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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
There has been a 34 percent increase in the number of new tourists participating in the Tour de Tuli tourism expedition which is held in the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area.
The Mega Park covers three national parks in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Tour de Tuli is mountain biking tourism expedition which is held annually in the park to promote the GMTFCA as a destination of choice in SADC.
Tour de Tuli director Ms Nicola Harris said; “It is pleasing to note that out of the 241 participants, 83 are international visitors.
“This is an increase from the usual figures we were getting in previous years. In addition, you will note that we are having enquiries from more people who want to participate in next year’s event.
“We are growing bigger each year and we hope to continue building on that feat. As Tour de Tuli we are also happy with the level of co-operation we are getting from border authorities especially Zimbabwe. Everyone is committed to make this programme a success”.
Ms Harris said as part of innovation they had also changed the route for this year’s event to give the tourists a new experience.
She said this time the visitors will spend more time in Botswana compared to the previous years where they spent more days in Zimbabwe.
According to Ms Harris, there was a lot of interest from repeat tourists who were appreciating Zimbabwe’s wildlife conservation methods.
“The feedback from the clients on their experiences is motivating. As we speak we now have dates for 2020 and we looking at having at least 290 bikers mostly international visitors,” she said.
Ms Harris said the adventure was used to raise funds for Children in the Wilderness which centres on skills such as team building, leadership, communication, HIV/AIDS prevention, health and nutrition, and literacy, while also teaching children about tracking, conservation, anti-poaching, geography, and geology.
She said currently they were working with six schools in Beitbridge, mostly those located within the Mega Park.
The participants, she said were drawn from countries like the United States of America, America, Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Zimbabwe.
Online Reporter