Zimbabwe is once again this year host to the cycling and safari expedition, Tour de Tuli. This is a mountain bike event whose route navigates through the Greater Mapungubwe Trans Frontier Conservation Area. The tour roared into life on 23 July in Mapungubwe National Park, South Africa entering into Zimbabwe on 24 July (today) and will exit through Botswana on 25 July.
The tour combines a lifetime adventure, amazing scenery and a prestine wildlife as cyclists ride between 60 and 80km a day around the Tuli circle.
The cycling adventure has been an adventure with a purpose managing 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.
Tour de Tuli over the years has hosted business executives, tourism journalists and opinion leaders who to a destination such as Zimbabwe are important stakeholders who can contribute immensely to destination perception management.
Commenting on the upcoming tour, the Chief Operating Officer of the ZTA, Mr. Givemore Chidzidzi said: “Active participation in sporting activities such as the Tour de Tuli ride is one of many ways in which people choose to experience places and people as part of tourism practices. We are one of the few African countries working to open up more opportunities for international travel and we are very excited by the endorsement we have received so far by being conferred with international awards. We do hope that the international participants of Tour de Tuli will also contribute positively through telling a Zimbabwean story when they return to their countries”
Tour de Tuli is rated almost the same as the popular Tour de France hence a must attend for cycling enthusiasts within Africa and beyond. Approximately 350 cyclists from around the globe coming from countries such as America, Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Zimbabwe are expected thereby raising the profile of the hosting countries.