Spread the love

Some nations thump their chests with pomp and press releases. Eswatini, bless it, gets on with the job—quietly crafting a tourism legacy that means something. Not flashy. Not filtered. Just beautifully, earnestly real.

And wouldn’t you know it, that honesty has just netted a pair of cracking wins. The kingdom hosted the 2nd International Responsible Tourism Conference at the cloud-kissed Piggs Peak Hotel, then went on to nab the “Most Responsible Stand” award at WTM Africa 2025 in Cape Town. Two achievements, rich in symbolism, delivered with the kind of understated pride that would make your nan tear up.

Piggs Peak—part highland retreat, part green-souled sanctuary—hosted an unusually spirited gathering. Organised by the straight-talking team at Tourism Facility Planning and Development (TFPD), the conference was less corporate waffle, more fireside yarns about how to do tourism properly, without trampling culture or selling the soul of a place for a buck.

On hand to preside was Professor Harold Goodwin, the sage of sustainable travel, whose mere presence can stop industry fluff. “Eswatini is demonstrating that responsible tourism is not just an aspiration—it is achievable,” he said, with that trademark mix of gravitas and grit. “At Piggs Peak, we didn’t just talk—we walked the walk. And we didn’t need PowerPoint to prove a point.”

What followed was no conference in the conventional sense. Attendees traipsed through craft villages and chatted with locals whose hospitality could melt the heart of a customs officer. They toured rural lodges where linen might be slightly wrinkled, but the welcome was warm and the stories authentic.

In a world obsessed with metrics, here was a different kind of impact: measured not in footfall but in footsteps shared.

And then, just weeks later, Eswatini showed up in Cape Town and—without fireworks or gimmicks—walked off with WTM Africa’s “Most Responsible Stand” trophy. Proof that you don’t need a multimillion-dollar booth to make a mighty impression. Sometimes, recycled plywood and heartfelt storytelling will do just fine.

Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA), stand at WTM Africa.

The stand, made from old materials with a lot of heart, told a story many bigger destinations forgot—tourism is about people first—local voices, homemade hospitality, and leaving the land better than you found it.

Chunky Mdluli-Dlamini, Head of Marketing at the Eswatini Tourism Authority and no stranger to grace under pressure, accepted the award with a sparkle in her eye. “We were competing against the industry giants,” she said, beaming. “But dynamites come in small packages. We are small, petite, yet unique.”

You could almost hear the collective nod of approval from the underdogs of the travel world.

She added with matter-of-fact charm, “We reduced, reused, recycled—and still told our story better than most.”

And what a cracking yarn it is. From village homestays where guests become family, to conservation-led wildlife treks that tread lightly, Eswatini’s tourism is stitched with sincerity. It’s not some Insta-perfect charade. It’s old-fashioned travel—where you return with a story worth telling, not just a filtered selfie.

“We see responsible tourism as a shared responsibility,” ETA rightly noted. “It’s not just up to governments or tour operators. It’s a communal dance between policy and people—gracefully done when everyone knows the steps.”

Let’s be honest—“sustainable” is a word flung about so recklessly it’s lost some shine. But Eswatini? Eswatini makes it sing again. These wins aren’t luck. They’re earned. Quietly. Collectively. And with a bloody big heart.

So here’s to Eswatini. A small country with a mighty roar—and a tourism model that feels less like a machine and more like a soul.