If you are unsure of where to go this summer holiday, perhaps give Mpumalanga a chance.
At the Mpumalanga Provincial Showcase at the Expo 2020 Dubai last week, the CEO of Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks Agency, Johannes Nobunga, said the province is more than prepared to welcome tourists this festive season as its tourist attractions are Covid-compliant.
Mpumalanga is fast becoming a top SA destination – both for its safari options and picturesque landscapes.
“We want to remind travel partners that Mpumalanga is travel-ready. We want to assure travellers that we will be enforcing the Covid-19 health and safety protocols at all of our nature reserves and tourist attractions," said Nobunga.
They launched their Jab4Tourism campaign last week to encourage all of the province’s tourism staff to get vaccinated.
“The Jab4Toruism campaign remains one of our priority programmes for this festive season. This will place confidence in all of our visitors and convince people to choose Mpumalanga as a preferred destination of choice," added Nobunga.
The acting CMO of Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks Agency, Sma Dlamini, said South Africa’s omission from the UK red list helps the province regain tourism traction. “We are ready to welcome visitors, and we are working very hard to come up with new products to entice visitors," said Dlamini.
What to do
No trip is complete without a trip to Kruger National Park, which, according to South African National Parks, attracted as many as 1.5-million domestic and international visitors annually before the pandemic.
Travellers should also visit Dullstroom, a town known for its fly-fishing and restaurants.
"They can also make their way to Sudwala Caves for a tour of its crystals and butterflies. For the more adventurous, a swing from the top of the Graskop Gorge might just be the right panacea after a long year," said Dlamini.
Also, take a selfie at Berlin Falls, north of Graskop. This attraction is just the place to spend a tranquil summer’s day. A special observation platform allows travellers to view this natural wonder. Or enjoy a two-hour forest canopy tour in Hazyview. It takes you to the lush forests in Hazyview, and travellers need to complete 10 platforms before they emerge victoriously.
Travellers will soon walk the sky at God’s Window Skywalk in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve.
Dubbed as the first skywalk of its kind in South Africa and one of a very few to have been built around the world, the project launches in 2023. With a 900 metre drop, the God’s Window Skywalk will be higher than the Grand Canyon Skywalk, which stands between 150m and 280m, and the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge in China, which is 260m at its highest point.