Upgrades of three community tourism projects, highlighted by Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille in her recent National Council of Provinces budget vote speech, are complete but the Department of Tourism has not confirmed when the facilities will be open to visitors or who will manage them once they are handed over.
The department said Nyandeni Chalets in the Eastern Cape, Lehurutse Trophy and Bird Hunting Camp in North West and Isibhubhu Event Facility in KwaZulu-Natal await official handover.
The department did not respond directly to Tourism Update’s questions about the facilities, which do not have an official website or online booking platform.
Each project received:
- R19 million (US$1.16 million) for an entertainment area, parking and walkways at Nyandeni Chalets
- R20 million (US$1.22 million) for new chalets, fencing and road improvements at Lehurutse Trophy and Bird Hunting Camp
- Almost R30 million (US$1.83 million) for upgrades at Isibhubhu Event Facility
When asked how the department measures the return on investment from the projects, De Lille did not provide visitor, occupancy or economic performance measures, saying instead said they should be viewed in terms of public benefit.
“The return on investment is that the government works in the interest of the public good for our communities. These infrastructure projects are located largely in rural and peri-urban areas as we diversify the tourism offerings and enable meaningful participation of communities through ownership.”
De Lille confirmed that the three projects were not included in the Tourism Infrastructure Investment Summit where the Department of Tourism showcased eight bankable projects with a combined investment value of approximately R1 billion (US$61 million).
“We have eight investment-ready projects of which three have attracted investors. We continue to grow the pipeline of investable projects ahead of the Tourism Infrastructure Investment Summit later this year on September 30 to October 1.”
According to De Lille, the department is facilitating engagements between the project owners, sponsors and potential investors. “We are not ready to give specifics regarding these ongoing engagements between the parties. The project owners and investors will make the announcements once the projects have reached financial close.”
She said the three projects were highlighted separately because, as part of the Department of Tourism’s annual performance plan, they have reached a key implementation milestone.
“Infrastructure projects are implemented over multiple years. These three projects have progressed to final completion.”
