Tourism attraction road signs help travellers find tourist destinations, attractions and facilities across South Africa. They can guide visitors towards national parks, heritage sites, museums, recreational facilities, cultural attractions, scenic destinations and other tourism-related locations.
These signs form part of the wider road guidance system and provide information that helps visitors navigate from major routes towards their intended destination. Clear tourism signage is particularly useful for travellers who may be unfamiliar with the local road network.
What Are Tourism Attraction Road Signs?
Tourism attraction road signs are directional and information signs used to identify or guide road users towards recognised tourist attractions and tourism facilities.
The South African road traffic sign system includes approved tourism symbols for different groups of attractions. These symbols can be used on tourism signs to help travellers recognise the type of destination being indicated.
What Colour Are Tourism Attraction Road Signs?
Tourist direction signs generally use a brown background with white symbols, text, arrows and borders. This colour combination provides a recognisable visual identity for tourism-related direction signage.
The South African road traffic sign guidance also provides for specific temporary tourism signage in certain circumstances, so the correct sign design depends on the type and duration of the attraction being signed.
What Types of Attractions Can Tourism Signs Identify?
Tourism signage can identify many different types of attractions and facilities. Examples include:
- National parks
- Provincial parks
- Nature reserves
- Cultural attractions
- Heritage sites
- Museums
- Historical attractions
- Recreational facilities
- Scenic attractions
- Tourist routes
- Tourism facilities and destinations
What Are Tourism Attraction Symbols?
Tourism attraction symbols are pictorial symbols used to communicate information about a tourist destination without relying only on written words.
The SARTSM provides approved tourism symbols grouped according to different types of attractions. Generic or family symbols can also be used to identify a group of similar tourism attractions, particularly along tourist routes or in areas with a high concentration of attractions.
What Is a Generic Tourism Symbol?
A generic tourism symbol represents a group or family of related tourist attractions. This can help reduce the number of different symbols displayed on a route while giving travellers a clear indication that tourism facilities or attractions are available in the area.
In areas with several attractions, generic tourism signing can be followed by more specific directional signs that guide visitors towards individual destinations.
Where Are Tourism Attraction Road Signs Used?
Tourism signs can be used on routes leading towards recognised tourist destinations and within areas where visitors need directional information.
National Parks and Nature Areas
Tourism signs can guide visitors towards national parks, provincial parks, nature reserves and other natural attractions.
Heritage and Cultural Sites
Signs can provide directions to museums, heritage locations, cultural attractions and historical destinations.
Tourist Routes
Tourist route signage can help visitors follow a recognised tourism route and identify its theme or destination.
Urban Tourism Areas
Cities and larger towns may have multiple attractions located within a relatively small area. A coordinated tourism signing system can help visitors navigate between major routes and individual destinations.
How Do Tourism Road Signs Guide Visitors to an Attraction?
Tourism signing can provide a sequence of directional information from a recognised route towards the attraction. Signs may be required at important decision points, intersections and turns so that visitors can continue following the route.
The objective is to provide enough information for travellers to understand where to go without creating unnecessary sign clutter or excessive information at a single location.
What Are Tourist Routes?
A tourist route is a route associated with tourism attractions or a particular tourism theme. Tourism signing can identify the route and provide route continuity information where required.
The SARTSM guidance describes tourist routes as formally numbered routes in some circumstances, while other tourist routes can use an existing numbered road together with supplementary tourism signs identifying the route theme and name.
What Are High-Density Tourism Areas?
A high-density tourism area is an area where multiple tourism attractions and routes create a greater need for coordinated directional signing.
In these areas, a planned wayfinding system can help prevent excessive numbers of individual tourism signs and make navigation easier for visitors. The South African road-sign guidance recommends a systematic approach to tourism signing in such areas.
Why Are Tourism Attraction Road Signs Important?
Tourism signs provide important navigation information to people travelling to attractions and destinations they may not know well.
