|
An interesting South
African province to compare with Mexico
is the Western Cape Province around Cape
Town.
As in Mexico there is a relative lack of the visible Big Mammal
Species that attract many tourists to other parts of South Africa
(apart from the whales, that have become major tourism attractions
in both Mexico
and the Western
Cape), yet is making visible advances as ecotourism destination.
Like Mexico it relies on attractive landscapes ranging from coastal
to mountain, desert and forest regions. The Western Cape "Fynbos"
is a unique shrub vegetation type with an incredible range of flowering
plants and overall biodiversity and is regarded as one of only six
"Floral Kingdoms" that cover the world, being the only
one exclusively in one country.
Combining this with ancient coastal forest, an inland semi-desert
that becomes a sea of colors after rain and the marine life, there
is enough biodiversity to attract many nature visitors and a variety
of cultural attractions. Biodiversity, diverse landscape and local
cultural diversity are exactly also Mexico's ecotourist draw cards.
The Cape
Peninsula National Park with Table Mountain practically in the
city with the world-renowned Kirstenbosch
Botanical Gardens also on its slopes are good examples of urban
ecotourism potential.
While the ostrich farms are "nature"-based, they are
mostly tourist traps on the mass tourism route. However, some farms
are restocking with game to form nature reserves aimed at tourism.
Interesting for ecotourism are the various picturesque mission stations,
where the populations are at least partly descendants of the mostly
vanished Khoisan culture. Different from private farms or government
reserves, these form true local communities, not unlike some colourful
ejidos in Mexico, where the community has real potential to get
involved in and truly benefit from some form of ecotourism due to
their spectacular surroundings, picturesque villages and interesting
cultural background.
DOMESTIC TOURISM
One aspect of Western Cape rural tourism is the importance of the
domestic tourists trying to take a break from urban life. Overnight
hiking is a long-time local tourist favourite in the reserves of
Cape
Nature Conservation. A positive reserve pricing strategy is
a variety of season permit options
for multiple entry to all the areas. This makes nature more accessible
to the domestic tourist.
Increasing linkages appear with other activities: hikers are spending
days before or after on guest farms, while they also stimulate agriculture
by buying local farm products (fruit, vegetables, wine etc.), an
often forgotten aspect of multidimensional ecotourism.
Other farms cater for various activity levels offering footpaths,
cycle trails and river swimming. Some are sensitive to greener methods,
like solar energy (or even without electricity). More questionable
as eco-activity is the growth of 4x4 routes: there are options complying
more with ecotourism criteria's for example assuring sustainability
and minimal impact by using only previously existing mountain jeep
tracks, applying strict access, camping and garbage rules, and some
are organized by local communities, assuring local benefits.
In Mexico the growth of adventure tourism like mountain-biking,
hiking and rafting illustrated also by Sports and Outdoor ( e.g.
the magazine: Sports Life or Aventura Vertical) and Travel Magazines
and Newspaper supplements (e.g. La Jornada) and also the development
of the conservation movement since the 1970s with deeper nature
and cultural awareness and sensitivity (while there is also admittedly
still a long way to go), is one indication that Mexico has a rapidly
expanding potential national market from its main cities for national
rural tourism which presently seems to be less developed than in
South Africa.
This market is waiting to be channeled by more informed journalism,
affordable but real "eco"-offers, eco-operators and the
formation of more outdoor clubs with a conservation ethic and cultural
sensitivity.
LOCAL ECOTOURISM: CEDERBERG
A good example of the various versions of Western Cape ecotourism
is the Cederberg region, a mountain range with bizarrely spectacular
landscape bordered by coastal plains and vast semi-desert. Here
you can find within close proximity one of the regions prime multiple
day mountain
hiking areas, endless San (Bushman) Rock painting sites, a major
region for spectacular spring flower displays, numerous guest farms
and basic, more or less "eco-friendly" camp sites aiming
at the domestic market and a few luxury private nature reserves
(for example Bushman's
Kloof: a natural Heritage site offering nature and Bushman Art).
Then there is a picturesque local community, Wuppertal
, which has embraced ecotourism as part of their community development
strategy, offering accommodation either with community interaction
and proximity or on the edge close to nature. Tourism is also keeping
a famous long-running yet struggling (in the 21st century business
environment) shoe factory alive and tourism also assisted the growth
of new industries like a famous herb tea (Rooibos Tea) and natural
soap production.
This demonstrates again that tourism jobs go far beyond the obvious
- as guides or in the accommodation or restaurant sector. Even a
tea collector or shoemaker can be a tourism worker, in South Africa
or in Mexico.
|
