Only a few days before Tourism Month kicks off in September, the MTPA is already on a drive to promote and showcase the province’s beauty and all its splendour. Led by the MEC for economic, development and tourism, Vusi Mkhatshwa, the MPTA board chairperson, Victor Mashego, and the acting CEO, Mduduzi Vilakazi, Mpumalanga revived its longstanding relations with Mozambique and the Kingdom of eSwatini.

To formally put the icing on the cake, famously known as Triland Route, MTPA first embarked on a familiarisation trip that saw the tourism agencies from the three countries host tour operators and the media from August 15 to 21 with the aim of showcasing the various tourism offerings available in each country.

The Triland Route between the three countries, Mpumalanga, Mozambique and eSwatini, is about enhancing regional tourism initiatives, and collaborating and supporting exchange programmes with the aim of growing tourism. Upon returning from the two countries on Friday, Mkhatshwa and his team from the MTPA hosted guests from the two countries showing them all the beauty, mountains, the Big 5 and landscapes Mpumalanga has to offer.

The tour started by visiting the historic Samora Machel Monument site in Mbuzini Nkomazi, before enjoying a brunch at the renowned Ebukhosini Resort in Mzinti. Responding to Mpumalanga’s offerings, the eSwatini Tourism Authority CEO, Linda Nxumalo, said even though there were some similarities between her country and this province, her experience here has been awesome.

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“We all know that Mpumalanga is the biggest in terms of game viewing and the Big 5 experience, and I must say that we really enjoyed it here. We are quite happy with this partnership and when we return home, we will ensure that our tour operators package all these beautiful places Mpumalanga has to offer. We had a wonderful experience,” said Nxumalo.

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Her counterpart of the Mozambique Tourism Authority, Marco Vaz Dos Anjos, also gave the province a thumbs up, arguing that Mpumalanga’s mountains and landscapes are some of the best in the world. “Covid-19 has had some devastating impact on our tourism and economy, but we are slowly turning the corner now. Mpumalanga is one of the most beautiful provinces in the country with our mountains, game reserves, adventure locations and our kasi experience. We as a province are ready to receive tourists and to recover from the devastating impact of the scourge,” said Mkhatshwa.

Mashego said, “For us to turn the corner and get our tourism industry booming again, there’s a huge need for our people to visit places in their own province again. Let us all take that trip to the game reserve or a tour to our scenic mountains and parks and above all, let us book accommodation in those guest houses, chalets and hotels. This way, we will contribute meaningfully to the revival of this industry.”