Blyde River Canyon and Panorama Route

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Richprins
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Blyde River Canyon and Panorama Route

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Massive tourism boost on the cards for the Blyde River Canyon

CNS reporter


The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency is seeking potential investors and is offering some potentially lucrative concessions in the province, including a new cable car in the Blyde River Canyon, reports the Hoedspruit Herald.

The Blyde River Canyon is the largest and deepest green canyon in the world and a plan to help boost tourism in the area has been under way since 2015.

The IDC (Industrial Development Corporation) has been changing its approach to tourism development in favor of creating demand by developing niche attractions in different regions.

“We want people to know that there is more to Mpumalanga than the Kruger National Park,” said Charles Ndambeni, CEO of Mpumalanga Tourism Parks Agency.

This multi-million rand project involves building a cable that will transport tourists from the top of the canyon to the peninsula below.

The Table Mountain cable car in Cape Town is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country and will create a major attraction in this region.

Numerous secondary attractions will also be established as a spin-off to the cable car and the related activities.

http://citizen.co.za/news/news-national ... er-canyon/
Last edited by Richprins on Tue Sep 28, 2021 6:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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Re: Blyde River Canyon Cable Car?

Post by Richprins »

This idiocy was mooted in 2013 already, seems vanity projects being pumped all over now before liberation of SA in 2019... :evil:

It can in NO way be compared to Cape Town and Table Mountain! 0*\


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Re: Blyde River Canyon Cable Car?

Post by Mel »

Ja, but it would also be far off from the Cable Car and will probably be rather successful too O** 0*\


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Re: Blyde River Canyon Cable Car?

Post by okie »

Hmmmm Quote from this article : The Table Mountain cable car in Cape Town is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country and will create a major attraction in this region.

Certainly , the Table Mountain cable car in Cape Town is indeed one of the biggest tourist attractions in SOUTH AFRICA , with almost 1 million tourists every year =O: =O: =O: .
But of course , it should be expected , because , Cape Town itself is South Africa's the biggest tourist destiny :O^ :O^


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Re: Blyde River Canyon Cable Car?

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:yes:

And far less cable theft! =O: =O: =O: =O: =O:


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Re: Blyde River Canyon Cable Car?

Post by Mel »

okie wrote:Certainly , the Table Mountain cable car in Cape Town is indeed one of the biggest tourist attractions in SOUTH AFRICA , with almost 1 million tourists every year =O: =O: =O:

Nobody would expect such a number for a possible Blyde River Canyon Cable Car? 0-

(Or would they? O-/ )


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Re: Blyde River Canyon and Panorama Route

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First soil turned in God’s Window skywalk project


The skywalk will be a cantilevered walkway suspended off the edge of a cliff with a drop of more than 900 metres.


1 day ago
Andrea van Wyk

Mogotle Friddah Nkadimeng, mayor of the Thaba Chweu Municipality, Vusi Mkhatshwa, MEC for tourism in Mpumalanga, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, premier of Mpumalanga and Mohita Latchminarain, MEC for public works, roads and transport in Mpumalanga.

Work on the long-awaited skywalk at God’s Window in the Blyde River Canyon officially started on September 17, when among others, the premier of Mpumalanga, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, turned the first soil with a gold-painted shovel.

Although the project was already envisioned in 2004, the procurement process to build the skywalk started in 2019.



Image
Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, premier of Mpumalanga. > Photo: Andrea van Wyk

Mtshweni-Tsipane reassured the public that challenges around land ownership that the project previously faced, have been smoothed out now.

“There are communal property associations (CPA) within this area that own this land. Therefore it was in our best interest to ensure that whatever we do within their space, they become part and parcel of those processes,” said Mtshweni-Tsipane.

According to a statement issued by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), the project is expected to especially benefit the Mapulana Tribe, which owns the land on which the skywalk will be built.



“While the construction phase will be creating 300-plus job opportunities, it is expected to offer more than 100 jobs once completed and operational. Additionally, the community will get a shareholding in the concession through a special CPA, named Blyde 04 CPA.”

Image
The skywalk at God’s Window will protrude<br />12 metres from the cliff. > Photo: Supplied

The premier said local communities will receive 10% of proceeds during the project’s developmental and implemental phase.

