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Nordics seek culture, history

Source: Tourism Update, 23/12/2015

While safari remains a big focus for travellers out of the Nordic
countries, which include Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and
Sweden, Nordic travellers are increasingly looking for culture and
history while travelling to Southern Africa, says Rune Engstrøm, from
Destination Africa in Norway.

Engstrøm says these travellers are often looking for itineraries where
they can trace their roots. He argues that South Africa is a great
destination to do this, with the Mossel Bay Point of Human Origins at
Pinnacle Point, which was home to an organised society some 164 000
years ago. "This is unique, and Unesco is looking at it," he says. The
Cradle of Humankind World Heritage site in Gauteng was also the site
of the recent Homo naledi discovery.

Engstrøm also points out that the remains of Norwegian influence can
be found in South Africa. "Thesen Island in Knysna is named after a
Norwegian. Tens of thousands worked in whaling between the 1890s and
1960s," he says. He adds that, while whaling is something Norway is
not proud of, money from whaling contributed to the wealth of one of
the richest provinces in Norway: Vestfold. "Norwegians settled in,
among other places, Durban, Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay, Saldanha Bay
and Walvis Bay. Half of southern Norway have relatives who were
involved in whaling," he says, adding that Norwegians should not be
allowed forget the whaling history. "Let them come and see where their
great grandfathers went. Someone has to tell them..."

According to Engstrøm, who specialises in travel to South Africa,
particularly the Western Cape, and also caters for travel agents and
the trade only, travellers from the Nordic countries typically spend
10 to 11 nights, although they usually return wishing they had spent
three weeks. Itineraries typically include Cape Town, Robertson,
Oudtshoorn, Mossel Bay, Stanford and Gansbaai as well as Stellenbosch
or Franschhoek, Knysna and Hermanus. Activities include adventure,
cycling and hiking.

The Nordics should be seen as one market and not five countries, says
Engstrøm, arguing that it is possibly one of the biggest source
markets for South Africa. He says the market is overlooked by SA
Tourism. "Thailand has worked well here. One million people from here
go to Thailand every year, approximately 100 000 to South Africa," he
says. "Tourism goes in cycles, slowly. When people start looking for
new destinations after Thailand, where can they go? Brazil tried and
failed, Australia is too far. Southern Africa is the obvious answer."

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