Northern Cape to shine at Indaba 2016

The Northern Cape Province is pulling out all the stops to wow visitors to Africa’s leading travel trade show in Durban from 7 – 9 May.    At the 2016 INDABA, the Northern Cape will showcase not only their exceptional leisure tourism opportunities, but also their burgeoning incentive travel portfolio.  
The MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Mac Jack said the Northern Cape is in a unique position which appeals to both the leisure and business market segment.  “For the past couple of years, the Northern Cape has been positioned according to its brand pillars of real nature, real adventure and real culture”, said Jack.
“We’ve recently seen that this positioning was absolutely spot on in terms of global travel trends key themes such as Disconnect to reconnect, Adventures off the beaten track, Multigenerational family travel and Rewarding cultural experiences as four crucial elements that will shape the way South Africa is packaged.” 
He said due to the wide array of activities and tourism attractions in the province, the destination appeals to multiple market segments ranging from mature travellers to families, young adventurers and adrenaline junkies, while it is also becoming increasingly popular as a business travel destination.
In keeping with the Sho’t Left campaign of the South Africa Tourism, the Northern Cape has developed several self-drive routes that explore the off-the-beaten track destinations of rural villages and small town that really capture the essence of the province.  Five travel routes have been developed featuring iconic experiences throughout the Northern Cape and include the Quiver Tree Route, Kalahari Red Dune Route, Richtersveld Route, Namakwa Coastal Route and the Karoo Hoogland route. These routes will be represented on the Northern Cape Tourism Stand during INDABA and will give visitors a sneak preview into the heart of the Northern Cape. 
The provincial nature reserve including Witsand Nature Reserve will reveal the incredible natural beauty of the province, whilst the Orange River Cellars invite visitors to sample the award winning wines of the Northern Cape.  11 SMME’s from the tourism industry have been awarded platforms to directly sell and present their products and experiences to the Indaba trade. They include Native Minds Tours, Potlepel Touriste Plaas, Kalahari Info and Tented Camps, Bushwhacked Outdoor Adventure, Rooiduin Guest Farm, Sakhisizwe Tours, Cammas Fonteyn Guest House, Boemansrus Grass huts, Namakwa 4×4 Exploration, Tata Ma Tata Tours (from Upington) and Aukwatowa Tours (from Port Nolloth).
In recent years, the Northern Cape has become one of Southern Africa’s fastest growing business destinations. The splendid natural beauty of the province combines with the renowned hospitality of its people and value-added packages make the Northern Cape an appealing destination to the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) market.  The province offers world-class accommodation and eventing facilities, convenient transport, logistics, communications and financial services to suit every requirement for meetings, conferences, events and exhibitions.  In addition, the myriad of incentive activities and value-for-luxury propositions throughout the province have proven irresistible to the ever-growing incentive market. 
Representatives from the both the Leisure Tourism and Business Tourism Units and the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism will be available on the stand to discuss leisure and incentive travel opportunities within the Northern Cape. Visit the Northern Cape stand at DEC1B04 at the Durban Convention Centre to discover the diverse tourism offerings of South Africa’s largest province. Add a little sparkle by entering the Diamond Draw competition in which one lucky visitor will win a diamond at the Experience Northern Cape Stand Function on Sunday 8 May from 17h00.
For more information, visit Experience Northern Cape.