Northern Cape Business 2017-18 edition

SPECIAL FEATURE Hantam

SPECIAL FEATURE Hantam Hotel in Calvinia is now the refurbished Calvinia Hotel and Tankwa Lodge offering 25 air-conditioned rooms and easy access to flower-spotting and the Tankwa Karoo National Park. The riverside town of Upington has a large number of guesthouses and bed-and-breakfast establishments, together with a 90- room Protea Hotel by Marriott. The Protea Hotel by Marriott Kimberley has 117 rooms and three suites and is located right next to the Big Hole. Also near the capital city’s biggest attraction is the historic Kimberley Club Boutique Hotel. Tsogo Sun has two properties in Kimberley: a 135-room Garden Court and a 64-room budget hotel, SUN1. The Flamingo Casino is run by Sun International and offers gaming tables, slot machines and conference facilities. Conferences and events The NCTA has increasingly been focusing on adventure sports and the organisation and promotion of events, including festivals. The opening of the 2 500-seater Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre was a boost to the Northern Cape events and conferences industry. It is located near the Big Hole in the centre of Kimberley. The Convention Centre makes it much easier to sell the provincial capital as a meetings, incentives, conference and events (MICE) destination. The Northern Cape has its fair share of annual festivals. AfrikaBurn is now a regular in the Tankwa Karoo National park, PROVINCIAL NATURE RESERVES Doornkloof Nature Reserve: +27 51 753 3006 Goegap Nature Reserve : +27 27 718 9906 Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve: +27 27 218 1159 Rolfontein Nature Reserve: +27 53 664 0900 Witsand Nature Reserve: +27 83 234 757 NATIONAL PARKS IN THE NORTHERN CAPE Central Reservations: South African National Parks: +27 12 428 9111 Augrabies Falls National Park: +27 54 452 9200 /Ai/Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park: +27 27 831 1506 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: +27 54 561 2000 Mokala National Park: +27 53 204 8000 Namaqua National Park: +27 27 672 1948 Tankwa Karoo National Park: +27 27 341 1927 NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2017/18 30

SPECIAL FEATURE 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 which carries a first prize of R50 000. The first Orange Descent Canoe Marathon attracted 55 participants from the Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng, as well as from Namibia. The Orange River provides a lush landscape in which the grapes of the several hundred producers of Orange River Wine Cellars prosper. The rushing water of the Augrabies Falls National Park provide another popular attraction. attracting fun-lovers determined to do their thing off the grid. The Vleisfees (meat festival) has been held in Calvinia in the Hantam region since 1990. The successful book festival called Boekbedonnerd celebrated its 10th anniversary in Richmond in 2016. Shelf upon shelf in room upon room of books are available in the Karoo town’s extraordinary bookshops. Located on the N1, it holds the title of “Booktown Richmond” (there are about 20 “Booktowns” in the world). Richmond also hosts the JM Coetzee and Athol Fugard Festival at which the South African Independent Publishers awards are announced. Fugard himself was in attendance in 2015. Upington is the venue for the popular Kalahari Kuier (Visit) Festival. More than 30 000 people have been known to attend the event, providing a welcome boost for the local economy. Kuruman hosts the Kgalagadi Jazz Festival. The Tankwa Trek (mountain trails) traverses the southern part of the Great Karoo through the Bokkeveld and Witzenburg 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 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. The Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) has prepared a number of specific tourism investment packages and is looking for partners to take these opportunities to completion. 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 cavediving 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. 31 NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2017/18