Tourism Update recently investigated the untapped potential of sports tourism in the South African provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, which have the ideal weather conditions for a wide variety of sports.

According to Paul Shearer, GM of The Protea Hotel by Marriott Ranch Resort, the development of sports tourism in the provinces is in its infancy.

Nik Lloyd-Roberts, Federal Airlines (Fedair) Commercial Manager, thinks sporting events do have a pull for tourists visiting the location. “I believe sporting events attract a particular market segment, which could be used to enhance tourism offerings in the region,” he says.   Fedair frequently receives requests for private charters for clients wishing to experience South Africa’s wonderful golfing attractions.

Chief of Sales and Marketing for aha Hotels & Lodges, Graeme Edmond, notes that sport tourism in Mpumalanga and Limpopo tends to attract domestic tourists over international, with few requests for sporting events from aha’s international clientele.

This is reiterated by Lisa Sheard, Kruger Lowveld Tourism Executive Director, however she says international rugby matches in Mbombela (Mpumalanga) do draw foreigners.

Head of Marketing for Mfafa Safaris, Tiffany Briggs, points out that the Mbombela Stadium, built for the 2010 World Cup, presents the region with the facilities for international sports fixtures, and could provide an additional drawcard over and above wildlife and scenic attractions such as the Kruger National Park and the Panorama Route.

Cycling, particularly mountain biking, has taken off in Mpumalanga in the last few years, drawing many domestic cyclists. However, Sheard says the Western Cape has taken the lead in this sport, attracting many international participants

Sheard believes motorcycling, too, is a sport that Mpumalanga could successfully exploit. “Mpumalanga is motorcycling paradise, with its scenic routes.” She says there has been an initiative to host the ‘Sabie 109 TT’, a race based on the Isle of Man TT.  It would run from Sabie to Hazyview, on to Graskop, and back to Sabie. There have been moves to get government to buy into the event, however the poor conditions of roads would have to be attended to first.

According to Briggs, national tourism has been lost through the downscaling of events like the Sasol and the Buffalo rallies, due to the state of roads.

In Polokwane, the Protea Hotel by Marriott Ranch Resort recently benefited from a regional football event. “In the short time that we have added a High Performance Centre to our property, we have become the ‘one-stop shop’ home and away camping destination for soccer teams at all levels,” says Shearer.

When Polokwane hosted the COSAFA Cup for the first time in May, the South African national team, Bafana Bafana, winners of the plate division, and Zambia, runners-up in the cup division, camped at the resort throughout the tournament and, says Shearer, “complimented us on our exceptional service, hospitality and state-of-the-art sports facilities.”

Annually, the Polokwane Municipality hosts rugby teams that compete in a pre-season friendly at this hotel too, combined with a gala dinner event from which proceeds go to a local charity.

Shearer says the resort has pre-season camps lined up with local and international teams arriving from the beginning of July for the next six weeks. Thereafter, Protea Hotel by Marriott Ranch Resort will have football teams camping on a weekly basis when games are hosted in Polokwane.