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/ 7 November 2006
There’s something to be said for a 4×4. Before I had one, I was one of those people who pooh-poohed the whole “Camel” macho off-roading, sleep-on-the-ground, mud-spattered wheel arch mentality. And I despised the hordes who flocked to our beautiful beaches, zooming up and down, throwing sand in the faces of sedan drivers.
My introduction to Swaziland was a curious one – no one at the Oshoek border post seemed sure exactly how many wives the Kingdom’ ruler, King Mswati III, actually has. The man at the immigration desk reckoned it was 13.
The road sign says it all. "Sand!" I suppress a giggle, looking at the dunes to the left and right of the main road. "No kidding," I mutter, as we continue bumping our way north, in the middle of a desert, far removed from the comforts of home and surrounded by, well, lots of sand.
There have been few times in my life when sheer excitement has rendered me speechless. And even fewer when that excitement has caused my mouth to hang open in a zombie-like gawp.
"There’s too much space. I put the last piece of luggage in and even though there’s five of us, there are vast areas of nothing just waiting to be filled. Something’s missing. It has to be. Then it hits me. There’s no cooler box, no Weber, no bedding, pillows, no trolley-loads of food, no kitchen sink …," writes Sharon van Wyk.
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/ 5 September 2005
The Singita Group’s social responsibility and community development programmes are carried out quietly and without any fuss. In a similar fashion, when the private game reserve and its collection of award-winning luxury lodges applied for Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa certification, there was no trumpet-blowing.
Making a difference is something Djuma Game Reserve in Limpopo has given fresh meaning to, and in particular, what’s different about Djuma is its people. People such as Solly Sithole, who is only too happy to go spider-hunting instead of Big Five spotting. "I love my job," he says proudly. "And I love that what I do helps to support my community. Tourism is very important to us all."
Coastal dunes surround an inland lake that is home to hippos, huge carp and barbels. A host of other rare fauna and flora dwell here in an ecologically unique paradise for nature lovers, budding botanists, fishing fanatics and bird-watchers alike. You’d be forgiven for thinking this describes some coastal haven in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Four of South Africa’s top tourism companies were at the forefront of a Pro-Poor Tourism pilot project that aimed to increase the benefits of the industry to include poverty reduction and skills development. The project, which was established in May 2002, hoped to improve links between poor people and the businesses that drive the industry.
It is no secret that tourism has become one of the world’s largest employers, currently giving work to 200-million people while being responsible for 10,2% of global gross domestic product. As a consequence, govern-ments across the world have targeted tourism as a vehicle for empowerment and poverty reduction.