Mpumalanga Business 2017 edition

OVERVIEW egates in a

OVERVIEW egates in a wide range of rooms, halls and outdoor venues. Most of the venues offer accommodation options, as well as leisure activities including game viewing, hiking and various team-building activities. The Protea group has hotels at Kruger Gate, Hazyview and White River, the last of which, “The Winkler”, offers motivational and group bonding activities such as outdoor paintball exercises. A new plan to build a major conference centre – Skukuza Conference Lodge – aims to attract new markets to Kruger. Private game lodges Several private game farms are strung along the edge of the Kruger National Park and beyond. Some of the more luxurious destinations, such as the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve, are ranked among the best in the world. Where private game lodges border on Kruger, fences between the lodges and the huge game reserve have been taken down, allowing animals an even greater area in which to roam. This greatly enhances the chances of guests at the lodges seeing more game. The two Singita lodges in Kruger are part of the Relais & Chateaux group and are distinguished by their breathtaking locations. The 15-suite Singita Lebombo hangs over a sheer cliff overlooking the N’wanetsi River near the eastern boundary of Kruger. Singita Sweni is even more exclusive – with only six luxury suites on stilts – and this lodge overlooks the Sweni River. Londolozi Private Game Reserve is in the middle of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve and claims the best leopard viewing in Africa. The reserve is divided into four camps, none of which has more than 12 accomodation units. Londolozi comprises 14 000ha within the Sabi Sands 56 000ha area. Tourism regions Mpumalanga has seven tourist regions, each with a unique combination of sights and experiences. Lowveld Legogote The provincial capital of Mbombela is the hub of this region. The nearby Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport is vital to tourism. Mbombela is home to the Lowveld Botanical Garden and has several hotels. The Sudwala Caves are said to the oldest dolomite caves in the world. White River is an excellent base for trips to the Kruger National Park and it has a Motor Museum. Panorama This region encompasses the dramatic change in landscape as South Africa’s escarpment gives way to the lower country in the east. The mining town of Pilgrim’s Rest is a historical monument. Adventure tourism is on the rise and the area is known for its waterfalls, white waters, cliffs and muddy paths. There are many opportunities for bungee jumpers, rafters, hot-air balloonists and off-road car enthusiasts to take advantage of the terrain. The annual Sasol motor rally earns a lot of money for the local economy. Cultural Heartland Covering the north-west sector of the province, the Cultural Heartland is close to the metropolitan areas of MPUMALANGA BUSINESS 2017 74

OVERVIEW Johannesburg and Pretoria. Close enough even for day trips but there are plenty of accommodation options, ranging from lakeside cottages and game lodges to city accommodation in eMalahleni or Middelburg. The Ndebele Cultural Village at Botshabelo is a highlight for many tourists. The Loskop Dam Nature Reserve offers outdoor enthusiasts many choices. Cosmos Country The south-western part of Mpumalanga is home to the biggest underground coal mining complex in the world. Together with the Sasol fuel-from-coal plant, these facilities attract visitors interested in mining and industry. The region also has a reputation for beautiful pink flowers in late summer, hence its name. Secunda has a casino and a golf course designed by Gary Player. Grass and Wetlands The south-eastern region of Mpumalanga is for nature-lovers. The many large lakes in the region attract tourists. Chrissiesmeer is also the site of two rather unusual annual events: a frog-watching festival and an Anglo-Boer War battle re-enactment. The eastern parts of the region abutting Swaziland are mountainous and the area is heavily forested in the south. The region’s main town, Ermelo, holds more than one agricultural fair during the year and the thriving merino-sheep sector attracts buyers and admirers from afar. The Lubombo Tourism Route is a regional project which covers Mpumalanga, Swaziland, Mozambique and KwaZulu-Natal. Wild Frontier The Wild Frontier is one of the most important regions to the tourist economy of Mpumalanga, bordering as it does Swaziland and Mozambique and guarding the Malelane and Crocodile Bridge gates to the Kruger National Park. The Songimvelo Game Reserve is owned by the provincial government and is part of a transfrontier project with its Swaziland neighbour. Barberton is the centre of a range of mountains that are fascinating for geologists. Hiking and 4x4 trails are popular activities. The Leopard Creek golf course in Malelane attracts top golfers to the annual Alfred Dunhill championship. Badplaas has excellent spa and hot-water spring facilities. Highlands Meander Mpumalanga’s north-eastern region contains stunning landscapes, fascinating history and heritage, opportunties for adventure tourism and wonderful trout fishing. Dullstroom is a trout-fishing paradise, and it is the northern tip of a Trout Triangle defined by eMakhazeni (Belfast) and Emgwenya (Waterval-Boven). Lodges, fly-fishing festivals and trout hatcheries are important parts of the area’s economy. The dramatic Long Tom Pass includes The Robbers’ Pass and leads to Lydenburg, where replicas of the 800-year-old Lydenburg heads can be seen. More than half of the tourists who visit Mpumalanga visit the spectacular Blyde River Canyon. An investigation is being conducted into the creation of a cable car over a section of the canyon. Gold rush town Pilgrim’s Rest is the subject of a R25-million project to upgrade and improve the town’s tourism offering. The original wood and corrugated buildings give an authentic picture of how the original town looked. There are four museums and good accommodation options for the traveller. 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. ONLINE RESOURCES 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 Enterprise Partnership: www.tep.co.za South African Tourism Services Association: www.satsa.com 75 MPUMALANGA BUSINESS 2017