…..hang out spots also packed
BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– Packed!
A number of hotels and hangout spots in the country were fully packed yesterday, as people were using their facilities to watch the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
The high occupancy rates have been significantly bolstered by the easing of COVID-19 restrictions for full capacity live events.
Hoteliers in the country revealed that they witnessed a surge in occupancy as people preferred gathering around in one palace and watch the final game together.
The hotels and hang-out spots that saw a fairly good number of people include Happy Valley Hotel, Tums George Hotel, Yoruba Lounge, IF’s Lounge, Solanis Shisanyama, Manzini Club, Prince of Wales and The Albert Millin among others.
The month-long World Cup football tournament, which attracted more than a million visitors to Qatar, helped bolster business in Eswatini.
Patrons found at Prince of Wales were slightly over 130 despite the cold and rain experienced throughout the country yesterday.
When addressing the World Cup statistics, Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA) Head of Marketing Sbusiso Madlopha said they were happy with how the world cup, impacted the country’s tourism.
He said the World Cup was really for every country to take advantage of, and Eswatini was not left behind as they had fan parks all over the country.
“Tourism is often cited as a major benefit the FIFA World Cup. The argument is that the World Cup is the reason why people from different parts of the world flock to the host country. As a result, the local hotels and restaurants make money, and the economy is boosted overall.
There are many flaws in this argument. Firstly, it needs to be noted that the rise in tourism is only a temporary event. As soon as the World Cup is over, the tourism goes back to its previous levels. Hence, we are bound to use every opportunity,” he said.
