Regional tourism co-operation is vital
Regional tourism co-operation is vital for both domestic and international tourism growth between Mpumalanga, Mozambique, Kingdom of eSwatini and other outlying areas.
This was the assertion of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency’s Head of Tourism, Xolani Mthethwa during a Triland Networking session held at the Elangeni Sun Hotel in Durban on Friday evening.
“It’s vital for tourism practitioners to utilize each other’s areas of functioning and grow the industry. Tour operators should be in a position to put together packages around accommodation and heritage and tourist attractions in particular areas and begin to make money jointly.
“That’s the objective of launching this Triland within the Southern African region which can grow beyond Mozambique and eSwatini. Today we’ve been joined by Zambia in our midst. We must explore those avenues and beyond.
“It’s gratifying that the likes of Tinyiko Kruger Lodge has grown tremendously and attracts both domestic and international tourists to their establishment. It’s not impossible to grow to such a stature as Casambo has also done in their quest to claim its success to tremendous hard work and vigorous marketing.
“Once you’re ready with your routes, send them to our offices and we will place them on our website and market them,” said Mthethwa.
Carol Sanderson from Casambo said:”We need to work in unison for universal growth of the industry. We must also ensure that we employ trained personnel who know and understand the industry. Such staff will be able to handle tourists in the right manner and we must be able to offer them an unforgettable experience so that tourists will keep on coming back for more.”
It was also announced that Gauteng Province has also requested a working relationship with Mpumalanga tourism practitioners and a meeting to consolidate that is in the pipeline.
