Russian tourists visit the Highveld
The visit was part of 10-day reciprocal visit after a tour delegation from Highveld Tourism and Mpumalanga visited Russia a few weeks earlier.

A group of 15 Russian tourists, among them seven tour operators, paid a visit to Ermelo, Chrissiesmeer and the Highveld Heritage Route on Friday as guests of the Highveld Visitor Centre and Mpumalanga Tourism.
The visit was part of 10-day reciprocal visit after a tour delegation from Highveld Tourism and Mpumalanga visited Russia a few weeks earlier.
After attending the Tourism Indaba held in Durban last week, the tour party made their way to Ermelo via Richards Bay.
The tourists stopped off at the Highveld Visitor Centre where they were warmly welcomed with traditional Zulu blankets and treated to a dance display by a group of female Zulu dancers.
After a quick lunch, the party left for Chrissiesmeer where they made their way along a portion of the Historical Walking Route in Chrissiesmeer and viewed historical buildings, the battle site of the Battle of Chrissiesmeer, Bushmen paintings and other places of interest and were treated to a display of quilt-making.
The next stop was at the Gert Sibande District Municipality building in Ermelo where they attended a gala dinner.
The tourists also received “snack packs” consisting of traditional South African delicacies such as biltong, dried wors, koeksisters, Hertzoggies and other delights. Each one also received a memento of a Bushman painting on a small pebble.
The group also paid a visit to the Middelburg and Witbank area of the Highveld Heritage Route on Monday before departing for the OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday from where they flew back to Russia.
“Besides being a reciprocal tour, it also served to promote South Africa, in particular the Highveld Region, to the people in Ural Russia,” said Mr Athol Stark, chief coordinating officer Highveld Tourism and Mpumalanga Regional Tourism organiser.
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