Opportunity Issue 108

MARITIME TOURISM
From July to October, visitors enjoy land-based whale watching,
guided marine walks at low tide, guided fynbos and nature walks,
guided nature drives, mountain biking, dune boarding, snorkelling
and swimming in tidal pools. Visitors also enjoy sightings of
resident turtles, such as the five rehabilitated turtles that were
recently released into the reserve by the Two Oceans Aquarium
Foundation’s Turtle Conservation Centre.
Morukuru Family De Hoop employs 42 people and welcomes
around 1 700 guests every year. The business also supports the
MPA further through the Morukuru Goodwill Foundation, as
well as sharing educational information via its website and
marketing material.
Leveraging attractions
Another Western Cape-based tourism establishment that has
leveraged the De Hoop Nature Reserve and MPA for ecotourism
is Africansunroad. The company provides nature guides and hikes
and wine walks with a special focus on the 55km Whale Trail which
extends through the nature reserve from Potberg to Koppie Alleen.
Gillian Louw, CEO of Africansunroad, says they welcome around
80 tourists a year for the Whale Trail during which time they
educate visitors about the MPA and clean any litter along the trail.
She says the protection and restoration of this natural environment
has attracted significant interest from tourists, with the recovery
of ocean life a particularly welcome benefit. Another tourism
establishment located near De Hoop MPA is Marine Dynamics
which includes Dyer Island Cruises and Marine Dynamics Academy.
Marine Dynamics is the founder of the Dyer Island Conservation
Trust, African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary.
While they do not operate in the MPA, they have been
campaigning to have the Great Dyer Island area demarcated as an
MPA, while always positively promoting the nearby De Hoop MPA.
The company hires 130 people and welcomes up to 40 000 visitors
a year on their marine adventures which includes viewing the
Marine Big 5: sharks, whales, African penguins, seals and dolphins.
The Western Cape’s Pearly’s Restaurant in Langebaan, located
near the West Coast National Park, benefits from the MPA’s
ecotourism offerings which attract visitors for water sports,
birdwatching and to witness the incredible flowers in season.
The restaurant employs around 50 people and welcomes around
50 000 patrons annually.
An iconic destination
While Robben Island is internationally renowned for
its apartheid-era prison that housed President Nelson
Mandela, many don’t realise that the island is also an
MPA, a World Heritage Site and home to the third-largest
African penguin colony. This makes the Robben Island
Museum a big tourism drawcard, from both historical and
ecotourism perspectives. Inga Sipuka, Nature Conservator
at Robben Island Museum, notes that tourism, research
and education are major drawcards for some 300 000 annual
visitors: “We focus on the conservation of seabirds including the
endangered African penguin, Bank and Cape cormorants.
Morukuru Family De Hoop tidal walk.
Credit: Morukuru Family De Hoop
Hikers support local tourism operations in the
Pondoland MPA region. Credit: Judy Mann
A Clown fish, iSimangaliso MPA.
Credit: Jacques van Jaarsveld, courtesy Adventure Mania
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