The state of infrastructure along Mpumalangas Panorama Route has been laid bare in a 37-page report compiled by private-sector tourism stakeholders after a visit to several key government-managed tourist attractions earlier this month.
The report from Graskop Gorge Lift Company Co-Founder Oupa Pilane and Misty Mountain Owner Lisa Sheard focuses on four sites managed by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency MTPA: Pinnacle Rock, Gods Window, Bourkes Luck Potholes and Three Rondavels.
Using an adapted version of UN Tourisms definition of world-class tourist attractions, the assessment covers criteria such as accessibility, cleanliness, general maintenance, health and safety compliance, staffing, tourist information, value-adds and community opportunities.
Pilane and Sheard found the various criteria at all four sites between substandard and unacceptably poor.
The report states: The prolonged neglect of maintenance and lack of investment in these four Panorama Route sites represents a significant and extended period of missed opportunity for economic growth, tourism growth and job creation in Mpumalanga.