“Immediately after that we will move on to 30%. The lifespan of the investors in this project is 27 years, after which the project will be officially handed over to communities of this area. Whatever is made out of this project will directly benefit local communities,” said Mtshweni-Tsipane.

She said the skywalk project brings a significant economic spinoff to the province in terms of attracting tourists both domestically and internationally, but hopes that the initiative will attract other investors in the retail sector.



“Most people travel to Cape Town solely for the purpose of going up Table Mountain. We now have our own skywalk in Mpumalanga. We want to invite tourists to come and enjoy the beauty of Mpumalanga where the sun rises.”

The skywalk will be a cantilevered glass walkway suspended off the edge of a cliff with a drop of more than 900 metres. The walkway will protrude about 12 metres from the cliff and it will be about five metres wide.

According to the MTPA, the walkway will give visitors a 360-degree panoramic view. On a clear day, one will be able see as far as the Indian Ocean and Maputo.

It will be higher than the Grand Canyon Skywalk, which stands at between 150 and 280 metres, and the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge in China, which is 260 metres at its highest point.

https://lowvelder.co.za/749949/first-so ... k-project/


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Re: Blyde River Canyon and Panorama Route

Post by Lisbeth »

Where on earth have they found the money :-?


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Re: Blyde River Canyon and Panorama Route

Post by RogerFraser »

Meanwhile .... 0*\
Multimillion-rand Blyde River Canyon project goes ahead despite lawsuit
https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/m ... t-20210909

Image

The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) is going ahead with a R475 million skywalk at the Blyde River Canyon, despite a legal challenge by a tourism innovator and entrepreneur who claims it is his intellectual property.

The Blyde River Skywalk project is Campbell Scott’s brainchild.

Scott is the co-founder of another tourism project, the R40 million Graskop Lift, which is a viewing lift that travels 51m down the Graskop Gorge offering tourists a breathtaking view of the gorge and waterfalls.
The skywalk will offer the same experience, if not more suited to the daredevil tourist.

It is intended to be a cantilevered glass walkway that protrudes 12m from a cliff and hovers in the air. Tourists will see 700m below their feet while also getting a 360° view of the world’s third-largest river canyon.
It is modelled on the A-shaped Chongqing skywalk in China and the horseshoe-shaped Arizona Grand Canyon Skywalk.

Scott’s company, Skyway Trails, pitched the Blyde River Skywalk concept to the MTPA in 2009. It was estimated then that it would cost about R84 million to construct. However, the MTPA dropped Scott along the way and engaged other developers.
Scott has approached the Mbombela High Court to protect his copyright.

MTPA spokesperson Kholofelo Nkambule said that the tender was awarded to Mapulana Canyon to invest, design, operate and manage the project. The project will be transferred to the land-owning community after a 25-year concession period.

“The MTPA disputes that it stole Campbell Scott’s intellectual property. The court case on this matter is currently pending,” Nkambule said.

However, Scott said that he could prove that MTPA had stolen his idea.

There has been such a huge turnover of people at MTPA, but most people know that my documents predate everything.
Campbell Scott
Scott claimed he had developed the concept, identified the project site, appointed an architect, brokered negotiations with land-claiming communities and facilitated funding for a number of prerequisite studies to ensure success of the project, such as an environmental impact assessment and feasibility study.

A delegation including Scott, the MTPA and the Industrial Development Corporation even visited the Grand Canyon Skywalk in the US to take some notes on how best they would implement the project in Mpumalanga.

In his court application, Scott said: “The copyright works are being reproduced and adapted by the first respondent [MTPA] to seek bids for the development of a project in Blyde River Reserve. Should a successful bidder be appointed while the parties are in the process of mediation, the damages incurred by [MTPA] will increase substantially.”

Scott also warned that any development on the project based on his copyrighted works was in danger of being stopped or demolished, causing habitat degradation. Scott says the MTPA should compensate him with R10 million for his concept and work he put in over the years.

The MTPA had promised to look into Scott’s claim for compensation in 2018, according to email correspondence that City Press has seen.

Scott said that his relationship with the MTPA deteriorated due to lack a of commitment by MTPA and failure to clarify land claimants’ ownership on the project.


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Re: Blyde River Canyon and Panorama Route

Post by Richprins »

Yes obviously another "company" paid more for the tender! lol


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