The convoy, which forged ahead through peaceful mountains, hills and savannahs of what it is known as the 'forgotten' province, swept past cities such as Modimolle, Mookgopong and Mokopane before stopping near Sterkrivier at the Legend Lodges and Golf Club inside the Entabeni Safari Conservancy.
'Taste of what this province offers'
"We took along a group of influential journalists to give them the taste of what this province has to offer in terms of tourism attractions," SA Tourism's Sho't Left spokesperson Pumi Dhlomo told Bizcommunity.com.
Dhlomo also said his organisation will, in terms of this year's campaign, enrol music, poetry and fashion celebrities to tell the public about how domestic trips across SA have inspired them and their work.
"We will be using various media for this initiative in order to market domestic tourism, which we believe is a critical aspect of the economy in terms of creating jobs and maintaining the existing ones," he pointed out.
South Africans undertook a total of 1.9 million domestic trips to Limpopo in 2009, according to the provincial government statistics. The 2010 figures are still being compiled and were not available at the time of going to press.
Limpopo is the home of the Modjadji Royal Kraal, Transfrontier Park, Makgoebaskloof and Cycad Reserve and thousands of endangered ferocious animals, including cheetahs and white lions, roaming freely in several five-star game lodges and reserves scattered across the province.
"You, the media, are our ambassadors"
"Unless you know your country very well, you won't be able to talk about it. You, the media, are our ambassadors who can help us market this province which has so much to offer," Lulama Tshabalala, executive tourism and marketing at Limpopo Tourism and Parks, said last night at the Ranch Protea Hotel in Polokwane, where the expedition members spent the night.
The Ranch Protea Hotel and Conference Centre, which is celebrating its 51st birthday this year, boasts a total of 150 bedrooms.
Tourism contributes 8% (about R189.4 billion) to SA's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the government has this year undertaken a series of aggressive marketing strategies towards increasing the number of foreign tourist arrivals, from the current 10 million to 15 million in 2020.
In terms of domestic tourism development, the national department of tourism said it was working hard with its partners to promote a culture of travel among South Africans, with the aim of increasing the number of domestic trips from 30.9 million in 2009 to 54 million by 2020.
Tourism minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk is due to join the 'discovery' expedition in Limpopo today. The convoy leaves Polokwane this evening.
For more info, go to www.shotleft.co.za, www.southafrica.net/shotleft and www.golimpopo.com and follow @ShotLeft, @GoToSouthAfrica and @GoLimpopo on Twitter.
Updated at 12 nooon on 30 March 2011.
