Tourism MEC visits KZN South Coast’s rural tourism sites

As part of the month-long tourism activations, MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, visited KZN South Coast’s local rural and agri-tourism initiatives, Beaver Creek Coffee Plantation and the KwaXolo Caves, on Saturday, 12 September.  The visit formed part of the Tourism and Heritage Month celebrations, with the MEC also stopping in at Margate Airport to check the revamp progress following a R10 million investment by provincial government.

CEO of Ugu South Coast Tourism (USCT), Phelisa Mangcu, said the renovation would enhance the area’s accessibility, attracting both domestic and foreign tourists: “With the international airport relocated to the north coast, the region has become much more reliant on Margate Airport. The revamp will better position us to receive tourists, giving us more opportunity to showcase the diverse natural and cultural sites of the beautiful Hibiscus Coast.”

MEC cultural and heritage visits on KZN South Coast

Following this year’s theme of ‘Tourism and Rural Development’ for September, the MEC stopped in at two of the KZN South Coast’s rural tourism initiatives. These included:

• Beaver Creek Coffee Estate (Port Edward): The world’s southernmost coffee plantation gives visitors the chance to explore this fragrant farm, with coffee tasting and the on-site restaurant a delicious addition.
• KwaXolo Caves (near Margate): The KwaXolo Caves Adventures is a unique heritage experience which takes visitors, via a cable and rung system, to the caves, which are home to ancient San artwork.

Commenting on the need for such rural tourism initiatives, Dube-Ncube said: “To achieve inclusive growth, we are ensuring that all spheres of government work towards increasing the number of tourism programmes and projects that are led by, and benefit, communities. This will lay the foundation for real transformation to take root on the ground.”

#GoMakeMemories this #TourismMonth2020 by visiting the KZN South Coast. To find out more about these and other #CulturalTourism sites:

• Download the free ‘Explore KZN South Coast’ app
• Visit the website visitkznsouthcoast.co.za
• Check out ‘South Coast Tourism’ on Facebook and YouTube
• Follow @infosouthcoast on Twitter and Instagram