DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT

Destination Development strategy will target rural tourist enterprises, and will seek to enhance the facilities at National Parks, Botanical Gardens and World Heritage Sites.

The Department has collaborated with the South African National Biodiversity Institute to upgrade the facilities at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens in Gauteng.

In Limpopo, the Department of Tourism is working with the Department of Environmental Affairs to build a new access gate into the Kruger National Park at Shangoni. The gateway will offer opportunities for the local community to produce and sell their craft, and offer authentic cultural experiences.

At the community-owned Metsi Matsho Lodge in the Free State, small businesses from the local community have been contracted to build accommodation and conference centre facilities. It is envisioned that the profits generated from the operation will be utilised for community development.

This year the Department will upgrade the Goukamma Nature Reserve, an ecotourism destination in the heart of the Garden Route, providing work opportunities for unemployed youth and women from neighbouring communities.

The Department has partnered with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to upgrade facilities at Midmar Dam and at Giant's Castle in the Drakensberg, which includes creating a mountain bike trail and installing universal access facilities at the Main Cave Museum, with its well-preserved San Rock Art.