This was revealed at the provincial Lilizela Tourism Awards held at the majestic Zebula Golf Estate and Spa in the Waterberg District, with the backdrop of the Waterberg mountain on September 15.
Andrew Dipela-chairperson for the provincial tourism board said the logo shall depict development, nature and rich heritage Limpopo is synonymous for.
The Lilizela Tourism awards give you an opportunity – and a brilliant opportunity at that – to celebrate excellence, creativity and innovation. They give us all an opportunity to learn from each other and to strive to turn an already great industry into an industry that’s brilliant.
At the awards ceremony 52 provincial winners were honoured.
Asked if transformation has been evident in the province, Dipela mince no words and said he’s experiencing sleepless nights in that front.
“This is a major obstacle that all within the tourism sector should attend to. It’s not a Limpopo thing but a national concern,” he said during a media brief after the awards.
“It seems this monkey will always be on our back but we’re fighting it.”
The Lilizela Tourism Awards aim to recognise those that provide the most memorable experiences and services in the Limpopo province.
Gladwin Kotsedi, the interim CE Limpopo Tourism Agency, gave his gratitude to the tourism industry at large for being good ambassadors and trend setters for others and commented: “It is the Limpopo government’s hope that that the tourism industry will be inspired by the finalist and participate in the Lilizela awards in the betterment of the visitor experience, inclusiveness of SMME’s and customer service.”
Figures to determine the influx of tourists to the province were unavailable at the time of publishing, although ‘Druza’ as Dipela is known promised his department will make it available.
Darryl Erasmus, the Quality Assurance Officer at Grading Council SA says the awards have grown to be fundamental for provincial winners as it creates and sustains jobs.
Lilizela loosely translated means ululation.
Limpopo greats will face-off with other provincial winners at the national Lilizela Awards in October this year.
