Tourism – all ‘overnight’ roads lead to Lim
Following the Statistics South Africa release of the 2016 Domestic Tourism Survey report, Limpopo is one of the most popular tourism destinations for travellers.
POLOKWANE – Limpopo was ranked the top destination for day travellers and among the top destinations for overnight travellers with Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape.
The survey showed a pattern of decline in domestic tourism over the past two years.
According to Limpopo Tourism Agency Media Liaison Officer, Kgatla Ntlhekeng, tourists who undertook overnight trips mainly visited friends and family and attended funerals.
“More than 50% of these tourists preferred using taxi’s and most made use of unpaid accommodation as they stayed with their family and friends.
“More than 80% of the overnight trips undertaken lasted on average one week. Day trips, he added, were largely undertaken for shopping after which friends and family were visited.
“The survey reaffirmed Limpopo’s position as the most visited tourist destination in the country for a second year in a row. In 2015 and 2016, Gauteng, Limpopo and Western Cape were the most popular destinations for day travellers, whereas tourists (those who undertook overnight trips) mostly preferred visiting Limpopo,” he explained.
“As much as we welcome the news that we are the most visited tourism destination domestically, we are equally worried about the decline in day trips and overnight trips which is a reason for concern for us and, especially, the tourism product owners who are in the accommodation sector.”
He explained visiting friends and relatives remains a common trend and a way of travelling in the country.
“Nearly three out of four people who undertook overnight trips opted to stay with friends and relatives rather than pay for accommodation.
“However, there were about 14,8 million paid bed nights spent on overnight trips in 2016. It is against this background we call upon the industry to come up with favourable packages which will encourage the average travellers to stay longer and make use of the various accommodation establishments in the province instead of staying with family.
“Furthermore, we also call upon the people of our beautiful province to rally behind the ‘I Do Tourism’ national campaign, an initiative which seeks to remind South Africans of the importance of the tourism industry and the role citizens can play as advocates for South Africa and tourism. The purpose of the campaign is to show the economic and social value of tourism in South Africa.”
He added Limpopo has an obligation to contribute to the realisation of the country achieving five million trips in five years. The tourism authority, Limpopo Tourism Agency, is making efforts to ensure Limpopo contributes a higher number of trips resonating with its higher number of tourists.
Review spoke to economist, Glen Steyn about what these statistics mean for Limpopo to which he said tourism had been pointed out for many years as a priority sector for development in the province.
“Tourism is a source of foreign currency, a relatively large job creator and also a good environment for skills development. Despite growth in the sector, the full potential of the industry is not yet fully utilised.
“Heritage tourism has a lot of potential and it is the fastest growing subsector of tourism. It covers a wide field, from exceptional landscapes and wildlife to history such as ancient trade routes.
Limpopo is in a good position to promote tourism even more than it currently does,” he said.
