Lesotho
Sector
Tourism & Leisure
Investment opportunities
(a) Investment opportunities in the Maloti area
Liphofung cave chalets: The Liphofung cultural and historical caves are the core tourism nodes and offer the following attractions:
- Botho Bothe plateau, the historical site of Moshoeshoe;
- Sekubu caves;
- Ts’ehlanyane Nature Reserve; and
- Menkhoaneng historical site.
Activities in this area include pony trekking, hiking, rock art viewing and the magnificent Tsoelikane Falls. This existing site provides for an investment opportunity in the form of a “manage and operate” concession, which will facilitate the further development and upgrading of this site.
Two 4-bed chalets are earmarked for this development. A concession strategy and model for this investment project is pending. Please refer to
the institutional framework below.
Maloti highlands trail: This trail, covering seven identified key site areas en route, is to be positioned as a community-partnership investment opportunity.
The trail consists of the following development opportunities:
- Muela Community Lodge, with an 8-bed community guest lodge;
- Moteng Community Lodge, with an 8-bed community guest lodge;
- Stagepost Lodge, extending the existing lodge facility, providing two 16-bed lodge facilities;
- Diamond Mine Campsite, providing a 12-bed campsite
Institutional Research and Investment Catalogue for TFCAs 31 July 2008
- Community guest lodge, offering 8 beds; and
- Riverside No. 10 Guest House, providing an additional 8 beds.
The affected communities have been identified and community agreements are being facilitated for presentation at the investment conference in October 2008. Please refer to the institutional framework below.
- Senqu Hotel: This existing hotel, provisioned as an ownership investment category for 20 two-bed lodges, is earmarked for development by 2010. Please refer to the institutional framework below.
- Maloti Hotel: This existing hotel provisioned as an ownership investment category for 20 two-bed lodges. Please refer to the institutional framework below.
- Sani Top Lodge: This lodge, provisioned as an ownership investment category for 20 two-bed lodges. Please refer to the institutional framework below.
(b) Investment opportunity in the Lesotho Highlands Water Project area: Tourist village at Katse
The concept is to develop a tourist town at the Katse Dam, which would be an attractive and suitable destination for up-market visitors. The investment opportunity in the village is presented as a two-phased project. Phase 1 relates to the upgrading of the existing 200-bed hotel, while phase 2 relates to the provision of residential accommodation in the village (500 beds). Activities in the resort will include hiking, boating and horse-back riding. A “manage and operate” concession is envisioned for this project. Please refer to the institutional framework below.
Institutional framework
The following institutional framework is applicable:
Recent work undertaken by the World Bank and United Nations consultants in Lesotho have provided much needed direction for tourism planning and operational initiatives. The Private Sector Competitiveness Project commissioned and completed in 2006 though a private-funding initiative presented a concession manual for the granting of concessions for tourism development in Lesotho.
This manual and strategic approach to the granting of concessions will guide the Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation (LTDC) in addressing the formulation of concession terms and agreements relevant to the projects within the Maloti Drakensburg TFCA.
Representatives of the LTDC, the Private Sector Competitiveness and Economic Diversification Project and the Maloti Drakensburg Transfrontier Project will be available at the investment conference in October 2008. In fact, the project has appointed a dedicated concession specialist who will facilitate the institutional framework. Interested investors will be informed of various investment support structures available in the country that will guide the application of Lesotho’s institutional framework and the formulation and negotiation of concession terms and conditions.
Contact details Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation
Tel: +266 223 12238
Fax: +266 223 10189
Email: ltdc@ltdc.org.ls
