Malkerns – The Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA) launched its 2025 Choose Eswatini festive season campaign on Wednesday at Brookside Lodge, outside Mbabane, calling on citizens and visitors to explore the Kingdom’s attractions during the holidays.
ETA Board Chairperson Penelope Mkhwanazi, who led the launch, said the campaign seeks to encourage EmaSwati to discover local destinations while strengthening the country’s tourism recovery. She commended Olive Country Lodge, Hilton Garden Inn and JK’s Steakhouse for winning Lodge, Hotel and Restaurant of the Year respectively at the 2025 Customer Service Excellence Awards.
She noted that excellent service delivery remains central to keeping Eswatini as a top destination of choice. Reflecting on the past year, Mkhwanazi said the industry had shown remarkable resilience, pointing to ETA’s regional activities during the Mpumalanga Tourism Expo and the Fikani Travel Expo, where Eswatini showcased its events including the Makoti Festival, MTN Bushfire, Umhlanga Reed Dance, Swazi Rally and Mlawula Campfire Festival.
Tourism data shows a strong rebound, with 791,753 arrivals recorded between January and September 2025. The figure represents a 12.3 percent increase from last year, driven mainly by visitors from Mozambique and Malawi. With this growth, Eswatini is on track to reach one million visitors by the end of the year.
ETA plans to use the festive campaign to build on that momentum. A wide media rollout will feature on Eswatini TV, EBIS Radio, Times of Eswatini, Eswatini Observer and The Movie Zone at The Gables. Regionally, Radio 2000 in Gauteng and Rise FM in Mpumalanga will help spread the message to neighbouring markets.
Mkhwanazi announced that ETA has partnered with MTN Mobile Money, TotalEnergies Eswatini and the Hospitality and Tourism Association of Eswatini (HOTAES) for festive competitions where participants can win MoMo, fuel, accommodation and dining vouchers. Details will be shared through local media platforms.
The ETA’s mission, she said, is to increase tourist arrivals, visitor spending and the average length of stay in the country. She encouraged more domestic travellers to experience Eswatini’s nature reserves, lodges and dining establishments.
Sponsors of this year’s campaign include TotalEnergies Eswatini, MTN MoMo, Hilton Garden Inn, Nkonyeni Golf Estate and Lodge, Eswatini National Trust Commission, Piggs Peak Hotel, Premier Eswatini, Eswatini Beverages, Global Village Guest House, Mantenga Lodge, Mbuluzi Game Reserve, Big Game Parks, Malandelas Guest House, SibaneSami Hotel and Eswatini Content Creators.
Mkhwanazi said their support is crucial to ETA’s long-term goal of reaching two million tourist arrivals and generating E2 billion in tourism receipts by 2027.
She encouraged both citizens and visitors to take advantage of the festive period to explore Eswatini’s diverse attractions. “There is something for everyone in Eswatini regardless of age or background,” she said. “No Liswati should be left behind in experiencing the wonders our Kingdom offers.”
She officially declared the Choose Eswatini festive season campaign open, wishing EmaSwati and visitors a safe and adventure-filled holiday under the banners #ChooseEswatini and #NgcebelekaEswatini.
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