Spotlight on KZN’s ecotourism potential
Durban — Tourism investment opportunities worth at least R9.4 billion have the potential to create over 3 000 temporary jobs during construction and more than 3 000 permanent jobs.
Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) which opened in Durban on Monday and finishes on Thursday, is a celebrated African leisure trade show owned by South African Tourism, with the specific objective of creating market access to a vast array of African leisure tourism products.
On Wednesday the ATI networking event seeks to immerse delegates in an authentic Durban experience with an event at the MSC Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal, a talk on exploring the intersection of conservation and ecotourism, an Indaba on Tourism Investment, and a discussion by the Department of Tourism on opening up economic participation in the tourism sector.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health Nomagugu Simelane mentioned the investment opportunities while referring to a portfolio of 15 “catalytic tourism projects across KZN” that would vastly improve the tourism potential.
These projects, along with other private developments such as the Club Med resort to be built at Tinley Manor on the North Coast, the Babanango Game Reserve, and a new Ernie Els golf course at Zimbali Lakes, indicated that private sector investors had considerable confidence in KZN, she said.
“Eight – that’s more than half of our catalytic projects – are private sector-led and are mainly brown and greenfield developments. Another four projects are part of Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife’s commercialisation strategy, which requires private sector investment partners to develop, operate and manage on a 15- to 20-year public-private partnership concession,” Simelane said.
This would enrich and expand Ezemvelo’s ecotourism products to meet “the ever-growing hunger for unique ecotourism experiences” while enabling the entity to focus on its important conservation mandate.
Simelane said the KZN North Coast is an enviable strip of coastline stretching from the Tongaat River at Zimbali to Kosi Bay. Here they have another four projects in one of the province’s greatest tourism assets, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
“We are looking for private sector investment partners to develop, operate, and manage government assets within this very special World Heritage Site because we know investment is for the bold and brave and our province needs to be easy to visit and easy to do business in. Business plans have been completed for each of these projects. The land has been secured and they have the support of the relevant municipalities.”
At the ATI, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said Africa is “not confined by boundaries when it comes to tourism potential”.
One of the vendors, Zululand Birding Route South Africa, said they aim to address bird conservation and also provide an opportunity to inform and educate those in rural areas.
Bird guide Junior Gabela said: “We do environmental education, raise awareness and bird conservation among the youngsters. We aim mainly at primary schools as we want to invest in the future and equip them with knowledge.”
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