Single Ticket Biking Initiative
There is an acute awareness that tourists don’t see borders the way landowners, municipalities or regional authorities see it. As a result, tourists will seamlessly cross over boundaries if they are able to with little regard for who the owner is.
Unfortunately, landowners do not see tourists in such a way. They will want to bring the cycle tourism to their property but not think of the larger need of the tourist. As a result, it ends up with a few cycling routes that can easily link up (but does not) and the overall attractiveness is significantly decreased. Each time a cyclist wants to access a new part of the route they must purchase a new access pass making it difficult and costly to cycle large areas.
Globally it has been shown that longer, well managed cycling routes are not just more attractive than single property routes, they also generate significantly more revenue and create more employment.
Grabouw and Elgin region used to be a “top pick” amongst mountain bikers in the past but has not been able to compete with newer, more inclusive, cycle routes. As a result the popularity of the region for cyclists has remained steady even while there has been an explosion in biking interest over the last 5 years. For instance, the Durbanville cycling scene has exploded with cyclists being able to access multiple properties in and around the Tygervalley hills wine region. Similarly the Stellenbosch cycling scene has equally exploded with access to the Jonkershoek region including a wide variety of private sector land.
The aim of this project is therefore to give mountain bikers a much broader cycling experience utilising a single ticket system. The initial idea is to unite the cycle routes in and around Grabouw but ultimately the entire Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve region (including Kleinmond, Rooiels, Gordons bay, Grabouw and Elgin).
Tourism has massive potential in Elgin and Grabouw – an in particular outdoor activities including cycling, hiking, trail running and horse riding. A single ticket system will also allow land owners to better understand who is on their property and what they are looking for.
Cyclists are typically higher income individuals and can contribute greatly to increased regional spending on food, beverages and accommodation. Increased numbers of cyclists will also lead to an increase in bicycle servicing and hence help to increase technical skills. It is envisioned that the tickets will be sold on a central location (to be confirmed) where cyclists will also be able to learn more about other tourism attractions in the region.
The ultimate aim of the project is to enable mountain biking enthusiasts to purchase a single ticket to access the network of mountain, forest and agriculture land set aside for cycling. The money generated by the single ticket will then be used to:
1) Maintain the existing infrastructure
2) Help to improve the routes and build new trails
3) Pay for signage
4) Pay for a detailed graded map
5) Pay for the access tag (electronic / paper based)
6) Pay for access control and security at the various parking areas
7) To compensate land owners for access