Limpopo Business 2016-17 edition
The 2016/17 edition of Limpopo Business is the eighth issue of this highly successful publication that, since its launch in 2007, has established itself as the premier business and investment guide to the Limpopo province. Limpopo is unique in terms of its abundant natural and human resources, and is also one of the key drivers behind the South African economy. This edition of Limpopo Business is officially endorsed by the Office of the Premier of Limpopo.
The 2016/17 edition of Limpopo Business is the eighth issue of this highly successful publication that, since its launch in 2007, has established itself as the premier business and investment guide to the Limpopo province.
Limpopo is unique in terms of its abundant natural and human resources, and is also one of the key drivers behind the South African economy.
This edition of Limpopo Business is officially endorsed by the Office of the Premier of Limpopo.
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OVERVIEW<br />
Tourism<br />
The Kruger National Park, which is partly situated in <strong>Limpopo</strong>, is a favourite destination for<br />
domestic and foreign tourists.<br />
SECTOR INSIGHT<br />
The Marula Festival is growing<br />
in popularity every year.<br />
• Tourism contributes about<br />
3% to South African GDP.<br />
• Golf tourism is on the rise<br />
in <strong>Limpopo</strong>.<br />
• <strong>Limpopo</strong> is home to two<br />
World Heritage Sites,<br />
Mapungubwe Heritage<br />
Site and Makapans Valley.<br />
The Kruger National Park is the undisputed jewel in <strong>Limpopo</strong>’s<br />
tourism crown, but there are several other sectors that also offer<br />
major opportunities for investment and employment.<br />
The South African Golf Tourism Association says that up to 10% of<br />
visitors to the country are attracted by its golf courses, and <strong>Limpopo</strong>’s<br />
offering has been extended and improved in recent years. At the highend<br />
of the luxury offering are the Zebula Golf Estate and Spa (west of<br />
Bela-Bela) and the Legend Golf and Safari Resort, which has the single<br />
most dramatic golf hole in the world: a par three where golfers tee<br />
off from the top of a mountain and take aim at a green located on the<br />
plateau below, shaped like the African continent.<br />
The growth of the Marula Festival, held annually in February in<br />
Phalaborwa, caters more to the local market, although guests from<br />
Cuba, Venezuela, Mozambique and Namibia were spotted at the latest<br />
gathering. At least 13 000 litres of marula beer were brewed by the 13<br />
co-operatives that were on duty, and more than 14 000 people turned<br />
up for the outdoor music concerts that were a feature of the festivities.<br />
<strong>Limpopo</strong> Province has many varied tourism assets that include the<br />
bare bushveld of the north, misty mountains in the central highlands,<br />
hot springs, a unique cycad forest, great golf courses and the northern<br />
Kruger National Park. There are numerous private game reserves and a<br />
large number of provincial game<br />
and nature reserves.<br />
In 2015 the provincial government<br />
committed itself to enhancing<br />
the value of <strong>Limpopo</strong>’s<br />
two World Heritage Sites,<br />
Mapungubwe Heritage Site and<br />
Makapans Valley. This is also a priority<br />
programme in the National<br />
Tourism Sector Strategy.<br />
Adventurous visitors can<br />
choose from off-road biking, hunting,<br />
elephant rides and tough 4x4<br />
trails. A vast array of different cultures<br />
extend from the Rain Queen<br />
and her people in the central districts,<br />
to the myth-inspired art<br />
of the Venda in the north, to the<br />
bright geometric house designs<br />
of the Ndebele people in the<br />
Sekhukhune district.<br />
Although most of the province’s<br />
resorts and lodges remain<br />
in private hands, the province<br />
has three national parks, and<br />
the provincial government runs<br />
LIMPOPO BUSINESS <strong>2016</strong>/<strong>17</strong><br />
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