SWAZI RALLY SPECIAL EDITION THEMED ‘VAKASHA EKHAYA’ LAUNCHED

MBABANE – Eswatini Tourism Authority has launched a special edition of the Swazi Rally this year, themed ‘Vakasha Ekhaya’ which is aimed at stimulating local tourism.

Due to the unexpected outbreak of COVID-19, this year’s event will not be taking place in its traditional format.  Riders Ranch will be unlocking Eswatini by encouraging all emaswati led by the biking community to explore our beautiful kingdom by riding/driving to different local tourism attractions across the country on August 28-29, 2021. During the launch, Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Moses Vilakati said to participate, interested individuals will be required to register with Riders Ranch and pay a paltry entry fee of E150.00 per person. Vilakati further said 100 per cent of proceeds would be donated to the Woman Farmer Foundation, an organisation that empowers women and girls through agriculture, funds to go towards assisting famers affected by COVID-19.

“Participation will be to all emaswati, everyone is welcome. The various points of departure will all be Riders Ranch at different time intervals to allow for strict physical and social distancing. All registered participants will be offered routes within Eswatini’s five tourism regions, which offer a varied and different set of attractions and experiences,” said Vilakati. In addition, he said, each region participants will be required to stimulate the tourism economy by spending some money on anything. It could be accommodation, a gift, a meal or a drink.

“Everyone is encouraged to document their experience on their social media pages with the hashtags: #VakashaEkhaya, #SwaziRally2021 and #WFF2021,”said the minister. In closing, Vilakati applauded  the  innovative efforts made by the team at Riders Ranch. He said it was a good challenge for emaswati to engage and participate in this campaign. The minister said the size of the country provides good opportunities to experience different tourism products in a short space of time.

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Worth noting is that Swazi Rally brings over 10 000 visitors into the country with an economic value of 35 million over a three day period. Due to COVID-19, the ranch will be affected, however, innovation for domestic tourism has been initiated and local support would be appreciated as said by the Riders Ranch team. All participating stakeholders were appreciated for welcoming the innovative idea. The stakeholders include the ETA, Police service, EPR, Manzini RA, local hotels and, the government of Eswatini. “It was the first-of-its-kind initiative, but positively welcomed with active public participation,’’ closed Vilakati.

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