Spioenkop commemoration contributes to KZN’s tourism recovery

With a devastating drop in KwaZulu-Natal’s overseas tourist numbers following Covid, an event that brings together more than 400 people from all over the world is a gift to tourism.

Last week hundreds of people from Afrikaner, African, British and Indian origin gathered on a grassy hill in the KwaZulu-Natal ‘Battlefields’ region to commemorate the Battle of Spion kop (Spioenkop) that took place between the British Army and Boer soldiers 125 years ago during the second Anglo-Boer War.

Read: Global tourism has ‘completed its recovery’ from the pandemic

Spioenkop is one of 82 battlefields, museums, old fortifications and places of remembrance that form part of the Battlefields Route in the province with appeal to especially British tourists. It also has links to India, with Mahatma Ghandi having served as a stretcher bearer during the battle when he was still a young man.

Recently the Battle of Isandlwana from the Anglo Zulu War was also commemorated, although not at the same scale as Spioenkop this year. Then there is the upcoming commemoration of the Battle of Majuba Hill early in February.

These events bring tourists from near and far who all need to sleep, eat and fill up their vehicles for self-drive or pay a local tour guide to unlock the historic events for them.

The Battlefields Route is especially popular with tourists from the UK. Many of the soldiers at Spioenkop came from Leicester and especially the city of Liverpool.

In fact, supporters still refer to one of the stands at their Anfield stadium as “The Kop” or “the Spioenkop end” in remembrance of the soldiers who paid the ultimate price during the battle 125 years ago.

Read:
SA Tourism insists that it is spending its budget
‘Club Med beach resort will be transformational for SA tourism’ – Absa boss
Tourists return to KZN South Coast, but water problems persist

On the domestic tourism front, numbers are growing, says Pinky Radebe, spokesperson of provincial promotion agency KZN Tourism and Film.

She says tourism numbers are increasing steadily after the Covid-19 lockdowns. In the first quarter of 2024 the province welcomed 1 181 173 domestic tourists, compared to 969 765 in the first quarter of 2023.

With overall 2024 numbers still being finalised, it looks as if the international market is also slowly but surely recovering.

The province is embarking on a recovery plan that centres on repositioning KwaZulu-Natal as a standalone destination rather than an afterthought to Cape Town or Kruger National Park itineraries.

Radebe says Durban is still the crown jewel, with other focus areas including the Drakensberg and related heritage sites, the South Coast, Ballito and the North Coast, and Hluhluwe with its game reserves.

Listen/read:
Cape Town’s record-breaking December: What’s driving the tourism growth?
South Africans are being priced out of holidaying in Cape Town
‘Pandemic restructuring’ delivers for Southern Sun Hotels
Southern Sun secures leases for prime Durban beachfront hotels, plans R1bn investment
Tourism optimism lifts Southern Sun to a record high

James Seymour, chair of the uThukela-Drakensberg Tourism Association, says Spioenkop is the most significant of all the battlefields on the periphery of the area. The region receives about 70 000 overseas and 300 000 domestic visitors annually.

Economically the region relies largely on agriculture – growing staples like maize, soya, potatoes and wheat – as well as timber and tourism.

In the Champagne Valley in the central Drakensberg alone, more than 3 000 people are employed in the tourism sector.

The region boasts more than 4 000 beds and one of the biggest convention centres within a resort in South Africa at the Champagne Sports Resort. Large medical and agricultural conventions are frequently hosted at the resort or at other resorts in the area.

Economic impact

The economic impact of tourism spend tops R1 billion per year, according to Seymour.

In addition, adventure seekers are increasingly flocking to the area, especially from the Netherlands, France and Germany.

ADVERTISEMENT:

CONTINUE READING BELOW

“They are experienced travellers who make their own bookings and drive themselves,” says Seymour.

These include young adventure seekers and empty nesters with healthy disposable income. “They don’t want to spend time in their accommodation, they want to be outdoors.”

The attractions include trail running, with the Mont-Aux Sources Ultra Trail over 20km or 55km – which starts at the origin of the Orange River and passes the Tugela Waterfall, among the highest in the world – one of the prime challenges.

Hiking is popular, whether one prefers an easy 2km hike around the lake at the Drakensberg Sun or the 247km Grand Traverse over 15 days starting at the Amphitheatre in the Northern Drakensberg and ending at Bushman’s Neck in the South.

Other activities include quad biking, horse riding, zip-lining, abseiling, rock-climbing, white-water rafting and paragliding.

For domestic tourists the Drakensberg has long been a family destination, especially for those who hail from the rest of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, being only two-and-a-half hours from Durban and four to five hours from Gauteng by road.

Seymour says since September last year there has been a distinct improvement in the number of overseas tourists visiting the region and events like the Spioenkop commemoration are especially valuable to the industry.

It is normally quiet from mid-January until the school holidays in April.

More and more groups are also coming from Belgium and the Netherlands, which is great for the big hotels and resorts in the area, he says.

“We get rain all year round, but more in the summer. The best time to visit the Drakensberg is in late autumn and winter, when the days are dry and warm. The nights are crisp and cold and brilliant for star gazing,” he says.

Sometimes during winter it snows, leaving the mountain peaks dressed in white and sending Durbanites to the ‘Berg to enjoy something they won’t see at home.

Follow Moneyweb’s in-depth finance and business news on WhatsApp here.