South African Travel Companies Market World Heritage Sites to Domestic Tourists

Tourism plays a major role in the economy ofan interchange of human values, bear testimony
South Africa. A lot of emphasis is placed onto a living or extinct cultural tradition etc) and
marketing South Africa as a favoured destinationnatural characteristics (superlative natural
for foreign tourists and until recently, very littlephenomena or exceptional beauty, represent
attention was paid to the people who reallymajor stages of Earth's history, and contain
matter, the domestic tourists. Flourishing touristsignificant natural habitats or examples of
destinations such as France, Italy and Spain thrivebiodiversity that require conservation etc).
in part because their own people spend a greatSouth Africa's World Heritage Sites include:o The
deal of time and money revelling in all the beautyCradle of Humankind, which is about 50km from
and pleasures that their countries afford. It canJohannesburg in Gauteng Province. It was
hardly be said that South Africa has less to offerannounced as a WHS in 1999 and contains the
in terms of beauty and variety than the countrieslimestone caves where the 2.3 million year old
mentioned, on the contrary, South Africa'sfossil, nicknamed Mrs Ples, was found in 1947, as
diversity is one of its strongest attractions.well as several other cave formations that have
Fortunately travel and tourism agents haveyielded significant anthropological finds over the
realised the almost unlimited potential in thepast 80 years or so.o Robben Island, which is the
domestic tourism market and taking steps toinfamous island prison that held world icon Nelson
woo them and entice them to partake in SouthMandela captive for a number of years during
Africa's splendour.Apartheid South Africa.o Richtersveld Cultural and
According to Wikipedia, there are 878 WorldBotanical Landscape, which is a craggy
Heritage Sites listed in the world. Italy has amountainous desert region in the Northern Cape
considerable lead with 43 sites to its name, butProvince. The landscape varies to include flat
South Africa more than holds its own with 8sandy plains, sharp ridges of volcanic rock and lush
World Heritage Sites dotted across the country.vegetation along the banks of the Orange River.
With so many internationally recognised andThe region is often described as "martian"
renowned attractions, it's a wonder that travelbecause its often barren and arid terrain reminds
agents have to work so hard to get Southvisitors of the waterless landscapes seen on Mars.
Africans to take an interest in their own country.Nevertheless, it earned World Heritage Site status
Before a World Heritage Site can be announced itin June 2007, for its cultural artefacts and
has to go through several stages of approval.seasonal botanical beauty.
First, a property has to be analysed for significantSt. Lucia's Wetland Park in KwaZulu-Natal,
cultural and natural characteristics, then it's addedDrakensberg Park also in KZN, Mapungubwe
to a Tentative List. The Tentative List is thenCultural Landscape in Limpopo, and the Vredefort
whittled down to one option, which is placed into aDome in the Free State, as well as the Cape
Nomination File. From the Nomination File it'sFloral Region in the Western Cape round out
evaluated by the International Council onSouth Africa's 8 World Heritage Sites. Each has
Monuments and Sites as well as the Worldenough unique cultural distinction and natural
Conservation Union, who pass on theirbeauty to inspire the most jaded and cynical of
recommendations to the World Heritagetravellers, and South African tourists would do
Committee. The committee subjectwell to keep up with their foreign counterparts
recommended sites to a final evaluation based onand as they travel the country and revel in the
10 predetermined criteria; a site must meet atfortune that has placed them amidst so much
least one of the criteria to be included on the finalnatural splendour.
list. The criteria include cultural characteristicsRecommended sites:travelwires.com/wp
(masterpiece of human creative genius, represent?p=2083en.wikipedia.