Cacadu District Municipality completed its Tourism Master Plan (TMP) in 2009. This is the first time that the district has mapped out the strategic direction for tourism growth and development. The TMP is the culmination of the development or review of Responsible Tourism Sector Plans in each of the nine local municipalities located within the district.

One of the first steps in the development of the tourism industry in the district is the configuration of appropriate institutional arrangements. The TMP recommends the establishment of local tourism organisations (LTO) in each of the nine local municipalities. A LTO is a partnership between local government and the private sector that seeks to grow the tourism industry by increasing the number of tourists and in doing so increases the economic benefits of tourism to the region as a whole. To date LTOs have been established in Baviaans, Camdeboo, Kouga and Makana Municipalities. Blue Crane Route, Ikwezi and Sundays River Valley Municipalities are in the process of establishing their respective LTOs.

The establishment of LTOs not only creates a platform for dialogue between the district and local municipalities and tourism stakeholders in each area, but also puts in place steering teams for the implementation of tourism-related programmes and projects in each local municipality.

The TMP presents a spatial development plan which identifies areas of tourism potential for specific niche tourism development programmes and projects in various local municipalities. Niche markets which were identified in the Cacadu District Municipality as areas of tourism development potential include heritage tourism, nature-tourism, events tourism (including edu-tourism and sports tourism), agri-tourism, adventure tourism and coastal and marine tourism.

One of the first niche market tourism projects to be implemented is the development of an agri-tourism route in Sundays River Valley Municipality. This is one of the LEDI projects and will be implemented in collaboration with the newly formed LTO in Sundays River Valley Municipality.

For more information related to tourism, contact the LTOs:

Baviaans Tourism                                              044 923 1702

Camdeboo Local Tourism Organisation              049 892 4248

Kouga Local Tourism Organsiation                     042 293 2924

Makana Tourism                                                046 622 3241