Visitors’ perceptions of Religious Tourism in South Africa: The case of Moria in the Limpopo Province

Abstract

This paper scrutinizes visitors’ perceptions on religious tourism in South Africa (SA). The selected research site is Moria, located in Polokwane in the Limpopo Province, which is popular for its annual gathering during the Easter holiday period. Additionally, this paper argues that the area of Moria has much potential in terms of tourism growth and development. Limpopo Province prides itself for the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) annual gathering due to economic spin-offs that are brought by the event. As such, it is suggested that the Provincial Government has to come up with mechanisms on how those economic spin-offs will benefit ordinary people and most importantly the tourism sector. To achieve this objective, 150 questionnaires were administered to visitors who attended the annual gathering in Moria during the Easter season in 2018. Furthermore, a simple random sampling technique was used and the collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The analysis sheds more light on the respondents’ profiles and experiences of the visit. For instance, most visitors were from domestic tourists. Interestingly, close family members and friends mostly accompanied the visitors. The findings of this study reveal that the motives for visiting the site were mainly religious. In the same breath, some visitors admitted that they went to Moria to shop and to participate in other activities. It is also interesting to note that visitors were excited about the kind of treatment they received from the locals. This could be seen as something that has a potential to assist Moria to grow and develop in terms of tourism. It is the view of this paper that the Government (more especially at provincial level) has a duty in terms of helping Moria to boost its tourism and thereby attracting more visitors. For example, the areas surrounding Moria are always facing challenges of traffic congestion. The Provincial Government could introduce some mechanisms to alleviate the traffic congestion challenge to promote this area’s tourism sustainability.

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