Bela-Bela tourism gets the green light

The sector was one of the hardest hit by the constrictions of the pandemic. It appears, however, that business and holiday bookings are finally increasing, as was relevant during the recent Easter holiday.

To assist in expanding on this progress, private and government stakeholders attended the official launch of the Bela-Bela Tourism Association on Wednesday 26 April at Forever Resorts.

“It is our, and every role player’s job to show the national and international community what Bela-Bela and the surrounding area have to offer. Any person within the sector who wants to continue on their own without the input of other stakeholders, will, unfortunately, be left behind, as the pandemic proved to us,” said Lebo Olifant, chairperson of the organization to delegates.

The association was originally initiated by the Bela-Bela Local Economic Development Forum (BBLEDF). Due to internal issues and a lack of interest, the association did not get off the ground properly.

Olifant says there is a new willingness to make it work and a proper platform now exists where stakeholders can market themselves and make contributions to the benefit of the bigger region.

Adriaan Harper, general manager at Forever Resorts, said that in order to cater to the public, the tourism sector must offer visitors new experiences.

“People want to visit places they have not been to before when they are on holiday. They need to experience something exciting, to explore it, and have such a good time that they will want to return.”

He said the downside to the sector, as with the rest of South Africa, is the state of the national roads and the load-shedding crisis. He said that the expenditure on fuel for generators will have a negative effect on the industry.

“It is bad to hear that your visitors are complaining about the potholes they had to endure to get to your location. Nor is it less worrying for a resort to spend money on fuel for generators, instead of building new waterslides. We hope the new association can bridge the communication gap between the tourism sector and local government.”

Andrew Dipela, the chairperson of the Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA), said that Limpopo is currently one of the main contributors to the domestic market in the entire country and ranks very high as a holiday destination of choice for international visitors.

Dipela served as Bela-Bela’s first municipal manager after the 1994 election.

“Each stakeholder must celebrate their endurance of the challenging years since 2020. It is essential for such an organization like the newly formed association to provide the platform where people can network, share their challenges and work on solutions to improve the industry.”

Dipela urged role players to use digital marketing and every other form of advertising.

“I am particularly worried about fraud within the sector, for example where criminals make bookings and then resell the bookings to a third party at a higher price. The people who are scammed are left disappointed and the holiday destination, without even realizing it, gains a bad reputation. People must take precautions against fraudulent actions.”

Dipela says the LTA is particularly excited to assist in marketing routes in the province. Where a national road exists and every holiday destination along the way can be sourced and made available for tourists.

“Every tourist that comes to this area wants an exhilarating experience with a new cultural experience. There is more to enjoy in Limpopo!”

For inquiries about the newly formed association, people can e-mail: belabelatourismassociation@gmail.com(.)