Eastern Cape
South Africa
Sector
Tourism & Leisure
About the Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape, second largest of South Africa’s nine provinces, covers an area of almost 170 000km². To put that into perspective, that is more than four times the size of Switzerland. The province, commonly described as untouched, pristine and untamed, is cradled between the Western Cape's scenic Garden Route and the vibrant Zulu Kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal. To the north, the Eastern Cape borders the provinces of Northern Cape and Free State and national neighbours Lesotho. The province can call 800km of coastline its own, and can lay claim to incredible biodiversity and about a million hectares of malaria-free game reserves.
The Eastern Cape presents features of both the first and third world, but its untapped human and natural resources have huge potential to be developed.
The tourism sector in the Eastern Cape unpacked
- Moderate climate with more sunshine hours than any other province
- Long natural unspoiled coastline with pristine beaches
- The richest province in South Africa in terms of biodiversity. Seven biomes and 29 Acocks veldt types converge in the Eastern Cape
- An abundance of national parks, nature reserves and private game lodges offering a wide variety of bird and game species in an area free of malaria
- Major mountain ranges and forests offering excellent trout fishing and hiking excursions with the only real ski resort in South Africa
- International water sport facilities / venues that have hosted world-class events
- Strong historical and cultural heritage – Khoi, San, British, Dutch, German and Xhosa
- Nelson Mandela’s birthplace and links with the Province
- Many of South Africa’s political leaders have their roots in the Eastern Cape
- Extension of the Cape Floral Kingdom – the richest known concentration of flora in the world with more than 7 000 plant species
- Rich in palaeontology – evidence of the origin of humankind and dinosaur fossils
- The largest hunting industry in South Africa, worth nearly R200-million
- The Eastern Cape is a healthy area – free from animal diseases such as foot and mouth, anthrax, malaria, bilharzias, tuberculosis and horse sickness
- Successful record of saving endangered species – elephant, black rhino, hippo, mountain zebra and oribi
- One of the richest areas in the world for cycads
- Of the 56 known cetaceans in the world, 39 pass along the Eastern Cape coastline (whales, dolphins, killer whales, etc.)
- All of the tourist attractions are in close proximity of one another. Within a two and half hour drive from the two gateway airports at Port Elizabeth and East London, visitors can experience everything that South Africa has to offer.
Market Segments
The most important tourism market segments for the Eastern Cape Province are:
- Business Tourism
- Conference Tourism
- Special Events Tourism (sporting and cultural)
- Leisure Tourism
- Family Tourism
- Eco-tourism
- Cultural Tourism
- Agri-Tourism
- Natural Tourism
For more information on opportunities in these sectors contact Lucky Tshayiviti at the Tourism and Crafts department at the ECDC on +27 43 704 5618 or email ltshayivithi@ecdc.co.za.
The ECDC, as a development finance institution, facilitates investment by funding at a sub-prime rate, assisting with land rezoning, providing easy access to incentives, conducting environmental impact assessments and providing extensive aftercare assistance to established investors.
For more information, contact ECDC:
Contact: Lucky Tshayiviti: Tourism and Crafts Specialist
Tel: +27 43 704 5618
Email: ltshayivithi@ecdc.co.za
Website: www.ecdc.co.za
