Region
Mpumalanga
South Africa

Sector
Infrastructure
Tourism & Leisure

Summary:

Mpumalanga is a thriving tourism destination and provides investors with many infrastructure opportunities in the province's tourism sector.

Contact
Paresh Pandya

Email
paresh.pandya@mega.gov.za

Tel
+27 11 440 5757

Mpumalanga – “The Place Where the Sun Rises” – epitomises every traveler’s dream of the true African experience. 

Located in the north-eastern part of South Africa, the province has international borders with Mozambique in the east and with the Kingdom of Swaziland to the south and east. 

The province’s climate and topography is diverse, varying from cool highland grasslands at 1 600 metres above sea level, through the middle veld and escarpment, to the sub-tropical lowveld and the Kruger National Park. 

The essence of tourism: scenic beauty, climate and wildlife, voted as most the attractive features in South Africa, are all found in abundance in the Mpumalanga Province.

Significant attractions in the province include inter-alia: 

• Wild-life viewing and bird-watching
• Scenic drives across the valleys and peaks of the vast Drakensberg escarpment 
• Visits to historical and cultural heritage sites of the province are varied and fascinating

Comparative advantage
Mpumalanga enjoys a number of comparative advantages in the tourism sector, such as:

• Home to the world-renowned Kruger National Park
• Having some of the best-rated wildlife resorts in the world such as Mala Mala and Londolozi in the Sabie Sand Reserve
• The splendour and variety of the scenic and natural beauty such as God’s Window, Potholes and the Blyde River Canyon
• The increasingly recognised rich historical and archaeological heritage of the province
• Proximity to the neighbouring countries of Mozambique and Swaziland as important sources of foreign tourists
• Presence of an international airport – Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport

Investment opportunities: tourism infrastructure sector 
Mpumalanga is an internationally recognised natural tourist destination and there has been an increase in the number of both local and foreign tourists visiting the province resulting in a need for an increase in tourism infrastructure.

Opportunities in the tourism infrastructure sector in Mpumalanga include: 

• Hotels of all grades – from one star to five stars
• Private lodges
• Bed and breakfasts
• International Convention Centre
• Trans-frontier parks: Songimvelo Malolotja Trans-frontier Conservation Area and the Greater Limpopo Trans-frontier Park
• Pilgrims Rest Historical Mining Town rejuvenation and re-development
• Development of Blyde River Cable Car and Heritage Visitor Centre
• Loskop – Zithabiseni Tourism Development
• Mpumalanga Tourism Call Centre
• Commercialisation of Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency’s nature reserves.

Mpumalanga has a wider recognition for its tourism sector and as a tourism destination than any other sector or industry in the provincial economy. 

Paresh Pandya
Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency
Manager: Trade & Investment Promotion
Tel: +27 11 440 5757
Email: paresh.pandya@mega.gov.za
Website: http://www.mega.gov.za/