Northern Cape Business 2018-19 edition

OVERVIEW Tourism Five

OVERVIEW Tourism Five national parks and six provincial reserves offer an unrivalled experience of nature. Assets unique to the Northern Cape include wonderful spring flower displays, spectacular arid areas and brilliantly clear night skies for sky-gazers. Heritage tourism is another important niche. SteamNet 2000 and the Railway Museum at Kimberley Station maintain and protect fascinating rail assets. A Northern Cape Steam Rail tourism route might be an attractive opportunity for the right investor. There are no fewer than six national parks and five provincial reserves in the province, each showing off 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 north-western portion of the province is known as the Green Kalahari, much of which is taken up by national parks. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (with Botswana) encompasses 3.7-million hectares, making it one of the biggest conservation areas in the world. The Kalahari Red Dune Route is a network of guesthouses, reserves and farms to guide the visitor to the great park. The rushing waters of the Augrabies Falls National Park provide another popular attraction. 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. Birders can look out for 50 species, including the Booted Eagle, the Pygmy Falcon and the Bateleur. Tours of the area’s vast open-cast mining operations can be arranged. A new route under development in the region is the Heritage Route tracing the footprints of the early missionaries to Southern Africa and will include Kimberley and surrounds, Kuruman and surrounds and the Robert Moffat Mission. Hunting is a lucrative subsection of the tourism sector that is proving extremely popular in this region and brings valuable SECTOR INSIGHTS A public-private partnership is boosting employment. • Revamped municipal resorts aim to attract domestic visitors. • Horse racing has come to the Northern Cape. economic development to these 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 on this route where you can visit the graves, Burgher monument and Boer trenches. The town of Kimberley is a popular attraction and offers fine examples of Victorian architecture and the world-class McGregor Museum, Sol Plaatje Museum and the famed William Humphrey Art Gallery. NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018/19 52

OVERVIEW 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. The latter is especially of importance as home to SKA. The Namakwa region is famous for its flowers, but it also hosts the South African Astronomical Observatory, several historic mission settlements, the Namaqua National Park (on the West Coast) and the awe-inspiring Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. Springbok and Calvinia are the two major towns in this huge district, which is also the only Northern Cape region with a coastline. The decision by UNESCO to inscribe the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape as a World Heritage Site has great significance for the tourism industry in the Northern Cape, and for the prospects for ecotourism in general. This 160 000-hectare landscape lies on the border between South Africa and Namibia. New initiatives The Northern Cape has long been known as a prime destination for horse breeding, but horse racing has arrived on the provincial calendar with a bang. The inaugural Kgalagadi Bush Horse Race took place in Kuruman in 2017 and attracted participants from Johannesburg and the Free State. A joint effort by the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture and the Kgalagadi Municipality, the event gave local small, medium and micro-enterprises a chance to showcase their products and to sell food and drinks to visitors and participants. Kimberley also hosted its own “July” in 2017 with the running of the Flamingo Horse Race. Fifteen horses took part in 10 races on the Flamingo Horse Race Park, a 2 000m sand oval track. Smart fashions were on show and the event is flagged to become an annual event. A Tourism Imbizo held at the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre in March 2018 tackled opportuni- EVENTS CALENDAR March/April: Diamond and Dorings Music Festival, Kimberley AfrikaBurn, Tankwa Karoo National Park Hantam Mountain Bike Race, Niewoudtville May: Calvinia to Ceres: Tankwa Camino, Calvinia July: NC Motorsport Spinning, Kimberley. Gemsbok Rally, Upington August: Fraserburg Logan Drama Festival, Fraserburg. Hantam Meat Festival, Calvinia September: Williston Winter Festival, Williston Gariep Arts Festival, Kimberley. Kamiesberg Flower Trail Run, Kamiesberg. Desert Knights Motorbike Adventure, Richtersveld Transfrontier Park Kalahari Desert Festival, Witdraai near Askham. Pella Cultural Festival, Pella October: Barney Barnato Amateur Golf Championship, Kimberley. Ghaap River XTreme Festival, Douglas. Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon, Augrabies Falls National Park. BoekBedonnerd X, Richmond November: The Munga Race, Rolfontein. Nature Reserve Aggeneys Fees, Aggeneys. December: Richtersveld Liggies Festival, Port Nolloth. SA Jazz, Kimberley MetroFM Heatwave, Kimberley 53 NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018/19