Limpopo sees high volume of visitors in 2015
The Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA) is content with the tourist arrivals of the 2015 festive season
POLOKWANE – The Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA) is content with the tourist arrivals of the 2015 festive season, says Mike Tauatsoala, Manager: Corporate Communications and Publications Relations at LTA.
“The people in Limpopo have not disappointed, as a high volumes of day visitors were recorded at various products in the province. Most of the people who visited tourism hotspots as we mentioned, were recorded at Mapungubwe National Park, which alone recorded 4 397 visitors during December 2015 compared to 3 208 in the same period in 2014,” said Tauatsoala.
He said the park had contributed immensely to the increase in the number of arrivals Limpopo had recorded during the 2015 festive season.
“LTA appreciates the marketing efforts of the South African National Parks and will continue working together in an attempt to increase numbers of tourists to the park and the province as a whole to grow tourism and the economy of the province. Out of 1 272 products in Limpopo, LTA received arrivals from 155 tourism products for December 2015,” he said.
“We are also pleased by the amount resilience that tourism continues to display despite the volatile and unfavourable economic situation in our country”, said the CEO of Limpopo Tourism Agency, Ndumiso Matlala.
Limpopo Wildlife Resorts (LWR), the commercial wing of the LTA, has also received a bigger share of arrivals with 10 of their products receiving 32 979 in December 2015 compared to 26 929 in December 2014. Mphephu Resort alone received 18 391 day visitors compared to 9 244 the previous year.
“The biggest beneficiary among the tourism hotspots we mentioned when we launched the festive campaign last year, was Bela Bela Forever Resorts, recording 44 103 day visitors in December 2015 as compared to 39 223 in December 2014. The establishment further saw an increase of 11 520 tourists in December 2015 compared to 10 870 the same period in 2014,” said Tauatsoala.
“The marketing efforts that LTA conducted about three years ago, have come to fruition as most of the citizens making it to most of the tourism facilities are from Limpopo. Thanks to the new LTA board as the agency will be having a single mandate only focusing on promoting the province as the preferred eco-tourism destination.”
