Limpopo is ready for festive season tourists

Activities started on Thursday, October 21 with a welcoming dinner at Sefapane Lodge & Safaris, followed by the official launch on Friday at the Phalaborwa Gate of the Kruger National Park (KNP). The launch was aimed at promoting and driving domestic tourism during the coming festive season.

“We want to showcase Limpopo as a suitable holiday destination for this festive season, but most importantly to grow its market share of domestic travelers. The agency took advantage of the president’s announcement of easing restrictions by moving the country to adjusted alert level one,” said LTA.

Various exhibitors were given a platform to showcase their offerings at the KNP gate on Friday, October 22 and Saturday, October 23. The chairperson of Limpopo Tourism Agency Board, Andrew Dipela said Limpopo is on the move and aims to again reclaim its number one spot as the most visited destination in the country.

“Approximately 70% of the Kruger National Park is in the Limpopo Province and we want to reclaim our first position,” said Dipela. He said the plan is to target local travellers and especially visiting friends and relatives from neighbouring provinces such as Gauteng, North West and Mpumalanga who often visit Limpopo during this period.

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He said the objectives of this initiative are mainly to create awareness about destination Limpopo’s product offerings including heritage and culture; promotion of Limpopo as an accessible value-for-money destination for all and for all seasons within and beyond the borders of the province; and to position destination Limpopo as a favourable leisure tourism destination of choice and instill a culture of intra-provincial travel now that the country is on adjusted alert level one.

The CEO of LTA, Moses Ngobeni, emphasised the importance of the campaign as it is through it that the province can be turned around on the domestic tourism front. Ngobeni said LTA will take the campaign to all the districts of the province and to the neighboring provinces of Gauteng, North West and Mpumalanga to encourage people from these provinces to visit Limpopo.

The MEC of Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET), Thabo Mokone thanked tourism industry captains and players for their resilience and patience to continue with their operations under a very difficult environment.

Also read: KNP urges day visitors to observe rules at the park

“It is unfortunate that this campaign coincides with Covid-19 pandemic, which has hit the tourism industry and other related value chains in the sector hard. To this end, much effort is required to recover the ailing industry and we are joining hands with LTA and other important stakeholders such as the media to spread positive messages that tourism is open for business in Limpopo,” said Mokone.

He said Limpopo has so much potential to surpass any other province in the country given its strategic location of being bordered by three SADC countries, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Mpho Manaka of Setsong Tea Crafters said she was honoured to be part of the exhibitors as it afforded her the opportunity to network with various business owners.

“For us being here means a great deal because we get to network with lodges and other businesses, so we can have a business-to-business relationship. We would like to supply local lodges with our variety of teas. We are proud of being part of the #GoLimpopo team,” she said.