A Boost for Rural Tourism Development – The Wild Coast Hiking Trail

A new multimillion-rand six day hiking trail project is the realisation of one the ECPTA strategic initiatives to develop tourism priority nodes.

Addressing the Eastern Cape, Oscar Mabuyane said the R9m project was aimed at boosting the local tourism industry between Coffee Bay and Port St Johns.

ECPTA CEO, Vuyani Dayimani, said the project would have positive spinoffs in job creation for residents of the area.

“Of the R9m funding for the project, 30% will go towards job creation and SMME enhancement. The actual number of jobs created will be recorded at construction stage,” Dayimani said

Dayimani said the project would encourage the geographic spread of visitors to the province and showcase the rich biodiversity and culture of the Wild Coast.

“The province’s coastline is one of the priority nodes for tourism development. To maximise this, ECPTA’s 2020-2025 tourism strategy initiatives look to diversify tourism products so as to enhance visitor experience.”

He said the hiking trail was one of the key projects for rural tourism development.

“This particular project forms part of such initiatives and fits well with the direction the agency has adopted that aligns with issues of social distancing, for example where numerous Eastern Cape experiences have a large natural feature that al lows people to be outdoors in nature exploring.”

Amanda Weerdenburg, chair of the Port St Johns Tourism Forum, said the project was an investment expected to help tourism businesses in the area.

“The Eastern Cape has some spectacular coastlines, with stunning views along the hikes. It is a great project, which we hope will be achieved. Tourism related opportunities that could benefit include arts and crafts, guided tours, activities, accommodation and general ancillary income such as food and beverage, fuel and other amenities,” she said.

“There will be job opportunities and improvement of infrastructure. There will also be possible start-up tourism-related businesses and increased accommodation facilities and trade for the existing tour guides.”

The project is expected to be completed in March 2023.