Golden Gate Highlands National Park is betting on adventure tourism to attract a new generation of visitors while creating economic opportunities for communities surrounding the park.
The park officially launched its new Golden Gate Zipline experience on Saturday as part of its broader strategy to introduce new tourism products without compromising the natural environment that draws visitors to the Free State destination.
Park manager Paddy Gordon said the zipline would not simply increase visitor numbers but bring people to Golden Gate who may never previously have considered visiting the park.
“It’s not just more people that we’re attracting; it’s new people that haven’t gone to this area before,” Gordon said.
The launch follows the success of the park’s Dinosaur Interpretation Centre, which attracted about 100,000 visitors in its first year.
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According to Gordon, Golden Gate previously attracted between 50,000 and 80,000 visitors annually, making the response to the dinosaur centre a significant boost for the park.
He expects the zipline to follow a similar pattern by introducing the park to a different market, particularly younger visitors and adventure seekers.
But for Gordon, the significance of the new attraction goes beyond visitor numbers.
“When we do running events and cycling events and something like the zipline, we actually encourage people to come out of the buildings and experience the broader wilderness of the park,” he said.
Making national parks more relevant to changing tourism trends
The approach is part of SANParks’ wider effort to make national parks more relevant to changing tourism trends while maintaining their conservation mandate.
Gordon said SANParks relies heavily on scientific expertise when making decisions about developments within national parks.
Rather than attempting to become specialists in every tourism activity, SANParks works with private operators who already have expertise in areas such as engineering, safety and international operating standards.
“We rather partner with a company like that and say, ‘We’ll take care of the natural estate. You take care and bring us a new activity that will bring people to our national parks,’” he said.
The model also allows Golden Gate to expand its tourism offering without competing directly with existing accommodation businesses in the surrounding area.
Gordon said both the Dinosaur Interpretation Centre and the zipline were deliberately developed as attractions rather than accommodation products.
“We didn’t want to compete with existing accommodation. So we’ve now launched two projects, or two tourism products, that don’t compete with accommodation,” he said.
Employment opportunities
The expectation is that increased visitor numbers will benefit hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and other businesses in the surrounding communities.
The zipline has already created direct employment opportunities, with between seven and nine people from the local community trained for operational roles.
Gordon said the training included several months of intensive preparation, with employees sent to other zipline operations to learn about equipment, safety standards and the customer experience.
The broader operation could employ up to about 20 people, including staff involved in administration, bookings and other functions.
But SANParks’ economic contribution to the surrounding community goes further than direct employment, according to Gordon.
He said the park deliberately tries to ensure that money spent on operations flows into the local economy through the procurement of food, linen, cleaning materials and other supplies.
Suppliers located within 100km of the park can receive additional provincial procurement points, while considerations such as Black and women ownership are also factored into the procurement process.
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Gordon described the impact of tourism spending as ‘dropping a stone into a puddle’, with the benefits creating ripples beyond the attraction itself.
“It’s almost like dropping a stone into a puddle, and it has all these little ripples that go out,” he said.
He also believes adventure tourism could play an important role in encouraging young people in the Eastern Free State to consider careers in tourism.
The region has significant agricultural potential but, according to Gordon, much of the surrounding farmland has limited tourism offerings.
He believes expanding tourism activities could expose young people to career opportunities ranging from accommodation and food and beverage to guiding, activities and events.
“It’s one thing to learn it in the classroom, but it’s completely different when I can come and actually see it inside the national park,” he said.
Gordon said he would welcome more adventure experiences at Golden Gate, including additional hiking trails and cave activities. He is also keeping an eye on attractions such as tobogganing and gravity-powered scooters.
However, any future development would have to balance its potential tourism and economic benefits against its impact on the park.
One with nature
For Gordon, the ultimate goal is to get visitors to experience Golden Gate rather than simply stay inside its accommodation facilities.
He believes the park’s biggest selling point is not necessarily a single attraction, but the feeling of being immersed in nature.
“The overall message I would like to use to describe Golden Gate is wellness,” he said.
Visitors, he said, often arrive without necessarily intending to disconnect from city life, only to find themselves reluctant to leave after spending time in the park.
He encourages visitors to stay overnight and experience the park after dark, while also making time to explore its hiking trails and wilderness.
“You’ve got to feel that wildness at night,” Gordon said.
Winter, despite its cold nights, is also a particularly attractive time for hikers, he said, with clear skies, shorter grass and more consistent weather.
Summer offers a different experience, with lush vegetation, flowing streams and waterfalls.
“There’s no time that I can say, ‘Don’t come to Golden Gate this time.’ It’s been amazing. Very different, every season. But every season has its attractions as well,” Gordon said.
With the zipline now joining the Dinosaur Interpretation Centre and the park’s existing hiking, cultural and outdoor offerings, Golden Gate is positioning itself not simply as somewhere to admire from a distance, but as a destination to actively experience.
- Golden Gate Highlands National Park launched a new zipline experience to attract younger and adventure-seeking visitors, expanding its tourism offerings without competing with local accommodation.
- The park previously attracted 50,000 to 80,000 visitors annually, and the Dinosaur Interpretation Centre drew about 100,000 visitors in its first year.
- The zipline project has created direct employment for 7 to 9 local community members, with potential for about 20 total jobs including administration and bookings.
- SANParks partners with private companies for specialized tourism activities, ensuring developments align with conservation goals and benefit local suppliers, especially those within 100km.
- Park manager Paddy Gordon emphasizes the importance of immersive nature experiences and promoting wellness, encouraging visitors to engage with the wilderness through hiking, events, and overnight stays.
