Mbombela – The MEC for Economic Development and Tourism, Ms. Jesta Sidell says the Department and the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, are eagerly awaiting to welcome holidaymakers during the Easter Weekend, mainly because the holidays presents the Province with a unique potential to draw international and domestic tourists to the serene Province of Mpumalanga – the Place of the Rising Sun.
Easter marks a special period for devoted Christians to celebrate their faith and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and it presents an opportunity for South Africans to travel and connect with their families and friends.
MEC Sidell said, “While you commemorate the miraculous resurrection of Jesus, I urge you to do so by visiting Mpumalanga, the only province with God’s Window, serene Sudwala Caves, the home to the big five, the Graskop Gorge, the Goliath Footprint, the famous Flyfishing in Dullstroom, among many other breath-taking tourist attraction sites. Given its natural endowments and hidden germs, the province automatically becomes the obvious choice for tourists during this Easter Weekend and beyond”.
As part of its ongoing programme to promote domestic tourism, the Department, together with the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, recently rolled out strategic and well-coordinated tourism activation campaigns in the Provinces of KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng and Limpopo. In the main, the campaign sought to encourage South African citizens to visit Mpumalanga’s tourist attraction sites to explore and experience the diverse tourism product offerings and continue to be the ambassadors of our own tourism and investment destination.
“Tourism is the bedrock and one of the pillars of the economy of our Province, and it has for many years immensely aided towards our struggle against the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality, thus advancing towards changing the lives of our people. I
urge holidaymakers, both international and domestic to take a short left and come visit and explore our Province during this Easter Weekend”, added MEC Sidell.
The Acting CEO of MTPA, Mr. Lemmy Mdluli said, “the safety of our tourists is a priority to us and we have taken precautionary measures to ensure that they return home safe. The MTPA staff will be on-site to ensure that our tourists have everlasting memories. Moreover, we are working with all strategic stakeholders such as SAPS, the private sector and tourism community as a whole to make sure that tourists are safe in our province. Accordingly, tourists are urged to follow the safety tips”.
“We welcome all tourists who will be traveling to different tourism establishments within the Mpumalanga province. We encourage our tourists to adhere to the traffic rules and take precautionary resting moments while driving to their favourite tourism destinations in Mpumalanga”, concluded Ms. Sidell.
ENDS...
Issued jointly by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency
Media Enquiries: Mr. Silence Mhlaba, Acting Head of Communication on 066 475 7963 I Mr. Simphiwe Shungube, Head of Communication: MTPA on 072 033 7559 or Mr. Cabanga Maluleka, MLO of the MEC on 072 588 7181
Notes to Editors:
The Department of Economic Development and Tourism, under the Mpumalanga Provincial Government, is mandated to stimulate economic growth and development in the Province, so as to create sustainable and decent employment, economic transformation and to alleviate poverty. The Department has three (3) Public Entities; namely, Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA), Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), and Mpumalanga Economic Regulator (MER), to which it has delegated some of its constitutionally-mandated functions. These functions relate to: trade and investment promotion; funding of SMMEs; tourism growth and development; tourism marketing; regulation of the gambling and liquor industries, including collection of gambling levies and liquor license fees, amongst others.