Stops along the way include the Robben Island and District Six Museums, Groot Constantia, which is the oldest wine estate in SA, Boulders Beach with its penguin colony, SANCCOB at the Rietvlei Nature Reserve, the little known but must-visit Lookout Hill in Khayelitsha, the Rondevlei Nature Reserve, Gansbaai with its famous shark cage diving, Hermanus with its whale watching, Mamre Werf and so much more.
“In addition to showcasing some of our famous attractions, the new route also takes visitors to some wonderful stops that are not always first on everyone's list when visiting the Cape - but should be - like the Tygerberg Nature Reserve or the Nuy Valley. The route then heads up the coast to include small towns such as Pringle Bay, Betty’s Bay, Ceres and Malmesbury,” explains Carmen Lerm, founder and CEO of West Coast Way.
West Coast Way, which was launched four years ago to market the Cape West Coast to significantly increase the number of visitors to the area, created South Africa's road trip with the most twists where visitors can explore a unique collection of over 101 destinations along themed routes.
The West Coast Way basket of free routes includes the Scenic, Berg, Foodie, Cultural and Wild Routes – as well as the newly launched Cape Way Route - all of which are designed to showcase the many attractions and activities that are on offer on the Cape West Coast and inland areas – but may be unknown to many.
“Locals and foreigners alike can plan a road trip vacation along any one of the West Coast Way Routes – mixing and matching selected stops from the various routes to suit personal tastes, and spending as long, or as little, a time as desired exploring all that the Cape has to offer. There is also the option to book a guided tour through West Coast Way for some of the routes,” says Lerm.
James Vos, Shadow Minister of Tourism, has endorsed and highly commended West Coast Way on the initiative taken to develop the various sightseeing routes already on offer and now the launch of the new Cape Way route. “Domestic tourism is coming under pressure because of a worsening economy and the lack of affordable holiday destinations. Hence I take pleasure in observing the work undertaken by West Coast Way to promote a culture of travel amongst South Africans through the creation of domestic tourism offerings in the Cape West Coast region.”
“These West Coast Way tourism routes also lead to the development of local enterprises, increasing the demand for goods and services, and contribute to employment,” says Vos.
“West Coast Way is completely committed to boosting domestic tourism in the Cape and the ongoing roll-out of new routes is core to our strategy of showcasing the Cape West Coast, Cape Town and surrounds to both local and international holidaymakers,” says Lerm.
Visit West Coast Way at stand J09 at WTM Africa.
