Limpopo Province; Polokwane: Polokwane, South Africa – The Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA) is pleased about its participation at the 2025 Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) that took place in Durban from 12 – 15 May 2025.
The province has along the years, and even after COVID19 pandemic period, secured its position as South Africa’s number one preferred tourism destination for domestic tourism. The province is currently among the top three most visited in the country on the domestic tourism front. In 2023, Limpopo emerged as one of the leading destination provinces, recording 7.5 million overnight trips, a 34% increase from 2022.
LTA is confident that the sixty-one (61) that the province managed to take to this trade fair, have made the most of this platform as the agency continues to provide them with market access opportunities. ATI is the biggest trade fair in Africa while it is internationally the third biggest after ITB Berlin (Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin) and World Travel Market (WTM) London.
This strategic move aims to promote Limpopo’s rich tourism offerings, foster working relations specific to flagship events such as next year’s 20th Marula Festival, the 2025 Explore Limpopo Tourism Market to be hosted by Limpopo and others.
The MEC says both the delegation and Limpopo’s products will be on display at the wonderfully curated and designed Limpopo Tourism pavilion, a huge competitor among the tourism exhibitions.
The MEC of Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET), Mr Tshitereke Matibe was also available to support the SMMEs in their quest to make business. He said, “Our SMMEs are the backbone of our tourism industry, and we are committed to supporting their growth and development. The stand is a representation of the diversity of our province, in colour contrasts, in texture, the rhythmic flow in the design and the imagery displayed on the exhibition stand complimented the content,” said MEC Matibe.
On the 14th May 2025, the Limpopo pavilion was a hive of activity with the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) to collaborate on various opportunities related to tourism which knows no borders. The two provinces were both represented by their respective MEC’s, Board Chairpersons and CEOs.
To spice up the day, the CEO of Limpopo Tourism Agency, Mr. Moses Ngobeni, unleashed Pleasure Tša Manyalo, the artist from the province, to emphasise Limpopo’s presence at the show with her thrilling performance that afternoon.
The show was also a perfect platform to emphasise that Limpopo would play host to the National Tourism Career Expo (NTCE) for the second time this year. this was held on the 14th May 2025 at the Nkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre. The NTCE is a brainchild of the National Tourism Department, which annually gathers high school students from across the country to meet with various tourism products to create on-hand educational awareness. Panel discussions at the networking session laboured on challenges faced by the industry in absorbing graduates with outdated and ineffective skills at establishments.
“Government, together with tourism industry stakeholders must aggressively embrace the demand-led model of skills development, which ensures that our training programmes are responsive to the needs of the industry,” said Matibe.
As he concluded, Matbe said, “By working together with industry partners, we can create opportunities for our youth, support local businesses, and showcase the beauty and diversity of Limpopo to the world.”
The SMMEs, who were central to this show, represented various sectors of Limpopo’s tourism industry, to showcase their unique products and services, including cultural tourism, game reserves, and adventure tourism. This exposure will no doubt enable them to tap into new markets, forge business relationships, and gain valuable insights into the tourism industry.
According to the ATI’s organisers, the event this year has experienced a 14.4% increase in hosted buyer applications, with a total of 873 buyers that have been vetted and approved and interest surging from major markets including the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and India.
For more information, please contact:
Hitekani Magwedze Zaid Kalla
MEC LEDET’s Spokesperson LEDET Spokesperson
Cell: 071 8648 664 Cell: 060 542 7100
Surprise Moshokwa
LTA – Media Liaison Officer
Tel: 015 293 3600
Cell: 077 603 1268
Email: surprisem@golimpopo.com