BY TSABEDZE KWANELE
EZULWINI – The Hospitality and Tourism Association of Eswatini (HOTAES) has today gathered stakeholders in tourism in the country to celebrate World Tourism Day 2022.
The celebration was held at Sharma House in Ezulwini, under the theme, “Re-Thinking Tourism”.
Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA) CEO Linda Nxumalo, who was reprsented by Chunky Mdluli, expressed hope for the country’s tourism industry during the commemoration.
“It is indeed no secret that much has changed since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. In Eswatini, we have had to reimagine our approach to tourism by focusing inwardly,” said the CEO.
HOTAES Chairperson Marc Ward also championed the need to continue reimagining the approach to tourism Eswatini. He shared his personal experience as a hotelier on maximising returns on hospitality in spite of challenges after the pandemic.
“I decided that let me find the most sustainable tourist. We’re not talking about green sustainable, we’re talking about the amount of money that tourist pays in Eswatini, and the number of days that tourist stays in Eswatini. So, the next day I went around looking for help, and we came across African Riders,” Ward remarked. He further encouraged partnerships in the industry to ensure that opportunities for growth are not wasted.
Other stakeholders who were present during the commemoration include Eswatini Tourism Agency, hoteliers, as well as the media.
According to the Eswatini Tourism website, as in previous years, the ETA has dedicated this month to heightening awareness on, and encouraging national involvement in tourism’s proven ability to foster demonstrable, meaningful and sustainable change for the collective development of various communities, as well as the upliftment of different social groups in Eswatini.
More from World Tourism day 2022 celebration.
