A ramped-up tourism effort hopes to encourage more visitors to three countries - and offers an alternative to crowded destinations. The new tourism initiative, named TRILAND, has been launched by three southern African countries - Mozambique, South Africa (Mpumalanga province) and Eswatini. The project aims to promote tourism and sustainable development within the industry.
The goal of TRILAND is to create a tourism corridor that integrates the natural, cultural and historical destinations of the three countries, encouraging cross-border visitation. The initiative also seeks to strengthen regional cooperation and position Southern Africa as a top holiday destination. South Africa has seen the most visitors in recent years, with 2.4 million tourists in the first quarter of 2024. Mozambique attracted the second-largest number of holidaymakers, with just over 1.1 million in 2023, a significant decrease from the average of 2 million between 2016 and 2019.
Eswatini, while smaller than its TRILAND counterparts at just 17,000 km compared to South Africa's 1.22 million square km, welcomed 842,441 tourists last year. Brits looking to explore these southern African countries can catch direct flights from London, with a travel time of nearly 11 hours and 30 minutes. Southern Africa is a treasure trove of natural beauty and cultural diversity, with numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites and over 20 National Parks offering a wildlife paradise for intrepid explorers, reports the Express.
The 2024-2025 project has just wrapped up the first of three excursions, with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, via the National Tourism Institute (INATUR), taking part in a visit to Eswatini from October 23 to 25. Richard Baulene, INATUR's Director General, spoke about how TRILAND has fostered friendly and professional ties between the three nations, 'sharing efforts and dreams'.
After the Eswatini trip, the second leg will take place in Mozambique from December 2 to 4. The final journey will be to South Africa in 2025.