Limpopo Business 2017-18 edition

OVERVIEW
goers. Several neighbouring
countries are well represented in
the crowds and 13 co-operatives
operating under the Mukumbi
Industries brand normally brew
about 12 000 litres of marula
beverages for the thirsty crowds.
Other marula products are also
sold such as nuts, body lotions,
jam, cooking oil and soap.
The South African Golf Tourism
Association says that up to 10%
of visitors to the country are attracted
by its golf courses, and
Limpopo’s offering has been extended
and improved in recent
years. At the high-end of the luxury
offering are the Zebula Golf
Estate and Spa (west of Bela-Bela)
and the Legend Golf and Safari
Resort which has the single most
dramatic golf hole in the world: a
par-three where golfers tee off the
top of a mountain and take aim at
an Africa-shaped green way down
at the bottom of the hill.
Adventurous visitors can
choose from off-road biking,
hunting, elephant rides and tough
4x4 trails. A vast array of different
cultures extend from the Rain
Queen and her people in the central
districts, to the myth-inspired
art of the Venda in the north, to
the bright geometric house designs
of the Ndabele people in
the Sekhukhune District.
Although most of the province’s
resorts and lodges are in
private hands, the province has
three national parks, and the
provincial government runs
54 nature reserves of different
types. The combined land area
of Limpopo’s national, provincial
and private game and nature reserves
is 3.6-million hectares.
According to the Limpopo Premier’s office, the tourism sector
employs about 22 414 people.
The Limpopo Tourism Agency is pursuing a multi-national
tourism strategy, with the Limpopo-Zambezi brand initiative one
example of new approaches to marketing the province.
Hotels and casinos
A new 160-room Park Inn by Radisson Polokwane has opened in the
provincial capital. Located near the golf course and the Peter Mokaba
Stadium, the hotel also has conference and event facilities.
Tsogo Sun runs the Garden Court Polokwane, which has 180 rooms
ranging from executive suites to family rooms.
The Protea Hotel group has three hotels in the province. In the
capital city of Polokwane, the Protea Hotel Landmark has 80 rooms
and six conference venues. Just outside the city is the Protea Hotel
Ranch Resort where guests can walk with lions. The hotel is on a 1 000-
hectare nature conservancy and specialises in catering for weddings.
In Mokopane near the Waterberg mountains, the Protea Hotel The Park
has 125 rooms and can cater for up to 400 conference delegates. The
three-star hotel recently added 25 self-catering units.
The Fusion Boutique Hotel in the provincial capital offers five-star
quality in 30 en-suite rooms and two exclusive suites. Sun International
runs the Meropa Casino and Entertainment World near Polokwane. In
the province’s northern regions at Thohoyandou, there is the Khoroni
Hotel, Casino and Convention Resort. This is a Peermont venture and
there is a three-star Peermont Metcourt Hotel in the complex. The
Limpopo Gambling Board regulates the industry and grants licences.
The Mopani District was recently granted two new bingo licences.
The most recent casino licence was awarded to Peermont Global
Resorts for the official launch and operation of the Thaba Moshate
Casino, Hotel and Conference Centre in the Greater Tubatse Local
Municipality. During construction 751 people were employed and
a further 180 permanent jobs are expected when the casino is
fully operational.
There are now 237 limited pay-out gambling machines in the
province, and licences of one sort or another generated R50-million
for the provincial government in 2015.
Nature
The National Department of Tourism is facilitating the upgrade of a
lodge in the Vhembe District. Wisani Lodge is about 20 minutes drive
from the Punda Maria gate of the Kruger National Park and is in an area
particularly rich in birdlife. This community-owned project needs a
89 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2017/18