
26.4% felt the country was very safe and 69.8% that it was safe;
Prices were reasonable or similar to the home countries of 48%, while 45% found South Africa cheaper;
Watching their teams play and the country’s natural beauty were foreigners’ best experiences. The transport system was their worst.
Krumbock said the survey showed that the potential for tourism in South Africa to spur economic growth remained impressive because of the gap between actual experiences and negative perceptions abroad.
“Provided South Africa resolves its industrial disputes and refrains from self-inflicted negative publicity abroad, this gap can be bridged through aggressive marketing of our country in carefully selected markets overseas,” he said.
Source: Times ZA (http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article666763.ece/Cup-tourists-felt-safer—DA)
