Robben Island prepares for 2010
Themba Gadebe
7 June 2007Like other major tourist attractions around South Africa, Robben Island is busy preparing for the expected influx of visitors during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Robben Island, a World Heritage site that lies off the coast of Cape Town, currently receives around 1 800 visitors a day, though the island museum's spokesperson, Shalo Mbatha, is confident the numbers will rocket during the World Cup.
An added bonus is that while the Robben Island Museum's peak season is between November and February, the World Cup takes place in June, during off-peak time.
The expected flood of visitors in the 2010 off-season is expected to beat peak-season highs for visits to the island, though this comes with some problems for the museum's staff.
"Part of our challenge is that as a World Heritage site, we have a mandate to preserve the sensitive species and environment on the island," Mbatha said. Challenges posed by the island's popularity include congestion, overcrowding, noise pollution and litter.
"We are going to train our staff to be able to handle tourists even better; our visitors will walk away with an experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives," she said.
Robben Island has already started rehabilitating its museum facilities, starting with the former maximum-security prison where Nelson Mandela and other struggle icons were incarcerated.
State-of-the-art ferry
The island's management is also boosting the capacity of its fleet of ferries, which shuttle tourists to and from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront on the mainland.
"The new ferry under construction is of great importance for the new visitor experience. It is a much awaited state-of-the-art ferry [that is] the only one of its kind in Africa," Mbatha said.
The new ferry will carry about 300 passengers, making it the biggest in the island's fleet, and the fastest.
The boat boasts lower, medium and top decks that will each be over three metres high, with the weight being kept down as it is crafted from aluminium. Its top speed will be the equivalent of 50km per hour, and it is expected to make its maiden voyage by September.
While the body is currently being built, other parts, such the engine and seats, have already been imported from Germany and Australia.
Source: BuaNews
