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Discover the impact of Waterberg Tourism on your experience!

Discover the impact of Waterberg Tourism on your experience!

The Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) boasts approximately 1,300 members, encompassing a diverse range of tourism service providers, including tour operators, accommodation facilities, transport services, and various other entities within the travel sector. SATSA has published an excellent article highlighting the Waterberg Development Initiative and Waterberg Tourism.

We encourage you to read the article titled “The Waterberg Development Initiative shows how tourism can enable economies” at the following link: https://www.satsa.com/news/waterberg-development-initiative-shows-how-tourism-can-enable-economies.

Are our destination marketing and development efforts showing early results?

Our team would be the first to say that it is probably too soon to tell, but we keep looking for ways to measure our impact. We recently reached out to the technology company supporting our Waterberg Safety Network and asked them if they could pull traffic data from the CCTV camera network covering our district to help us compare Easter Weekend 2022 with Easter Weekend 2023?

The results are tabled below…

A growth of +38% in vehicles entering and moving through the Waterberg… that is fantastic news! The provincial data is even more interesting with further away provinces showing higher growth rates. This could well mean that for many of these visitors the Waterberg was their ‘Easter Holiday Destination’ of choice.

We are surely not claiming ‘statistical significance’ with this data yet, but at least it is an interesting attempt in measuring movement into and through the Waterberg that is showing very promising trends.

Waterberg Tourism at the Africa Indaba

Armed with maps of the Waterberg, tourism product owner information and ‘digital’ business cards to easily convey contact details and our social media pages, Syd Catton – one of the Directors of Waterberg Development Initiative – and three of our Waterberg Tourism Ambassadors made their way to the recent Africa Indaba at the Durban ICC.

Many Indaba delegates that did not know of our ‘Wonder-Filled’ Waterberg are now much better informed thanks to the energetic sharing and boasting by our ambassadors. Our attempt in spreading the ‘Waterberg’ word was a resounding success, but as all our ambassadors remarked… we must start our planning for 2024 earlier and be better prepared to share the Waterberg with the world. Many tour operators we engaged with all said they are looking for something ‘different’, and we have what they want!

The Explore Waterberg Newspaper

In 2022 Waterberg Tourism partnered with Essential Marketing to bring you the Explore Waterberg Newspaper. One Hundred Thousand copies were printed and distributed widely through Gauteng, Limpopo and the Waterberg.

Engeline Gericke, the owner of Essential Marketing and a valued partner of Waterberg Tourism, made sure that the recent Easter Weekend traffic did not drive through the N1 tollgates without receiving a copy of the Explore Waterberg. Great exposure to all our advertisers and a great example of how Waterberg Tourism is driving destination marketing in support of our tourism industry.

If you missed the opportunity to advertise in the 2022 edition, don’t despair, the 2023/4 information and rate card is available now. Make sure you book your space with one of our tourism ambassadors!

Tourism working with SAPS

The safety of our visitors in the Waterberg is always a high priority for Waterberg Tourism.  Wherever possible we support and work with security clusters, SAPS, and other organisations involved in security.  Recently when SAPS happened to mention that they did not have a large map of Vaalwater, Waterberg Tourism got together with Sign Centre to see what they could do. Here the new map is being handed over by Ken Maud and Marianne Gouws to Captain Tian Keyter, the Station Commander of Vaalwater.

It is encouraging to see the improvement in the station since Captain Keyter assumed control in December.  Our next project is to try to assist them to rebuild a Lapa that was burned down.  They will use this to hold their parades and meetings.  We hope the community will come together with us to support and encourage the police in the important work they do for the community and visitors alike.

 

What does the future hold for tourism in the Waterberg?

In the words of many tourism is dead in the water right now. With Covid-19 most trips and holidays have had to be cancelled. Many lodges and activities have reduced staff and adopted a “care and maintenance” strategy merely to survive! The future will not be the same as the past. Things will change. Those who can adapt to change will emerge even stronger because there will always be a need for people to travel and visit.

The popular view is that local tourism will be the first to revive. People are tired of being restricted to their homes and many have “Cabin fever”. At the same time, they do not necessarily have the same money for discretionary spend. The Waterberg offers an attractive alternative to getting away. It is only 2 hours from Gauteng and in a relatively free Malaria area. The weather at this time of the year is unbeatable!

Lodges who can see their way clear to adapting to the local market and adjusting their prices and offerings will be the ones to survive.

Conservation hunting is another extremely popular source of visits to the Waterberg. Many fathers and sons are dying to get out into the bush as are groups of friends. We have already had many enquiries from visitors as to where they may be able to hunt (for leisure and under level 3 regulations). Please let us know if you have hunting facilities available.

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