Dundee area opens up to the gateway of tourism success
Tourism is the biggest industry in the world and this is one area which we can expand upon simply by correctly marketing our area and ensuring that we have pride in our area
Familiarity breeds contempt, so says the old adage. Sometimes it takes a group of outsiders to remind locals that we live in a special town within a special area that abounds with possibilities.
That was one of the outcomes of a successful visit by a high-powered tourist delegation from the N3 Gateway initiative – an exciting effort that seeks to promote the towns bordering the N3 highway.
The N3 Gateway Tourism Association was established in March 2008. It was initiated by N3 Toll Concession (RF) Proprietary Limited (N3TC) and has, to date, been primarily funded by N3TC. It is a registered Non-Profit Company that was formed to fulfill the role of marketing the region as a world-class travel destination for domestic and international tourists.
The N3 Gateway region stretches from Pretoria in the North to the Valley of a Thousand Hills in the South, traversing four provinces, namely KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Mpumalanga and Gauteng. The region incorporates cross-border tourism with Lesotho through Phuthaditjhaba, Caledonspoort and Sani Pass and includes the Battlefields Route up to Newcastle.
N3 Gateway currently boasts 29 registered members, which are made up of Tourism Associations – of which Dundee is one – Co-Ops, Section 21 Companies and Municipalities. The only private member is the N3 Toll Concession. It now represents approximately 1 500 stakeholders which in turn support an estimated 9 000 full-time and part-time jobs.
Tourism Dundee can benefit from the N3 Gateway’s powerful marketing tools and it was with this in mind that the delegation was wooed by Tourism Dundee and Talana Museum with the assistance of Ingudlane Lodge, the Moths and local tour guides.
The 12-strong tour party was led by the chairman, Malcolm Drummond, who lives in Van Reenen. Their tour started at Talana Museum. From there, they went on a game drive at Ingudlane Lodge and the plan was a trip up to Mpati where Kevin Burge would have given a description of the battle of Talana as the sun dropped behind the mountains.
Dundee blows them away
A massive summer thunderstorm cut short that plan and the group instead enjoyed a bit of French hospitality at Chez Nous B and B. From there, it was supper with the Moths and a tour of the impressive military museum in the Shellhole. Dundee SAPS Station Commissioner Colonel Nyide was also there as was SAPS Communications Officer, Capt Mbense. The police have become firm friends of tourism after Pam McFadden, Talana Museum curator, and Dr Sandy Bedassi of the 1860 Legacy Foundation and their team pioneered the establishment of the Gandhi Museum – formerly the Dundee Court house – and now part of the Dundee SAPS detective offices. Gandhi famously appeared in this Court in 1913 after he was arrested during the passive resistance campaign. Lori Voss, N3 Gateway Marketing Manager, was full of enthusiasm for Dundee.
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“The N3 Gateway team returned amazed as to the amount of tourism offerings on offer in Dundee. Not only were we blown away with the amount but also the quality on offer. Those residents of Dundee whom we interacted with, were all extremely proud of their town and gave of their time generously to give our team a warm introduction of Dundee. When the N3 Gateway promotes the route at Travel Shows across the country, the public immediately are interested in further information on the Battlefields area of KwaZulu-Natal and this intensive tour of Dundee has certainly enabled us to speak with further confidence on the various options on offer.
“We get interest from all demographics and nationalities based on the historical ties with the battlefields; moving forward we will look to encourage Dundee as a photographic destination, volunteer tourism, grave yard tourism along with human engagement tourism.”
Naresh Gopie, chairman of Tourism Dundee, was delighted with the opportunity given to Dundee to host the delegation. “In these economically tough times, Dundee will use every opportunity available to promote our area. The N3 Gateway is one such opportunity. Tourism is the biggest industry in the world and this is one area which we can expand upon simply by correctly marketing our area and ensuring that we have pride in our area.”
