Tourism spend down R100m

Tourism has taken a severe knock on the North Coast, but Enterprise Ilembe hopes to revitalise heritage sites to boost numbers.
Enterprise Ilembe marketing and communications manager Cheryl Peters shared some of the latest tourism statistics at a Hirsch Ballito networking breakfast on Thursday.
She said domestic visits have dropped from 374 000 to 276 000 since 2010, with foreign visits decreasing from 28 000 to 27 000 and tourism spend dipping from R1,3bn to R1,2bn.
“We are working with local authorities to upgrade several heritage sites.”
The picturesque Mafuta’s Heritage Park, nestled near the Mavivane River in Stanger, is one such site.
This is where the notorious pool of crocodiles and King Shaka’s feared ‘execution rock’, where it is rumoured he dealt with his enemies, are found. It was inhabited by the Mafuta Clan, headed by induna and herbalist Narainen Pillay, in the early 1900s and is still run by his descendants today.
The park, which does not charge an entry fee, offers arts and crafts, historic and cultural tours, nature trails, bird watching and farm animals and meals from the farmhouse kitchen.
“Previously we had problems with access to the site as it is privately owned but we look forward to forging new relationships to promote it,” said Peters.
A tourism committee is also being formed to deal with problems like a lack of signage and updating of maps with tourist attractions.
Peters was joined by Ilembe Winery viticulturist Daniel Maerkl, who gave an update on the district’s first wine of origin, Seventeen Eighty Seven.
“We are a few weeks away from getting our liquor license, which we are excited about. We have also applied for more funding from the co-operative governance and traditional affairs department and this will allow us to venture into producing merlot, carbenet and sauvignon in the future.”
Maerkl said the winery lacks capacity to do retail and distribution but hinted at a big partnership on the horizon.
“We cannot say too much but our goal is to make the winery a fantastic destination, with wine tasting, food and an events centre.”
For more information about the Mafuta Heritage Park, like their page on FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/ThathasFarm.