While the dawn of humankind was incepted in the limestone caves of Northern Gauteng, the story continued and grew into the Western Cape.

Wesgro’s Chief Marketing Officer for Tourism, Judy Lain, said: “The ability to package the incredible offering we have around early culture and how its transpired into modern day in the Western Cape, with a globally renowned  landmark such as the Cradle of Humankind WHS, is an opportunity to position the destination globally and attract more visitors.”

To launch the Cradle of Human Culture a micro-site will be  developed detailing information on the experience. To support in marketing the initiative  a short video, imagery and a booklet will be shared on social media channels  and other digital platforms.

“The connection between the Cradle of Humankind WHS and the Cradle of Human Culture is a connecting thread between our physical being and our aesthetic being,” said Michael Worsnip, Managing Director of Maropeng.

Three archaeological sites in the Western Cape – Blombos Cave, Pinnacle Point Site Complex on the south coast, and the Diepkloof Rock Shelter on the Cape West Coast – together preserve some of the world’s earliest  evidence of evolution of modern human behaviour and for this reason they are in  the process of being nominated for World Heritage Site status.

Boasting ornately decorated ostrich eggs, marine shell  beads, engraved ochre, bone tools and finely made bifacial points are just some  of the archaeological treasures found at these sites, which display complex  task processing and development of symbolic systems. As the United Nations Educational,  Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) nomination mentions, these sites  hold an “unmatched record of palaeoenvironmental and human history in an  important phase of human evolution, the development of anatomically modern  humans”.

Not limited to the fore mentioned sites, the dawn of human  culture stretches across all six regions of the province with sites such as the West Coast Fossil Park – home to one of the world’s richest concentration of fossils dating back 5-million years – taking us into the past. Museums such as  the Zeitz MOCAA, with its incredible collection of contemporary art, add a new  dynamic by giving us a glimpse of the present and the not-too distant future.

“The Cradle of  Humankind World Heritage Site celebrates the human journey, from our earliest  beginnings – to the challenges of our present – to our uncertain future. It  celebrates human development, in every shape and form. It is wonderful indeed to now have established a new showcase for this diversity, complexity and unity of our species, in the newly established Cradle of Human Culture. It is  possible that in our arts and crafts, beliefs and extraordinary ingenuity, we can start to uncover some of the defining characteristics of our species,”  added Worsnip.

Minister of Economic Opportunities, Beverly Schäfer, said:  “The Cradle of Human Culture will provide a fascinating journey back to some of  the very earliest human behaviours. By highlighting these aspects of our culture and heritage, we are able to provide another layer to our multi-dimensional tourism offering and provide new and unique experiences to a  wider range of visitors.”

“We are hoping that the Cradle of Human Culture will become a tool for all South Africans to enjoy these beautiful sites, explore our  common origins, dive into our past and understand what makes us humans. Through  this journey, visitors to the Cradle of Human Culture will discover the  enormous contribution that South Africa played in making us all humans,” commented the Director for Museums, Heritage and Geographical  Names Services at the Department of Cultural  Affairs and Sport, Dr Mxolisi Dlamuka.

Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, concluded: “South Africa is globally  regarded as a place of great heritage significance. Through identifying culturally rich sites in our Province, we become a part of the story of the early development of humankind. We are excited to introduce  both local and international visitors to the Cradle of Human Culture, and hope  to welcome many Easter holiday makers following the official launch on 11 April.”

Wesgro is Cape Town and the Western Cape’s official Tourism, Trade and  Investment Promotion Agency, and receives its mandate and funding from the  Western Cape Government’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism and  the City of Cape Town.

Here is an overview of the expansions and routes already launched in 2018:

• On March 25, Kenyan Airways increased the frequency of its flight from Nairobi to Cape Town via Livingstone, from three flights per week, to four.
• TAAG airlines also increased the frequency of its flight from Luanda to Cape Town from three to four times a week from March 25.
• From 26 March, Singapore Airlines started flying to Cape Town daily, via Johannesburg, increasing from four flights per week.
• From March 28, Air Mauritius expanded capacity from narrow body to wide-body aircraft with two flights per week between Mauritius and Cape Town.
• RwandAir’s flight between Kigali and Cape Town, stopping in Harare, operating four times per week, launched in May.
• In June, Kenya Airways started operating its non-stop, five-hour flight between Nairobi and Cape Town, three times per week.

There are also a number of exciting new routes that will be launching later this year, including:
• From October, Austrian Airlines will operate two non-stop, seasonal flights between Vienna and Cape Town per week.
• In a major move, in November, Cathay Pacific will launch its three times weekly, non-stop, seasonal flight between Hong Kong and Cape Town.

Minister of Economic Opportunities Alan Winde has congratulated the Air Access team saying: “Since its inception in 2015, this joint venture has added an additional 700 000 inbound seats into Cape Town, opened up 13 new routes, and negotiated 14 expansions. These figures all translate into an increase in the number of visitors to the Western Cape, and most importantly, the creation of new jobs in the tourism industry.”

A study commissioned by the Air Access team and conducted by Grant Thornton anticipates that the addition of a new flight like the Cathay Pacific flight, could create an additional 1 000 jobs in the Western Cape economy.