- Help visitors identify tourist destinations
- Provide directional information
- Help travellers navigate unfamiliar areas
- Identify recognised tourism attractions
- Support consistent tourism wayfinding
- Improve the visibility of tourism destinations
Tourism Signs and Road Safety
Clear directional information can help road users make navigation decisions before reaching a turn or intersection. Well-planned tourism signing can also reduce unnecessary last-minute manoeuvres caused by uncertainty about where a destination is located.
Sign placement, visibility, message length and the number of signs at a particular location should therefore be considered when planning a tourism signing system.
Can Tourism Signs Be Used for Private Attractions?
Tourism signage requirements depend on where the sign is located and the type of road or property involved. A privately operated attraction may require different arrangements from a sign located within a public road reserve.
Where signs are proposed on public roads, the relevant road authority requirements and applicable tourism signing principles should be considered before manufacture and installation.
Can Tourism Attraction Signs Be Customised?
Tourism signs need to follow the applicable road-signing requirements when they are intended for public-road use. Signs4SA can assist with tourism-related directional signage, attraction identification, private-property wayfinding and supporting signage based on the requirements of the project.
Custom signage may include destination names, approved symbols, directional arrows, route information and other relevant information where permitted.
What Materials Are Used for Tourism Road Signs?
Outdoor tourism signs need to be manufactured using materials suitable for their installation environment. Material selection can include durable sign substrates and appropriate reflective sheeting for applications where visibility under vehicle headlights is required.
The correct material and reflective specification depends on the sign type, location, viewing conditions and applicable road-sign requirements.
Tourism Attraction Signs for South African Projects
Signs4SA can assist with tourism-related signage for attractions, private developments, resorts, recreational facilities, heritage destinations, commercial properties and tourism projects across South Africa.
For signs intended for public roads, the relevant road authority should be consulted regarding approval, placement and applicable signing requirements. The South African Department of Transport publishes the SARTSM and SADC-RTSM as part of its road infrastructure standards and guidance resources.
Tourism Signs for Hotels, Resorts and Attractions
Hotels, resorts, game lodges, recreational facilities and other tourism businesses may require a combination of directional, identification and wayfinding signs.
A complete signage system can include entrance signs, directional signs, parking signs, building identification, facility signs and internal wayfinding. The signs can be planned as a consistent system so that visitors receive clear information throughout the property.
How Much Do Tourism Attraction Road Signs Cost?
The cost of tourism signage depends on factors such as sign size, quantity, materials, reflective requirements, design, mounting structures and installation.
Public-road projects may also have additional planning, approval or installation requirements. Request a quotation based on the number of signs, locations and required specifications.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tourism Attraction Road Signs
What are tourism attraction road signs?
Tourism attraction road signs provide directions and information to tourist destinations such as national parks, heritage sites, museums, recreational facilities and tourist routes.
What colour are tourism direction signs in South Africa?
Tourist direction signs generally use a brown background with white symbols, text, arrows and borders.
What does a brown tourism road sign mean?
Brown tourism direction signs identify or provide directions to tourism-related destinations and attractions.
What tourist attractions can be shown on road signs?
Tourism signs can identify different categories of attractions, including national parks, provincial parks, cultural and heritage attractions, museums, recreational facilities and tourist routes.
What is a tourism attraction symbol?
A tourism attraction symbol is a pictorial symbol used to identify a type of tourist attraction. South African road-sign guidance includes approved tourism symbols grouped according to different attraction categories.
What is a generic tourism symbol?
A generic or family tourism symbol represents a group of related attractions. It can be useful on tourist routes or in areas where several tourism destinations are located close together.
Can tourism signs be installed on public roads?
Tourism signs on public roads are subject to the applicable road authority requirements. The location, type of attraction, sign design and placement should be considered before installation.
Can Signs4SA manufacture tourism attraction signs?
Signs4SA can assist with tourism-related directional signage, attraction signs, wayfinding systems and supporting signage for tourism and commercial projects.
Need Tourism Attraction Road Signs?
Signs4SA provides custom road signage, directional signage and wayfinding solutions for tourism, commercial, property and development projects across South Africa.
Contact Signs4SA to discuss your tourism signage requirements and request a quotation.
