SOPA 2020 – what does it mean for Tourism?

At the State of the Province address held at the Mpumalanga Legislature on Tuesday 25^th February, Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane recognised the benefits that the growth of tourism could bring to the Province and its people, but also acknowledged that tourism safety and the poor state of tourism infrastructure would continue to hinder the growth of tourism.

According to the Premier, tourism contributes around 7% to the Province’s GDP.  International arrivals to the Province increased from 1.5 million in 2017 to 1.6 million in 2018, with most visitors coming from neighbouring Mozambique and eSwatini.  A significant (25%) growth in domestic tourism was noted in 2018, when compared with 2017 with most visitors coming from Gauteng.

It was clear that tourism safety has become a top of mind issue for the Provincial Government, with the Premier acknowledging that there is a perception that parts of a Province are unsafe for tourists.  She recognised the efforts of the private and public sector in tackling this issue by the establishment of the Tourism Safety Forum and assured the Province’s full support in eradicating the criminal elements threatening tourism in the Province.

The Premier expressed her concern about the poor maintenance and upgrading of the tourism infrastructure, particularly, the roads in our tourism routes stating that was another contributing factor that has the potential to affect tourist arrivals.