LTA launches Wild Winter Camping

Limpopo

The Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA) has on Saturday 25 May launched the 2024 installment of Wild Winter Camping at the Letaba Rest Camp in Kruger National Park.

The agency launched the Winter Camping edition in collaboration with Limpopo Economic Development and Tourism (LEDET) and other tourism stakeholders including BaPhalaborwa Local Municipality and tourism associations in the province. 

During the launch, LTA announced the winter promotions from various participating tourism products to bolster the 2024 Winter Campaign theme: ‘Warm Wild Winter’.

LTA Spokesperson, Mike Tauatsoala, said the purpose for hosting the campaign again in the Kruger National Park for the second time in a row is to emphasize the point of reclaiming the Kruger National Park, whose 70% resides in Limpopo Province.

“The agency states that it is working closely with Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Board as its neighbor,” he said. 

Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality representative, Cllr Tomson Nkuna, commended LTA and LEDET for having brought the event to their locality.

He further emphasized that the municipality is happy with progress made in the construction of the wild activity hub by SANParks, which will increase the number of tourists coming to Phalaborwa.

Nkuna reiterated the fact that Limpopo has 70% of the Kruger National Park while Mpumalanga side only has 30%. 

LTA Board Chairperson, Andrew Dipela, said activities in the province should be buttressed by culture and heritage that are very strong in our province. 

“The purpose and objectives for this Winter Campaign includes positioning Limpopo Province as a leading tourist destination in Southern Africa through the Winter Campaign activities, to develop and promote various tour packages, and to encourage people to travel within Limpopo Province. We are inviting people to come to the province with two summers, Limpopo. This is a call for them to escape the cold winters in their respective provinces to Limpopo that knows no cold winter,” he said.

Addressing the launch, MEC for LEDET, Rodgers Monama, outlined various aspects of the Winter Campaign, saying that it is one of the key deliverables for the first quarter of the entity, LTA.

“We are using this campaign to promote and market destination Limpopo as a viable tourist destination both locally and the rest of the world. We also use this campaign to enhance stakeholder relations in the tourism industry both provincially and nationally. We are grateful to launch this in this world-renowned national park and home of the Big Five, which we share with our neighbours, Mpumalanga Province,” he said.

Monama informed that there are other access points people can use from Limpopo side to enjoy what the province has on offer especially doing activities that you would ordinarily do in summer because of the warm winter temperatures in the province.

“That to us is a competitive advantage compared to other provinces. Phalaborwa serves as the gateway to the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park through the Giriyondo Border into Mozambique. The Giriyondo border, which is now open, links South Africa and Mozambique using Ba-Phalaborwa as a suitable stopover to restock. The one area that we have to follow up on is the Phalaborwa Airport that can assist in boosting numbers of tourists to the province. We are now dependent on Gateway Airport in Hoedspruit, which is privately managed airport to bring people to this region,” he said. 

The MEC said they are excited that there is progress on the construction of the activity hub at Phalaborwa Gate of the Kruger National Parks by SANParks.

“Upon its completion, we are confident this will enhance the tourist numbers to our province,” stated Monama.    

He said the agency is planning to encapsulate in the campaign several aspects such as campaign launch, regional/district activation and regional events support.

“Limpopo’s favorable temperatures are in themselves an attraction, which most tourists come to the province for. The province is one of the warmest regions in South Africa with an average of daily high temperatures of 26 degrees,” he said.

Monama had called upon people from across the world to come to Limpopo for leisure this winter and other seasons to enjoy an avalanche of tourism packages in the province.

“With so much on offer, Limpopo is a destination unlike any other in the country and the world over as it is diverse, attractive and safe for travelers,” he said.