Tourists meandering back to the Midlands
If ever there was an indication of how tough things have been for the tourism sector, it’s the struggle experienced by non-profit, mainly rural, tourist associations that market and drive tourism beyond the boundaries of the larger municipalities.
KwaZulu-Natal boasts about five or six “tourism routes” run by small organisations. Probably the best known is the Midlands Meander, which covers an area stretching from Mooi River in the north to Hilton in the south, and from Karkloof, west of Howick, to Kamberg in the foothills of the Maloti Drakensberg mountains.
It includes the world-renowned Battlefield Route, which has 82 battlefields, museums, old fortifications and places of remembrance, making up the largest concentration of significant battles and war-related sites in SA. Adding to the attraction as a tourist destination, the sites are bounded by some of the best game reserves, conservancies and heritage parks to be found.
But the pandemic plunged these organisations into turmoil, with the Midlands Meander and other routes staring the prospect of closure in the face. Pam McFadden, the Battlefield Route association’s chair, says that at one stage there were tour guides who operated for less than four days in two years. “How they survived is a mystery.”
Midlands Meander Association manager Marian Evans says that before the hard lockdown, the association was a thriving operation of 117 members, but by July 2020, that number had plunged to just over 20 uncertain members.
They took their chances on a month-tomonth existence and substituted the annual subscription with a pro rata tiered monthly fee. “But survive we did, and by November 2020 we had driven the membership back up to 78. By July 2021, it rose to 91 members.”
And the visitors are returning as well — mostly people from the province’s towns and cities. “People phone me from Maritzburg, for example, who have never visited the Midlands, and possibly don’t even know it exists. The tell me they want to get out into the country and get some fresh air, and are taking a taxi to the Nelson Mandela Capture Site [near Howick], and want to know what else there is to do.
“Well, there’s a great deal,” says Evans. There are five routes within the meander, boasting an abundance of activities — including art and culture facilities, historical sites, the Midmar Mile swim, zip-lining canopy tours, cycling, picnicking and hiking, and of course, golfing.
Further north in the battlefields, McFadden says her organisation has focused on the local market and people are trickling back. But there is a long way to go — and some of the larger hotels have closed.
Some enterprising individuals have tried new ideas such as monthly hikes through the battlefield sites, which can attract between 80 and 100 people, while another is looking at a 4x4 option. There has also been a successful cycle tour in the area that attracted 400 riders in October, with two similar rides being planned this year.