KLCBT has sights set on improvement

The perception is that tourism in the Lowveld is declining, which is understandable given the state of the economy. There have also been attacks on tourists in the Lowveld that had industry role players on edge.

This culminated in the first-ever consultative tourism indaba for Mpumalanga, hosted in September by Kruger Lowveld Tourism (KLT), the tourism arm of Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT) and the provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

A turnaround strategy was discussed at the indaba that was expected to yield positive results in the run-up to the festive season.

ALSO READ: Availability of specialist care cannot be ensured in the Lowveld

KLBCT’s chief operating officer, Linda Grimbeek, highlighted the challenges facing the industry locally and isolated safety concerns, poorly run state attractions, decaying infrastructure, lack of new attractions, rising accommodation costs, and the lack of a cohesive marketing strategy as contributing factors to the declining number of visitors to the Lowveld. She suggested different strategies to create a better tourist experience.

“People cannot afford holidays like they used to, and they look for more affordable options. We are kind of expensive as a region and the cost of fuel is also very high,” she said.

Local tourist attractions, such as the Graskop Gorge Lift Company, experienced a downturn towards December, but the numbers picked up into the festive season, according to KLCBT’s president, Oupa Pilane.

“We had a slightly better than anticipated December. The numbers were a bit down but rose over the festive season. It has been a tough year all round, but we remain optimistic that things will turn around this year,” he said.

“In general, safety is a major concern throughout South Africa and the poor state-run attractions have elicited the highest number of complaints,” Grimbeek said. “This deters South Africans from visiting other provinces in particular from coming to our region.

“The cost of accommodation and entrance fees to the Kruger National Park is rising in comparison with other iconic destinations in the rest of the world.”

According to Grimbeek, visitors to the Lowveld enjoyed themselves and found the area interesting and the locals friendly.

“The great work done by local tourism organisations was visible during the festive season and this makes people feel welcome. Police visibility was also great until around Christmas – this made visitors to our area feel safe.”

In a bid to improve the local tourism industry’s image, Grimbeek added that KLT is building a one-stop booking website to help locals plan their own trips and bookings.

“This will showcase possibilities and attractions they might not have been aware of and will encourage them to come to the Kruger Lowveld.”

She added that a provincial think tank had been established last year to serve as a platform for government and the private sector to collaborate.

“Several subcommittees are being established that will work actively to improve safety and security, roads, marketing, environmental issues, media liaison, as well as tourism development and transformation.”

Grimbeek further indicated that tourism needed an improved media strategy to spread good stories about the region, active lobbying to prioritise the sector and government funding to match that.

ALSO READ: The many uses of the spekboom