Plan to market Cape Town's Back Garden

<span style="font-style:italic;">This article is courtesy of IOL.com and was written by Murray Williams:


A bold initiative has been launched ahead of the World Cup to unlock the tourism potential of the rolling hills, farmlands and unspoilt beauty of Cape Town's back garden.

Genadendal, Villiersdorp, Riviersonderend, Caledon, Greyton and Elgin Valley make up the Theewaterskloof (TWK) municipality.

And while Greyton has long been a favourite green hamlet, much of the countryside over Sir Lowry's Pass has yet to tap into mainstream tourism in the way Stellenbosch, Hermanus and Franschhoek have done.

Now the Development Bank of South Africa has invested millions in the TWK municipality in a Local Economic Development Initiative which will forge the countryside into a tourism destination, rather than being regarded as the "gap" between Cape Town and the Garden Route.

"Tourism is primarily driven by the private sector, so we are investing in a destination-branding exercise to unlock the potential economic development, by letting the private sector do what they do best," said Joanna Dibden, local economic development and tourism manager for the Theewaterskloof municipality.

The towns will be united under a common brand accentuating the region's "unspoiled Cape countryside, welcoming to the entire family, on Cape Town's doorstep", as stated in a recent marketing workshop.

"Visitors from within South Africa and largely from the Cape metropolitan area are the backbone of tourism in the area. International visitors provide a significant and growing element in the tourist economy in the Theewaterskloof area," says a report by consultant Piers Relly.

"In particular, opportunities were identified around nature, the various dams in the area, sports, and in particular biking and hiking, and the possibility of developing a linked network of trains, developing a wine route and agri-tourism offerings, green tourism and, finally, cultural history."

In a region in which young locals are faced with a dire lack of employment opportunities, care is taken to "provide training to existing and new staff, especially from the formerly disadvantaged communities, to achieve the highest service standards, while expanding local participation and career progression", Relly wrote.

One of the most exciting initiatives is the Vintage Rail project that will revive the heritage of steam trains along the tracks between the Elgin Valley and Bot River.

As part of this, the historic sidings at Elgin station, next to the wine and fruit farm Oak Valley, and Bot River, at the foot of the Houwhoek Pass, are to be painstakingly restored.

The neglected town of Genadendal will get a boost to its potential as a cultural treasure, with a focus on its culture in food, religion and music.

TWK mayor Chris Punt said of the projects: "As part of our commitment to developing the local economy, we've identified tourism as our hidden jewel, and (are) partnering with the private sector to unlock the sector's potential."

In the past five years the region has become known as the Cape's mountain biking mecca, after hosting the Absa Cape Epic, a sporting event of international standing.

The Elgin Valley is also home to the Green Mountain Eco Route, a biodiversity wine route comprising wine estates committed to protecting their farmlands' natural vegetation.

The TWK municipality and its tourism partners plan to market the region urgently.