BY DELISA THWALA
MLAWULA – The King’s Vision and pronouncement of the Big 5 National Park is about to come true.
This comes after the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Moses Vilakati, with prominent diplomats in the country, took a tour of the hotels in the country.
The tour was to see how the Hlane Royal National Park, Mlawula, Magadzavane and Mbuluzi would come together and how it would benefit the communities around and the country at large.
When the Big 5 National Park is formed, 80 000 hectares of land is going to be used, employment is also going to be provided and tourists will enjoy five-star bookings.
Worth noting is that during the fifth session of the 11th Parliament opening in February, His Majesty King Mswati III through his Speech from the Throne revealed that Eswatini’s culture is a largely untapped resource that could give its economic development a major boost.
He further revealed the proposed formation of the Big 5 National Park.
Minister Moses said they were happy and looking forward to the formation.
“For us, this could become a mini Kruger, people will be afforded the chance to see the Big Five in one place and this is a major tourist attraction for us,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said some nations have embraced tourism, such as Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.
According to data collected by the World Bank, a total of 947 000 international tourists visited Eswatini in 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eswatini is the smallest country in the southern hemisphere, but it makes a big splash every year with cultural festivals that attract guests from around the world.
Just this last week, the nation celebrated Easter through the National Prayer where throngs of people gathered at Lobamba.
“The government has long realised that meaningful investment in the arts and culture such as traditional music, dance, clothing and drama could earn the country billions of dollars and create many more jobs,” said Vilakati when highlighting the Government’s hand in tourism.
It is worth noting that His Majesty once said on the tourism front that all efforts should be made to ensure the kingdom remains a preferred destination of choice locally and internationally.
He also felt the government should support and empower youths in rural areas in order to boost Eswatini’s cultural profile on the international stage.
“Eswatini’s tourism offering is also highly dependent on the country’s rich natural and cultural heritage which is one of a kind. For this reason, the kingdom has embarked on the big five national park project which is motivated by the desire to improve and secure Eswatini’s conservation estate,” said His Majesty.
In addition to that, the King said it will also increase our overall tourism receipts, which will directly improve the economy. Government should commence this project this coming financial year because it has handsome dividends
