Limpopo guest house owner Grace Sibara has added a new conference hosting facility and outdoor wedding venue in anticipation of the upcoming Tourism month in September.
World Tourism Month is celebrated annually in September with the aim to boost travel and tourism and local economies.
The theme of the United Nations Tourism World Organization (UNTWO) this year is – Tourism and Green Investments – and Sibara who chairperson of the Limpopo Women in Tourism and director of Hayani Guesthouse is preparing for a busy tourism season.
“At Hayani Guesthouse we pay attention to detail and our location and our traditional meals is something that tourists love,” said Sibara.
Hayani Guesthouse is a three star accommodation establishment located on the outskirts of Polokwane, away from the city noise and adjacent to Polokwane Game Reserve.
Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (Ledet) MEC Rodgers Monama said at a recent event to launch Tourism Month at Palala Boutique Game Lodge and Spa in the Waterberg, that the uniqueness of the province makes it stand out and that the tourism sector reaches where others cannot.
“We all agree that travel and tourism enable to socio economic development, job creation and poverty reduction,” Monama said.
According to the 2022 travel and tourism stats Limpopo is among the top three most visited provinces on domestic travel and second on international arrivals.
Limpopo which boasts rich cultural diversity products, birding, wildlife and the great outdoors was previously ranked third in terms of the number of tourists visiting the province.
Monama said the tourism sector faces the enormous task of making a dent in the reduction of poverty, unemployment and equality.
“As Limpopo given the wealth of tourism outputs at our disposal we are well placed to eradicate these challenges sooner than later we just need to redouble our efforts and exploits the vacant and untapped potential in the tourism sector to bring relief to all the challenges we are facing,” he said.
A Statistics SA report published in May noted that lockdowns and travel restrictions imposed by countries during the COVID-19 pandemic restricted the movement of people around the world which hit the tourism industry hard.
However the sector has witnessed a remarkable recovery which has inspired industry players like Sibara to invest more resources in their businesses.
The business has added space to accommodate 120 more people to their conference venue which previously only had a capacity of 500.
“It’s very important to keep up with trends in this industry and to know what attracts people which is something I believe we learn everyday in our establishment,” she said.
Limpopo is also the home of Lekgalameetse provincial park in the northern Drakensberg of Limpopo, the misty mountainous forest area of Makgobaskloof and is also home 70% of the world renowned Kruger National Park.
Wendy Nemukula, the managing chef of Zororo Lodge in Dalmada, Polokwane hinted that visitors are in for a surprise with her creative, mouth-watering dishes that are inspired by food travellers.
“It’s crucial for travellers to understand that Limpopo is an enormous province with a lot to discover, but food is undoubtedly what people want to discover,” said Nemukula.
“Social media has also brought together chefs to share the various spices and cuisines that exist in our society, so we are ready to try new flavours and exchange ideas in order for our tourists to gain insight into other cultures,” she said.
Some of the month long of activities in Limpopo include the widely popular Wildlife Mahala Week and Miss Heritage Global among others. – news@mukurukuru.co.za
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