North West Business 2018 edition

SPECIAL FEATURE
and environmental tourist attractions. The treasure
relates to the gold mines scattered along the route.
The Vredefort Dome site (90km across) is
not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its
significance as the landing site of a meteorite
many millions of years ago, but it is also one of
the province’s best adventure tourism sites with
numerous tour operators and
accommodation
facilities.
Adventure sports is a growing section of
the tourism sector. Hot-air ballooning over the
Pilanesberg mountains is a popular pursuit, as is
quad-biking among the foothills. Canopy tours
in the Magaliesberg are on offer, with many opportunities
for water sports of every kind on the
province’s many water bodies. Hartbeespoort
Dam is the biggest of these, but there are ample
opportunities for water lovers at Bloemhof Dam,
Boskop Dam (north of Potchefstroom) and Vaalkop
Dam (north of Brits). Each of these dams has great
birdlife, with up to 250 species living at or visiting
the dams.
Nature and game reserves
The strategy of the North West Parks and Tourism
Board (NWPTB) includes ramping up investment
in the province’s 12 smaller parks with a view to
creating jobs in the second economy. This presents
an opportunity for private investors to become
involved. An investment of R43-million has been
made in the Manyane Game Lodge in Mahikeng
in partnership with the National Department of
Tourism.
Another project is an ambitious plan to create
a mega-park in the north-western sector of the
North West, the Heritage Park. The idea is to link
the existing parks of Madikwe (on the Botswana
border) and the Pilanesberg National Park (a provincial
park). Nearly 20 000ha of land is being
prepared for incorporation, which is intended
in a later phase to become a transnational park.
With much of the targeted land being currently
used for marginal cattle farming, it is expected
that the transference of this to the potentially
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NORTH WEST BUSINESS 2018
STYLE
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