MEC for tourism in Mpumalanga launches Tourism Month in style

Mpumalanga continues to be one of the most preferred and best-loved tourist destinations in the country.
This feat, according to the MEC for finance, economic development and tourism, Nompumelelo Hlophe, can be attributed to the fact that domestic tourism has seen a remarkable resurgence, with a 30.8% increase in the first quarter of 2023.

“We come together to reflect on tourism’s vital role in our country’s growth and development, particularly the often under-estimated but equally crucial segment, domestic tourism. As we always say, ‘Local is lekker!’ Our industry relies on domestic tourism as its bedrock. It serves as the heartbeat that sustains our hospitality sector. It supports local businesses and generates employment opportunities for our people.”

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Hlophe was speaking during the recent official launch of Tourism Month in Fernie’s newly established tourism resort, The Essence, which is nestled in the heart of a rural community. This resort offers a variety of entertainment activities such as paintball, zip lining, quad biking and horseback riding. She said although the average length of stay has decreased by 7.1% to 2.6 nights, domestic tourists are taking more frequent trips.

“Day trips have also experienced a significant boost, with a 16.2% increase in the number of trips taken from January to April 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. Regarding international tourists, their arrival number has impressively surged by 156.2% to reach 5.7 million in 2022. The recorded increase came from African markets, with 126.8%, recording 4.2 million people, while Europe drew 0.9 million tourists. As Mpumalanga, we accounted for a significant 20.8% of international tourist market share, second from Gauteng, which recorded a 40.4% share,” said Hlophe.

She used this official launch to outline some of their planned activities for the month.

“During Tourism Month, we will, therefore, undertake a set of activities to foster this awareness in local communities of our province, especially, within our townships and the less-visited areas of Mpumalanga. Our aim is to continue with the journey of reviving the industry, starting with the domestic market. As the saying goes, charity begins at home. It should thus begin with us – the people of Mpumalanga – by us travelling and exploring our province yet again. We will create awareness about domestic travel among communities, with a special focus on travel to rural areas, villages and small towns,” she said.

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Her department has identified 12 tourism products or establishments, situated in the Thembisile Hani and Dr JS Moroka local municipalities in the Nkangala District, as part of the 2023 Tourism Month Legacy Projects.