No, this is not going to be about the…, er, the Tournament That Cannot Be Named.  It’s going to be about community tourism.  Which is just as important, as the whole point of the TTCBN was supposed to be that it would leave a tourism legacy.

So – perhaps we should start rethinking the idea that tourists who come to South Africa want to stay in Tuscan palaces, English country cottages, Gucci game lodges, or Holiday Inns.  What about those who would genuinely like to stay in a rondavel on the coast or a neat little house in a township? According to Fair Trade in Tourism, community-based tourism is a largely untapped market in SA and deserves more attention.  Apart from the fact that this offers a different and more authentically-African tourism experience, it is also unrivalled for job creation.  This is why they, along with the National Development Agency, have adopted six community-based tourism projects in the Eastern and Southern Cape and offer marketing and advertising support.  All of these projects aim themselves at the backpacker market, possibly under the impression that backpackers are more adventurous and more budget-conscious than the average tourist.  But I would like to disagree – my opinion is that overseas tourists opt for hotel chains and lodges because the alternatives have not been presented to them in a big way. The six projects comprise some very attractive-sounding tourism destinations.  First off, there is Pondoland Hiking Trails and Lodges.  This is a 65 km hiking trail over six days, skirting all the gorgeous beaches and coastal cliffs of the Wild Coast.  The trail itself is operated by Drifters, but the overnight stops are community-run.  Members of the five communities that live along this route are hired as porters, guides and guards.  Their community spokesman, Elizabeth Swartz, is hugely optimistic about the benefits of having a co-operative agreement with Drifters, who pay a commission to the five communities for the use of their routes – a sum that comes to about R5 500 per month per community.  This money, she says, is used for providing services to these communities.  The income from the camps is entirely their own.  Anyone who knows the Wild Coast will not be surprised to discover that two other community projects are also based on the Wild Coast – Bulungula Lodge and Coffee Shack Backpackers.  Bulungula is a cluster of little rondavels overlooking the Wild Coast at the Xhora River mouth. It is 40% community-owned, runs entirely on renewable energy, and is managed completely in harmony with its surroundings.  Manager Lindile Mthiyo says that the world outside Bulungula Lodge is too busy and rushed, so it is reassuring that there are still places like Bulungula with its overwhelming peace and beauty.  Coffee Shack Backpackers is a different kettle of fish entirely, with that frenetic cheerful busyness so characteristic of backpacker lodges.  It’s right on the beach, right on the Bomvu River Mouth, and sells itself as a completely different experience far removed from Western culture.  The receptionist Nomandla Xakatha says that the jobs offered by the Coffee Shack have greatly assisted in a community with no other opportunities, and that the visitors certainly broaden the interests of the local inhabitants.  The income from the Coffee Shack supports many orphans, provides scholarship for local kids, and creates work.  Further inland, the Masakala Guesthouse and Mehloding Adventure Trail and Chalets makes the most of the dreaming grandeur of the Southern Drakensberg.   It is part of a rural village outside Matatiele and is completely owned and run by the community.  The Adventure Trails are wilderness walking trails into the mountains and valleys of the Drakensberg, stopping at San rock art sites.  Operations Officer Thakane Moorosi says that her job is opening her eyes to many different aspects of life, and she would like to use her income to help her to study tourism further.  As far as Masakala and its mountain walks is concerned, it is not even necessary to sing the beauty of the Drakensberg and the desirability of taking hikes within those wonderful mountains.  The Knysna lake is also an extremely beautiful place, and up till now has mainly been synonymous with George Rex, the throne of England, the watersports on the lagoon and the quillion-rand homes on the Heads.  But the Mothers of Creation Rural Homestay is an attempt to show the simpler side of Knysna by inviting the visitor to stay with local communities in 11 different locations around Knysna.  And finally, the sleepy spires of Grahamstown sit up and take notice of all the crowds during the Grahamstown Arts Festival in the depths of winter every year, and to meet the demand for accommodation the Kwam eMakana Homestays offers a network of local families with basic accommodation for visitors to the Festival.  There are 55 homes, 4 traditional taverns and a fleet of taxis for transport. One of the homeowners, Buyiswa Gora, says that the tourism trade is seasonal and so she takes in sewing between festivals, but that she enjoys the visitors as she is talkative and learns from each person.  She sums up the philosophy of most of the people involved in these six projects by saying:  “Kusala kutyela kubona ngolupho” – you must not sit around with folded arms, get out there are make things happen.  As the WC focuses attention on South Africa, perhaps we should be rethinking our identity as an African destination, marketing ourselves as an African product, and looking for the best parts of our Africanism to show off to our visitors.  Fair Trade in Tourism’s website is www.fairtourismsa.org.za