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Rooibos Could Draw Tourists Like Cape Wine, NWU Researcher Says
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A North-West University researcher says rooibos could anchor Cederberg tourism the way wine anchors the Winelands, and names a permanent "Rooibos to Space" interpretation centre in Clanwilliam as one possibility.
Rooibos grows in one small corner of the world, and researchers now argue South Africa should sell that fact to travellers the way it sells the Cape Winelands.
Prof. Martinette Kruger of North-West University's Tourism Research in Economics, Environs and Society (TREES) unit, which works with Curtin University in Australia, says rooibos could become a tourism destination brand anchored in the Cederberg, the only place on Earth where it naturally grows. The European Union recognised that in 2021, granting rooibos protected designation of origin status and restricting the name in the EU to rooibos from the designated South African production area.
"Rooibos combines biodiversity, indigenous knowledge, wellness, agriculture and culture into one compelling story that is uniquely South African," said Kruger. Rooibos is "much more than a beverage; it is a destination brand because it can only be produced in one small part of the world," she said.
One possibility named is a permanent "Rooibos to Space" interpretation centre in the town of Clanwilliam. The name refers to a separate initiative already scheduled for October 2026, when rooibos seeds are due to travel to the International Space Station under a project involving the South African Rooibos Council, MaxIQ Space and the South African National Space Agency.
The researchers also propose immersive multi-day visitor experiences built around wellness, adventure, gastronomy and indigenous heritage, and recommend that tourism be structured through collaborative local business models so it supplements rather than displaces farming. "Tourism should not replace farming; it should add value to it," Kruger said.
In February 2026, students visited the Cederberg to work with local stakeholders on developing tourism products. A next phase of research will identify which marketing messages are most likely to convert international awareness of rooibos into visits to the region.
Sources: North-West University
Correction, October 3, 2026: An earlier version said the research was published this week, that Prof. Kruger led it, that the Potchefstroom Herald reported it independently and that NWU tourism students visited the Cederberg; the 6 August North-West University article says none of these, and the Herald reprinted it.