Africans and persons staying in Africa should patronise the several amazing tourist attractions within the continent rather than travel elsewhere in the quest for tourist sites, Simon Barlow, owner of the famous Rustenberg Wine Estate in South Africa, has told NEWS-ONE.
Barlow suggested that African tourists should look within the continent for places to tour and urged them to specifically visit South Africa for their tourism because it is ‘beautiful’ out there.
He was speaking to NEWS-ONE from the Rustenberg Wine Estate, a large wine farm founded in 1682 and nestled in the valley of the Simonsberg in South Africa’s premium wine region, Stellenbosch.
From left:Ameyaw debrah, Simon Barlow and Francis Addo
The Barlow family took over the farm in 1941 and it was handed over to Simon in 1987 by his family. The Barlows have been at Rustenberg for over 60 years—the longest period any one family has owned the farm.
Simon spoke to NEWS-ONE about tourists who visit his winery annually.
‘Through our tourism centre we get 18,000 people a year coming through…And what is exciting for me is getting the rest of Africa coming on holidays here for us not to go elsewhere. I don’t know where you want to go. It’s up to you guys. But everybody here wants to go overseas; I don’t know why they want to go overseas. I mean, it’s beautiful in here. I don’t want to go overseas,’ he said.
Currently, South Africa’s tourism industry aims to be the number one tourists’ destination in the world. As a result, it is inculcating tourism into every aspect of life in that part of Africa.
Simon Barlow’s farm is one typical example of sectors thriving from tourism.
On Tuesday African journalists who are covering the 2015 edition of the Cape Town Jazz Festival visited the wine farm.
Simon took them round the farm and the industrial unit of the farm where different wines are processed. That was climaxed with a wine tasting activity by the journalists.
From: Francis Addo, Cape Town South Africa
(Twitter: @fdee50 Email: [email protected])
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