Interest in Maropeng continues to grow both locally and internationally.

December 2008 saw all visitor number records smashed as the Maropeng Visitor Centre recorded growth of 18% compared to the same period last year.

Sterkfontein Caves experienced a 24% increase in visitors, and the Maropeng Hotel occupancy rate increased by 11%.

The website, too, enjoyed a bumper month. Over 10 000 visits from 77 countries were recorded in a period that is traditionally slower for websites in South Africa.

And newspaper readers as far away as Canada, Dubai and the United Kingdom have been learning about the exciting exhibitions at Maropeng.

The Ottawa Citizen ran an article on holidaying in South Africa, in which Maropeng features prominently.

The National, a United Arab Emirates-based newspaper, also recently ran an article on the Paranthropus in Context exhibition currently showing at Maropeng.

Finally Everything Dinosaur, a popular UK-based toys and games website, ran an article about Maropeng on their blog.