Over the next three months, the exhibition will visit Portugual, Belguim, Sweden and possibly France.

Europeans love the Bathurst "Big Pineapple", Hole in the Wall, Bird Island and bottle nosed dolphins says Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) which recently returned from its third photographic exhibition on the continent.

The exhibition, which has been received with open arms in Germany's Lueneburg and Munich in September last year, is currently on show in Portugal's Gaie district (near Porto), where it will remain for six weeks until 15 July.

The exhibition then moves to Ghent in Belgium and then onto Sweden's second largest city, Goteborg over the next three months. ECDC is also optimistic that it may exhibit in France at La Rochelle when Europe's largest boat show takes place in September.

The move to other cities comes after the launch of the exhibition was received with enthusiasm by South Africa's other European embassies which attended the German launch.

"The "tremendous interest" received for the 40 aerial photographs shows that the show has aptly captured the Eastern Cape's scenic beauty which remains amongst its most popular features. Other attractions include all year-round sunny climate, wildlife, heritage and tapestry of fascinating cultures," says acting ECDC investment promotion manager Josef Neumeier.

One photograph that draws attention is the aerial view of the 2010 World Cup Stadium in Port Elizabeth which was recently completed and is expected to accommodate 45,000 spectators.

"The exhibition's aim is to create awareness about the Eastern Cape and to highlight its untapped investment, trade and tourism potential," says Neumeier.

He adds that while the impact of such a project is difficult to measure, ECDC had received encouraging feedback.

He mentions that the South African Airways office in Munich has seen interest in South Africa "skyrocket", despite the economic crunch.

Neumeier says that it is considering doing similar exhibitions in the province's economic hubs, Port Elizabeth and East London, in order to stimulate further interest in the province for next's year's soccer world cup.