Limpopo Business 2017-18 edition

OVERVIEW
Tourism
Cultural tourism is growing fast in Limpopo.
SECTOR INSIGHT
Rural villagers have been
encouraged to host tourists.
• 80% of game hunting
happens in Limpopo.
• Park Inn by Radisson
Polokwane has opened.
Limpopo Province has very varied tourism assets that include
the bare bushveld of the north, misty mountains in the central
highlands, hot springs, a unique cycad forest, great golf courses
and the northern part of the Kruger National Park. There are
numerous private game reserves and many provincial game and nature
reserves.
Limpopo’s national parks are run by South African National Parks
(SANParks). These are Kruger, Mapungubwe and Marakele national
parks. There are more than 50 provincial nature reserves managed by
the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment
and Tourism (LEDET). They serve to promote tourism, develop the local
economies and promote ecological conservation. Many of these
reserves are communally owned but jointly managed by the province
and communities.
The provincial government has committed to enhancing the value
of Limpopo’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Mapungubwe Heritage
Site and Makapans Valley. This is also a priority programme in the National
Tourism Sector Strategy. The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO
protected site.
Limpopo in 2016/17 attracted 405 734 visitors to the province, generating
an amount of R1.8-billion for the provincial economy.
A new drive to promote home-stays is under way in the northern
part of the province. Promoting
local culture and small enterprises
is in keeping with the designation
of the year 2017 by the United
Nations as the International Year
of Sustainable Tourism.
Getting tourists to eat mopani
worms and learn about local
traditions and cultural practices
would help to generate income
for villages and hamlets otherwise
outside the mainstream
economy.
In support of the arts and
culture sector, a potential area of
growth for tourism in Limpopo, a
performance theatre is to be built
in Polokwane.
The Mapungubwe Festival
is growing in stature every year.
In addition to the popular musical
performances, crafters have
an opportunity to display their
crafts and generate good income
during the festivities.
The Marula Festival has been
even more of a success. The event
regularly attracts 30 000 festival-
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