Mbabane– Eswatini recorded 26,774 arrivals through its ports of entry and air gateways between Thursday and Friday ahead of the MTN Bushfire Festival weekend, according to figures released by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The figures, which include travellers arriving by air, show a slight increase from the 26,743 arrivals recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
Ngwenya Border Post remained the busiest entry point into the country, recording 12,517 arrivals over the two-day period. The border post registered 5,469 arrivals on Thursday and a further 7,048 on Friday.
The Ministry also reported that 32 aircraft landed at King Mswati III International Airport during the same period, highlighting continued visitor traffic associated with the internationally recognised festival.
Lavumisa Border Post recorded the second-highest number of arrivals at 2,699, followed by Matsamo with 2,539. Mahamba recorded 2,100 arrivals, while Mhlumeni and Lomahasha registered 2,042 and 2,034 arrivals respectively.
Mananga Border Post handled 1,391 arrivals, while Sicunusa recorded 861 arrivals. King Mswati III International Airport processed 591 arriving passengers through its immigration facilities.
Despite Ngwenya recording the highest traffic volume, arrivals through the border post were lower than last year’s figure of 13,477 travellers during the same period. This year’s total represented a decrease of 960 arrivals.
Overall, however, the country recorded a net increase of 31 arrivals compared to the corresponding period in 2025.
The Ministry noted that the figures do not include travellers entering through Nsalitje, Bulembu and Sandlane border posts, which remain under the supervision of the Royal Eswatini Police Service.
According to the ministry, visitor numbers remained steady as festivalgoers, tourists and other travellers entered the country ahead of the MTN Bushfire Festival, one of the continent’s most popular cultural and music events.
The department said immigration officials and other stakeholders continued processing travellers across ports of entry as visitor traffic increased during the festival weekend.
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