A DELEGATION from Mpumalanga Tourism Authority (MTA), which included chief executive officer Jenny Briedenham, returned from Mozambique this week after having given an extensive tourism marketing presentation to the country's embassy.
"We are located so close to Mozambique - approximately 200km from Maputo - and offer a perfect weekend/holiday destination for the country's tourists and I'm pleased to report we got very positive responses and feedback after our visit," relates Briedenham.
In another marketing effort, the MTA launched a new plan for themed tourist routes last week with the first route - the Highlands Trout Route - having been identified for a pilot project.
Constituting the five towns of Belfast, Dullstroom, Lydenberg, Waterval Boven and Machadodorp, the Highlands Trout Route should be "up and running" within three months.
She says although this region's main attraction is the trout fishing, there are a number of lesser known but nevertheless popular activities and attractions available in the area, including hiking, horse-riding, abseiling, river rafting, Anglo-Boer War sites and museums.
"In identifying these themed routes we hope to encourage community entrepreneurship along these routes and even tourism developments which loop off from the main route."
Briedenham told Travel Now that the MTA was "far advanced" in the process of putting up a framework for standardised, MTA-branded signage along all of these routes.
"We also plan to put up site information offices at strategic points."
Another ambitious themed route project is in the pipeline, the Royal Route to the Sea which, according to Briedenham, will stretch from Mpumalanga to Swaziland and Mozambique.
Meanwhile, the town of Belfast will be hosting its 10th annual Belfast Tourism Festival (BTF) September 23 and 24, focusing on the trout fishing but involving a host of other festivities such as a 21km running race through a tulip farm.
Organiser of the BTF, Steven MacDougall, says approximately 8 000 tourists are expected to arrive in Belfast for the festival.
(Adéle Mackenzie)
