Deal to keep Blyde River Canyon open for festive season

Filming of doccie limits full access

- By Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane

A dispute over the planned closure of parts of the Blyde River Canyon during the festive season to allow filming of a documentary on nature conservation ended in a mediated agreement between the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) and industry stakeholders.

Last week, the agency announced that the waterfall area would be closed from November 17 to December 23 and that the Swadini Viewpoint gates would be shut from November 24 to December 24.

The announcement came at the worst possible moment for the tourism sector - right when families were finalising festive plans and businesses were preparing for their most profitable time of the year. Within hours, panic spread across booking platforms and tourism forums as operators warned that holidaymakers might reroute to other provinces rather than risk losing access to the Panorama Route's most in-demand sites.

Among the voices that amplified the alarm was Oupa Pilane, special attaché for tourism development and transformation at the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism. For him and hundreds of tourism workers, the festive season is not simply a holiday, but survival.