Kandi Grey, Grade 12
UWCSA (Waterford)
Tourism is an essential part of the global economy, and with the closing of borders, lack of travel and social restrictions, the industry has been facing some of its all-time lows. In particular for some of the smaller countries in the world. In Eswatini, there are a diverse amount of attractions that, due to the pandemic, haven’t been getting as much attention as they used to.
With Eswatini having one of the remaining modern monarchies in Africa, there is culture ingrained in everything, and heritage is an important part of life. However, with Covid-19, there have been no incoming or outgoing flights, effectively closing down the hospitality industry and increasing unemployment. Many small-time businesses can no longer support the full force of their staff without the income from tourists. The risk of losing thousands of small businesses that rely on the tourism industry is high. With the Marula Festival which occurs in early February, one of the few events to have occurred this year, and other big events, such as the Bushfire Music Festival (late May), and several national bicycle races, being cancelled, was a big loss for some of the smaller businesses.
With the negative backlash from the pandemic, the country’s Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs of Eswatini, Moses Vilakati, gave a report on how the country was responding. In the beginning, the country’s government declared a State of Emergency, and partial lockdown, effective on 17 March. This meant enforcing other preventative measures; social distancing, no unnecessary movements and visits except to acquire essential services, the encouragement for employers to let employees work from home when possible, and the implementation of proper hygiene standards within operating industries. This was all done to ensure no further spread of the virus. The country has one focal point for quarantine of people with the disease and has set up two isolation wards in primary health care facilities, to manage the incoming cases of Covid-19.
Despite this, Eswatini still boasts a wide variety of attractions that will hopefully, survive the pandemic’s claws.
Culture is a key aspect of Eswatini, which has no qualms about sharing and preserving its rich history and traditions with those who are interested in it. The people are extremely welcoming and friendly, with visitors able to view ancient traditions. These are not just tourist attractions but genuine experiences for the people. These include the festivals like Umhlanga (Reed Dance) and Incwala, traditional ceremonies involving thousands of Swazi people. The Mantenga Cultural Village allows one to catch a glimpse of what life was like more than 200 years ago, or visit a local homestead or village to see it in its modern form. Both let one understand the complexities of Swazi culture. There are many museums and small historical sites all over the country, and Eswatini embraces the history behind it all.
Eswatini is made up of rolling mountains, wide views of the valleys and surrounding greenery in nearly every direction. The wildlife reserves, including Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Hlane Royal National park, Mkhaya Game Reserve, and Nisela Game Reserve; the country also has 17 protected areas. Eswatini has one of the best viewing experiences for rhinos (and are very protective of them). With just 500 species of birds and over 35000 species of plants, there is a wide range of fauna and flora in this tiny African paradise.
With the encroaching pandemic yet to seemingly reach its peak, the Kingdom of Eswatini is doing all it can to get through this. Once this historical event is over, the predictions of recovering the tourism industry to its former glory will be slow, but eventually, it will mend. Eswatini is not the only small country to suffer from this pandemic, and the rest of the world will also have to go through some changes in order to adjust to the ramifications and aftershocks of this pandemic. The tourism industry, though not the most prospering one at the moment, has been down before and has resurfaced, increasing the rate of globalisation, and it will surely do it again.
With Eswatini having one of the remaining modern monarchies in Africa, there is culture ingrained in everything, and heritage is an important part of life. However, with Covid-19, there have been no incoming or outgoing flights, effectively closing down the hospitality industry and increasing unemployment. Many small-time businesses can no longer support the full force of their staff without the income from tourists. The risk of losing thousands of small businesses that rely on the tourism industry is high. With the Marula Festival which occurs in early February, one of the few events to have occurred this year, and other big events, such as the Bushfire Music Festival (late May), and several national bicycle races, being cancelled, was a big loss for some of the smaller businesses.
With the negative backlash from the pandemic, the country’s Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs of Eswatini, Moses Vilakati, gave a report on how the country was responding. In the beginning, the country’s government declared a State of Emergency, and partial lockdown, effective on 17 March. This meant enforcing other preventative measures; social distancing, no unnecessary movements and visits except to acquire essential services, the encouragement for employers to let employees work from home when possible, and the implementation of proper hygiene standards within operating industries. This was all done to ensure no further spread of the virus. The country has one focal point for quarantine of people with the disease and has set up two isolation wards in primary health care facilities, to manage the incoming cases of Covid-19.
Despite this, Eswatini still boasts a wide variety of attractions that will hopefully, survive the pandemic’s claws.
Culture is a key aspect of Eswatini, which has no qualms about sharing and preserving its rich history and traditions with those who are interested in it. The people are extremely welcoming and friendly, with visitors able to view ancient traditions. These are not just tourist attractions but genuine experiences for the people. These include the festivals like Umhlanga (Reed Dance) and Incwala, traditional ceremonies involving thousands of Swazi people. The Mantenga Cultural Village allows one to catch a glimpse of what life was like more than 200 years ago, or visit a local homestead or village to see it in its modern form. Both let one understand the complexities of Swazi culture. There are many museums and small historical sites all over the country, and Eswatini embraces the history behind it all.
Eswatini is made up of rolling mountains, wide views of the valleys and surrounding greenery in nearly every direction. The wildlife reserves, including Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Hlane Royal National park, Mkhaya Game Reserve, and Nisela Game Reserve; the country also has 17 protected areas. Eswatini has one of the best viewing experiences for rhinos (and are very protective of them). With just 500 species of birds and over 35000 species of plants, there is a wide range of fauna and flora in this tiny African paradise.
With the encroaching pandemic yet to seemingly reach its peak, the Kingdom of Eswatini is doing all it can to get through this. Once this historical event is over, the predictions of recovering the tourism industry to its former glory will be slow, but eventually, it will mend. Eswatini is not the only small country to suffer from this pandemic, and the rest of the world will also have to go through some changes in order to adjust to the ramifications and aftershocks of this pandemic. The tourism industry, though not the most prospering one at the moment, has been down before and has resurfaced, increasing the rate of globalisation, and it will surely do it again.
www.unitedworldwide.co