Religious tourism in South Africa: Preliminary analysis of a major festival in Limpopo

Despite the fact that religious tourism has been in existence for centuries, there is still a dearth of academic focus on this tourism niche area especially in the developing context. Along similar lines, the academic analysis that has focused on tourism in South Africa has largely neglected aspects of religious tourism, despite the significant growth experienced by the sector in contemporary South Africa. This paper presents in part, a preliminary analysis of a longitudinal based study and with specific reference to the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) Easter Festival in Moria, a major religious tourism event that takes place during the Easter period in Limpopo, South Africa. In terms of the methodology, the data was collected through the use of questionnaire surveys, administered face-to-face to event attendees using a stratified random sampling method. The perceptions were measured on a five-point Likert-type scale. The results show that, while respondents were enthusiastic with regards to socio-economic opportunities created by the event for local residents, major concerns remained in key tourism facilities such as banking, transport, cleanliness and being a responsible tourism destination. The study underscore the need for the relevant authorities to consider a new approach to the event planning and execution that will holistically improve attendee concerns and ensure the event sustainability.