1 Tourism Master Plan for KwaXimba Tribal Area Report NO. 09/02 July 2009 Report Prepared by: Report No. 08/02 Draft 02 Draft Date Author Checked Status Approved 1 31 July GMA GAM Final KEYWORDS: KwaXimba, tourism, Isithumba 2 Contents Section 1 ........................................................................................................................................................ 4 Problem Statement and Primary Objective .................................................................................................. 4 Vision for KwaXimba ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Section 2 ........................................................................................................................................................ 8 Product Strategy – General Strategies .......................................................................................................... 8 Section 2.1 - General Tourism Product Strategies ........................................................................................ 9 1. Secure Community Buy-in and involvement .................................................................................. 10 2. Ensure better support for the Thousand Hills Route ...................................................................... 13 3. Develop linkages with other Tourist Routes ................................................................................... 14 4. Provide greater accommodation options in KwaXimba ................................................................. 15 5. Village Tours .................................................................................................................................... 17 6. Promote Adventure Attractions ..................................................................................................... 21 7. Ensure a High Level of Conservation in the Area ............................................................................ 25 8. Crackdown on illegal sand mining .................................................................................................. 26 9. Improve Roads and Signage ............................................................................................................ 27 10. Define Tourism Nodes................................................................................................................. 28 Section 2.2................................................................................................................................................... 30 Catalytic Project 1 – Reviving and Extending Isithumba Adventure Centre (Business Plan) ...................... 30 Project Description.................................................................................................................................. 30 Rationale for Isithumba Revival .............................................................................................................. 31 New Vision and Positioning of the Adventure Centre ............................................................................ 32 Comments from Tour Operators with past associations with Isithumba ............................................... 33 Ownership and Management ................................................................................................................. 35 Financial Model ....................................................................................................................................... 36 Competitors and Pricing ......................................................................................................................... 40 Model Assumptions ................................................................................................................................ 43 Operating Expenses ................................................................................................................................ 44 Financial Model Results – Net Cash Flows .............................................................................................. 46 Return on Investment ............................................................................................................................. 46 3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 47 Catalytic Project Two – Development of Nature or Hunting Reserve ........................................................ 48 Nature Reserve ....................................................................................................................................... 50 Hunting Reserve ...................................................................................................................................... 53 Incorporation in Green Corridor project ..................................................................................................... 55 Section 3 ...................................................................................................................................................... 56 Marketing Tourism in KwaXimba ................................................................................................................ 56 1. Brand Image .................................................................................................................................... 56 2. Marketing KwaXimba as part of Established as Well as Potential Tourist Routes ......................... 58 3. Creation of Dedicated Website or at the least a Web Link............................................................. 59 4. Promote Events ............................................................................................................................... 59 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 60 Section 4 ...................................................................................................................................................... 61 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 61 Reference List .............................................................................................................................................. 62 Appendix A .................................................................................................................................................. 63 Appendix B .................................................................................................................................................. 64 4 Section 1 Problem Statement and Primary Objective Developing tourism in KwaXimba requires that the tourism strengths of the area are built on, the weaknesses circumnavigated, the opportunities exploited and the threats avoided. The development of tourism in KwaXimba must recognise both the potential and the limitations of the area. KwaXimba’s proximity to Durban, the most popular tourist destination in the province, provides the area’s tourism attractions with a competitive advantage over similar tourist attractions in more isolated regions of the province. These attractions must, however, be adequately developed and marketed so as to secure both foreign and domestic interest in the area. At present the low development of tourist attractions in KwaXimba prevents the area from tapping into the potential of the vast foreign and domestic market visiting Durban each year. While significant potential for tourism development in KwaXimba exists, this potential will be lost unless KwaXimba situates itself in the broader tourism context of the Thousand Hills Tourism Route and other tourist routes in eThekwini. KwaXimba has neither the type of attractions nor the capacity to become a self sustaining tourism destination that can function in isolation. As such the following guiding principle should be adopted for tourism development in KwaXimba: To utilize the location specific attractions of KwaXimba in such a way as to develop high quality tourism products which appeal to market segments that offer significant benefit to the local community. These tourism products should be relevant to the area’s geography, culture and heritage and should be marketed as part of broader tourism routes within the eThekwini Municipality. In achieving the maximum benefit from tourism in KwaXimba, the following strategies are identified. Strategy 1. Increase the footfall of tourists in KwaXimba Strategy 2.Target the cultural segment of the foreign tourist market and the adventure segment of the domestic tourist market Strategy 3. Provide greater spending options for tourists in KwaXimba. Strategy 4. Prevent the leakage of spending out of the area and ensure community involvement in tourism projects 5 Strategy 1. Increase footfall of tourists in KwaXimba Presently KwaXimba’s main hindrance to growth in tourism is almost inexistent tourist footfall. KwaXimba lies on the periphery of the Thousand Hills Route and together with a lack of popular, well marketed attractions, KwaXimba’s location, provides little reason for tourist to visit the area. Whereas other areas which have not been developed for tourism purposes may nonetheless experience a large amount of passing tourist