Today, 11 May, the Boundless Southern Africa expedition aimed at maximising awareness of the seven Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA) as tourist and investment destinations departed from the National Tourism Indaba in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province. The four month long expedition, led by Kingsley Holgate of National Geographic Travel will cut across nine South African Development Community (SADC) countries, seven TFCAs, two oceans, thirty national parks and nature reserves.
In 2005 the Ministers of Tourism of the nine SADC Countries of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe endorsed a TFCA Development Strategy for 2010 and beyond. The strategy’s main objective is to increase the tourism potential of Southern Africa by consolidating marketing, infrastructure development and investment promotion efforts of the Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA) initiatives. The seven TFCAs are /Ai/Ais/Richtersveld, Kgalagadi, Kavango Zambezi, Limpopo Shashe, Great Limpopo, Lubombo and Maloti Drakensberg.
The first leg of the expedition will begin at the Maloti Drakensberg TFCA, which South Africa shares with Lesotho. The expedition will also be characterised by the following humanitarian activities:
* “One Net One Life, campaign”, which is the distribution of mosquito nets in malaria prevalent TFCAs to pregnant mothers and children under five
* “Teaching on the Edge” project which focuses on the donation of mobile libraries to rural schools around the Transfrontier Parks.
* “Right to Sight” Campaign where reading glasses will be distributed to the poor sighted.
* upgrading of soccer fields and distributing soccer balls
* community days in each TFCA will be observed through soccer matches amongst other things to raise awareness about the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
The expedition will end on 19 August at the mouth of the Orange River at the /Ai/Ais Richtersveld TFCA.
The team will travel by Land Rovers and where roads are inaccessible other forms of transport including ponies in Lesotho will be used. Boundless Southern Africa is the consolidated marketing brand that was launched in May 2008 to raise the profile of the seven TFCAs.
The secretariat for BSA was appointed in 2007 and is hosted by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) in South Africa and is one of the legacy programmes for the 2010 Local Organising Committee. The hosting of the 2010 Soccer World Cup by South Africa is based on the premise that the World Cup event will not only benefit South Africans but Southern Africa and Africa as a whole. TFCAs provide the mechanisms for sharing the tourism benefits of the 2010 event to the region.
A pipeline of 51 bankable investment opportunities has been developed under Boundless Southern Africa. They range from small and medium type lodges to multi million rand developments such as the Kavango-Zambezi Waterfront Development. Investment promotion efforts are underway; however procurement processes in some of the countries to develop accommodation establishments within the different TFCAs are in progress.
Two key events will also take place during the expedition:
* 18 June Ministerial event to rename the Limpopo Shashe Transfrontier Conservation area which South Africa shares with Botswana and Zimbabwe
* 29 June Presidential event at Kasane, at the Kavango Zambezi TFCA, shared by Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Expedition leader, Kingsley Holgate and Miss South Africa, Tatum Kheshwar cut the ribbon today to mark the launch of the expedition. More information can be accessed on www.boundlesssa.com
Media enquiries can be directed to:
Leonore Beukes
Marketing Manager for Boundless Southern Africa
Tel: 012 310 3092
Cell: 082 921 1126
Or
Roopa Singh
Director: External Communications: DEAT
Tel: 012 310 3566
Cell: 082 225 3076
Source: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (http://www.environment.gov.za)
