Mpumalanga Business 2017/18 is the eighth edition of this highly successful publication that has since its launch in 2008 established itself as the premier guide to business and investment in Mpumalanga Province.
Supported and utilised by the Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA), Mpumalanga Business is unique as a business journal that focuses exclusively on Mpumalanga.
OVERVIEW Tourism Tourism
OVERVIEW Tourism Tourism is a key strategic sector. SECTOR INSIGHT A Convention Bureau has been launched. • SA Airlink has daily flights from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport to five destinations. More than 1.3-million tourists spent R3-billion in Mpumalanga in 2015. The industry is a key strategic sector for the growth of the provincial economy and the creation of jobs. The Provincial Government of Mpumalanga is looking for private partners to invest in a range of ambitious projects to boost an already active sector that has several superb tourism assets, ranging from the iconic Kruger National Park (one of about 70 parks and reserves) to bird-watching, music festivals, car rallies and casinos. The provincial investment agency, MEGA, has packaged many tourism investment opportunities. The underlying principle in each case is a form of public-private partnership where the agency would assist in getting land-use and other legal requirements, and perhaps in seeing that basic infrastructure was laid on, then the developer would build and manage a tourism facility. Projects envisaged include a tourist wheel, a cable car, restaurants and conference facility in Mbombela (Mandela Iconic Eye), the Blyde River Tourism Cluster (a series of developments including a cable car, a hotel, a restaurant and a skywalk) and an International Convention Centre planned for the capital city of Mbombela. Priority projects that have been registered with National Treasury are the sky walk, the cable car and the establishment of a luxury hotel at Bourke’s Luck. A transaction adviser has been appointed to flesh out these proposals for investable tourism products. An example of infrastructure investment from the government’s side is the upgrading of the Manyeleti Resort, which is ongoing. Although the province already caters for motor-rally enthusiasts, cyclists, runners, walkers, fishers, horse-riders, tree-gliders, abseilers, white-water rafters and rock climbers, there is still tremendous potential for more investment in the ecotourism and adventure tourism subsectors. Action has also been taken in trying to attract conferences and exhibitions with the launch of a provincial Convention Bureau. There is a plan to turn the Graskop Gorge on the Panorama Tourist Route into an adventure centre. A lift to transport visitors into the gorge will open up escarpment walks, river trails and MPUMALANGA BUSINESS 2017/18 52
OVERVIEW tree-top adventures. This will be supported by a retail complex (first phase) and a boutique hotel (second phase), the overall cost of which is expected to be about R60-million and lead to the creation of 46 direct and 32 indirect jobs. A draft nomination has been made to UNESCO to register the Barberton Makhonjwa site as a World Heritage Site. Geologists believe that the mountains of Makhonjwa hold clues to the earliest history of earth. Geological tourism is a new concept which could find rich soil in Mpumalanga. The mountains around Barberton are unique and important in the history of gold mining. The tourist offering near Barberton has been branded the Genesis Route. Mpumlanga has recently signed cooperation agreements with various foreign entities. One such agreement was signed with the region of Mogilev (Belarus) which includes clauses related to tourism. In the case of the partnership with the Rural Association of Tourism (Russia), delegations from Mpumalanga will visit Yekaterinburg and tour operators from the Sverdkovsk region will in turn tour Mpumalanga in the course of 2017. Mpumalanga tourism will also have a presence at the International Trade Exhibition in Yekaterinburg. SA Airlink runs daily flights from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (Nelspruit) to Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Livingstone (Zimbabwe) and Vilanculos (Mozambique). The airline also connects Johannesburg with Phalaborwa and has daily flights from Cape Town and Johannesburg directly to the Skukuza Airport. Skukuza Airport is jointly managed by Skukuza Airport Management Company and SANParks, and allows for quick access to the Kruger National Park and nearby luxury lodges. SA Express flies twice a day to Hoedspruit, which is near the centrally located Orpen Gate to the Kruger Park. The TSB Airport at Malelane is privately run and does not have lights for night landing but it hosts car hire offices for both Avis and Budget. Many private game lodges have airstrips. Tsogo Sun has six hotels in the province, ranging from two StayEasys to The Ridge, which is attached to the Ridge Casino in Witbank (Emalahleni). The Graceland Hotel Casino and Country Club is in Secunda. Protea Hotels by Marriott also has six properties in Mpumalanga, including Protea Hotel Kruger Gate and Hazyview. At White River, “The Winkler”, offers motivational and group bonding activities such as outdoor paintball exercises. Forever Resorts has a big presence in the province, catering to many caravans and campers and holiday-makers wanting to stay in chalets. There is also a four-star Forever Resorts Mount Sheba. ONLINE RESOURCES Hoedspruit Airport: www.eastgateairport.co.za Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport: www.kmiairport.co.za Lilizela Tourism Awards: www.lilizela.co.za Mpumalanga Gaming Board: www.mgb.org.za Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks Agency: www.mtpa.co.za South African National Parks: www.sanparks.co.za South African Tourism: www.southafrica.net South African Tourism Services Association: www.satsa.com 53 MPUMALANGA BUSINESS 2017/18
