A journey of discovery for tourists

Heritage and tourism

A journey of discovery for tourists

SA Tourism

South Africa is one of the world’s top lei- sure destinations. With its rich cultural diversity and picture perfect scenery, our country offers every traveller an exciting journey of discovery.

“Going forward we would like to contribute half a trillion into the South African economy and to create an extra 225 000 jobs,” said Kingsley Makhubela Director-General at the Department of Tourism. He said these targets were set in the recently launched National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS), which aimed to position South Africa as one of the top 20 tourism destinations globally by 2020.

It’s here with us!

In the spirit of September being Tourism Month, Limpopo Tourism is pulling out all the stops to attract visitors to the province.

The aim of the Limpopo Tourism Agency’s marketing campaign, ‘It’s Here With Us Limpopo’ is to instil a culture of travel in the inhabitants of Limpopo and thereby grow domestic tourism.

This is in response to South African Tourism’s domestic tourism campaign, ‘Whatever You Are Looking For, It’s Here’.

Kicking off in Polokwane last month, the campaign is made up of three key elements. ‘Tour with Us’, encourages Limpopo residents, as well as all South Africans and visitors from neighbouring countries to experience the province.

‘Celebrate with Us’ invites the people of Limpopo to celebrate various provincial events such as the Marula Festival and the Mapungubwe Arts and Culture Festival.

‘Play with Us’ calls on people to support provincial sports activities to grow sports tourism. According to the Limpopo Tourism Agency executive Lulama Tshabalala, “The campaign had specifically been designed as a way to grow domestic tourism and instil a love of travel among Limpopo’s inhabitants.

From classroom to bush

During August the Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA) hosted the Limpopo Wildlife Resorts Women’s Expedition in keeping with Women’s Month. The theme was ‘From Classroom to Bush’. Ten tourism teachers from schools in and around Limpopo were invited to tour the province with Deputy Minister of Tourism Tokozile Xasa.

“The idea is to enable tourism teachers in Limpopo to experience the varied products and adventures Limpopo has to offer. Nothing beats first-hand knowledge when you’re a tourism educator”, Tshabalala said.

The launch of the women’s expedition coincided with the roll-out of the domestic tourism campaign and Polokwane’s hop-on-hop-off bus ‘Tour with Us’. The bus will operate two routes through Polokwane, the capital city of Limpopo, from Monday to Friday, stopping at various places of interest in the city.

LTA acting CEO, Seipati Tlaka, said the domestic tourism campaign would be rolled out over three years so that the campaign’s return on investment could be measured. As a next step the LTA is taking school kids on tours throughout the province.

Deputy Minister Xasa joined tourist stakeholders on an inaugural bus tour of the city. Polokwane residents, from schoolchildren to the elderly, were also given the opportunity to hop on and off the bus and explore the city’s attractions for free.

Women in tourism

Reflecting on the role of women in tourism, Xasa said, ”The tourism sector provides various entry points for women’s employment and opportunities for creating self-employment in small and medium-sized income-generating activities. We therefore need to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills so that the industry may continue to flourish and produce more entrepreneurs.”