Industry Face-Off: Limpopo Tourism vs. Northern Cape Tourism
20. May, 2009
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Growing at three times the world average, tourism has become one of the most important sectors in South Africa, creating almost a million jobs in ten years and even overtaking gold exports as an earner of foreign currency. With Indaba 2009 still fresh in everyone’s mind, we examine the tourism earning potential of each province by pitting them against each other. We kick off with Limpopo and the Northern Cape – the two most impoverished provinces in the country, yet they have an abundance to offer tourists. Remember to visit our poll at the end.
Limpopo tourism – Marketing director: Khorommbi Matibe
Overview
The land of myths, legends, beautiful scenery and landscapes, as well as majestic Baobab trees, shares borders with the neighbouring SADC (Southern Africa Development Community) countries of Botswana in the western side, Mozambique on the east and Zimbabwe in the north.
With its vast expanses of bushveld wilderness habituated by an abundance of wildlife species, the Limpopo Province is the perfect destination for nature and wildlife enthusiasts. We currently have around 46 game lodges reserves and about 50 game lodges.
Future plans?
Our dream is to see the whole catchments of the mighty Limpopo River conserved and developed as: “The African Eden at the heart of Southern Africa”.
The core of this vision is the creation of the whole massive area of about 50 million ha into a mighty and integrated biosphere reserve, a network of linked conservation areas and a single tourism destination. The area is formed by the total catchments of the Limpopo of about 42 million ha plus several major conservation areas and prime tourism attractions immediately adjacent to it. This will form the southern half of the ambitious Limpopo/Zambezi recently launched between South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Limpopo is also hosting some of the first-round matches of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in the 45 000-seat Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. Construction costs are estimated at R716 million and the completion date is set for July 2009.
What would you recommend as a complete must-see?
- Mapungubwe Hill which is a World Heritage Site. Until its demise in the 13th century, the kingdom that surrounded this sacred natural stronghold was the most important inland settlement in the subcontinent and extended over an area of about 30 000 square kilometres on either side of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers.
- Waterberg Biosphere Reserve
- Makapan’s Caves -The Cave of Hearths is one of only two Stone Age sites in the world that contain an unbroken sequence of artefacts from the Earlier Stone Age to the Later Stone Age.
- Bela Bela - The town owes its origin to these hot mineral springs that bubble out of the earth at about 22 000 litres per hour with a temperature of around 53ºC. The water is rich in sodium chloride, calcium carbonate and other salts that are believed to have healing properties.
- Baobab Tree – Near Sagole, a rural village in the northeast, is a baobab tree which is three thousand years old and measures 43 m in circumference at its base.
- Modjadji, The Rain Queen – The land of Modjadji, the Rain Queen, is an impressive setting of ancient baobab trees, untouched bushveld, breathtaking mountain ranges, and an abundance of wild creatures, flora and birdlife to compliment this treasure chest of enchanting legends, myths and culture.
Tourism statistics?
The Limpopo Province shows an average yearly growth of 22% in national visitors and 9% in international visitors.
Latest accolades/awards?
The Sondela Nature Reserve was awarded the RCI Gold Crown Award for the 15th successive year, while the CEO, Ian van Rensburg, also received the RCI Individual Legend Award for devotion and diligence regarding the marketing and promotion of the timeshare industry in South Africa.
Northern Cape Tourism – Director of Tourism Management: Drinie Samson
Overview
The Northern Cape lies to the south of the mighty Orange River and comprises mostly desert and semi-desert. The landscape is characterized by vast arid plains with outcroppings of haphazard rock piles. The cold Atlantic Ocean forms the western boundary.
This region covers the largest area of all the provinces yet has the smallest population. The last remaining true San (Bushman) people live in the Kalahari area of the Northern Cape. The whole area, especially along the Orange and Vaal rivers, is rich in San rock engravings. The province is also rich in fossils.
Future plans?
A tourism resource audit by the provincial Department of Tourism, Environment and Conservation will facilitate a boost for economic development, small tourism enterprise development and job creation.
The end goal of the project is to use information generated through surveys for guiding a process whereby tourism businesses and attractions are clustered together, thus creating attractive regionalised tourism experiences spread out across the province and the tourism experience clusters will be designed in such a manner that it meets the tourism market needs.
Creating the clusters is part of a stronger drive to attract a significantly higher number of visitors to the Northern Cape, but also to occupy them for a much longer time in the province. Once this is successfully accomplished, more money will flow into the provincial economy through increased tourist spending while more jobs will be created as the need to offer more services to tourists filters through the provincial tourism and general retail industries.
What would you recommend as a complete must-see?
- Richtersveld National Park includes the Fish River Canyon – often likened to the Grand Canyon in the US – and the Ai-Ais hot springs.
- Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – Africa’s first cross-border game park
- Augrabies Falls National Park - the 19 separate falls cascade over a granite plateau, dropping a total of 191 metres to a 43-metre-deep pool gouged out by the force of the water.
- Namaqualand’s carpet of wild flowers.
- Rock Art -San rock art paintings that date back to time immemorial.
- The Big Hole at Kimberley
- Moffat Mission Station
- Wonderwerk Cave – said to be home to human life dating back nearly a million years.
- The Kalahari, home to endless spaces and huge African skies.
- Pella Mission which is truly in the middle of nowhere boasts a striking yellow cathedral that was built by French missionaries in the late 1880’s.
Tourism statistics?
The Northern Cape shows an average yearly growth of 17% in national visitors and 25% in international visitors.
Latest awards/accolades?
Northern Cape Tourism was awarded the top accolade at the DSTV Getaway show for the Best Place To Go To (Destination) 2008.
Please feel free to suggest any industry players or leaders in their field to be included in our Industry Face-Off.
My name is Muzi Mohale a full-time travel blogger, your host at Travelwires.com responsible for all editorial on this blog. I blog about the travel and tourism industry in Africa. Apart from blogging about tourism, I also run 
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