After Lavrov’s visit to Eswatini, Russians became interested in tours: travel bloggers expressed concerns

After Lavrov’s visit to Eswatini, Russians became interested in tours: travel bloggers expressed concerns

Professional travelers believe that there is nothing to see there

On January 24, Sergey Lavrov visited the tiny African country of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) for the first time.

After the visit of the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry on an exotic business trip, the Russians became interested in tours to Eswatini. No one was embarrassed that the country is one of the world leaders in terms of mortality and the spread of HIV infection and tuberculosis.

Professional travelers, bloggers Mikhail Seryakov and Denis Karepin shared their impressions of Eswatini and explained why mass tourism is impossible there.

Mikhail Seryakov and Denis Karepin visited Eswatini as part of their own travel project “Point on the Map”. Filmed. After watching, I had no desire to visit this country.

– Eswatini is a very small country located inside South Africa. You can get through South Africa, – began Mikhail Seryakov. – There is not much to see there. You can spend a day or two at the most.

– What about security?

– The country is quite safe. We didn’t feel any anxiety.

– According to the UN, the population of Eswatini has the highest rate of HIV infection in the world. Almost half of the country is infected.

– I heard about it. But it is difficult to judge how objective these data are. I’m not the kind of person who is interested in local women, I can’t say anything. We perceived this factor as an information given, nothing more.

– Are there posters with the slogans “Beware of HIV” hanging there?

“We haven’t seen anything like it. And in general, there was no feeling that there was wild trash. Everything is clean and calm.

– I did not find a single Russian-speaking guide who would work in Eswatini.

– We were not interested in guides. There is no point in using their services. Often, local guides double the prices.

– In almost every country you can find Russian emigrants. I didn’t find anyone in Eswatini.

– We also did not meet Russian-speaking people.

Mikhail’s colleague, Denis Karepin, joined the conversation.

– What about the prices in the country?

– At plus or minus prices, like in South Africa. Eat and drink cheap. Spend a maximum of 20-30 dollars on food per day. There are few decent hotels, but you can find them. We stayed in a decent hotel, it was inexpensive, a room – from 50-70 dollars per day. You can also stay cheaper. For everything about everything a day comes out 100-150 dollars – this is through the roof.

– Is there an airport in the country?

– There is an airport, but as far as I know, planes fly only to Johannesburg. Perhaps even before Cape Town, but not a fact. But you definitely won’t fly to Europe from there. There are no long-haul flights.

– What can a tourist see there?

– Most of the tourists come there once a year for the Reed Festival. Anyone can enter this event with a ticket. There is a tradition in the country, every year the King of Eswatini chooses a new wife for himself. 70,000 half-naked virgins gather at the stadium. The king walks between them and puts the hatchet next to the one he likes. True, for the last two years he has been idling, he has not chosen anyone. Apparently, it costs him dearly to support all the wives. Now he officially has 15 wives and 36 children.

– And no one refuses the king?

– Once the girl refused. But in general, for a resident of Eswatini, this is the only chance to get out of poverty. Marriage gives a breakthrough, hope for the future.

This event takes place once a year. Nothing else to watch?

– You can see animals in national parks: rhinos, giraffes, elephants.

– Your film showed a store with empty shelves. Are the products bad?

– We rented a small shop, like our general store. It is located on the border, so there is almost nothing there except bread and milk. In fact, there are no problems with food, especially in the capital. True, there are few of their own goods in Eswatini. The country, in fact, does not produce anything. Everything is imported.

– They write that life expectancy in the kingdom is 30-50 years. Have you noticed that there are no elderly people there?

– It is difficult for us to visually determine the age of the inhabitants of Eswatini. He may look 40 years old, but in fact he is under 70. In general, yes, the country is considered young. Average life expectancy is not very high.

– You weren’t interested in the locals, why so?

– Well, who confesses? They don’t know much themselves.

– Eswatini announced a visa-free regime for Russians. Do you think mass tourism to an African country is possible?

– It is excluded, this is not a country for mass tourism. Mountains cover 90 percent of the territory. But this is not our Altai, there is nothing to see. There are no resorts. There are no hotels that are conducive to a long rest. There are national parks, but they are quite poor. No one flies there on purpose. As a rule, travelers choose Eswatini in conjunction with other countries, such as South Africa.

Estvatini is a place exclusively for ethno-cultural tourism or for those who collect countries of the world.

– What can not a tourist do in Eswatini?

– There are no restrictions. The society is friendly. There are no obvious disadvantages for tourism. You don’t feel any inconvenience or discomfort.

– What can be brought from there?

– As for souvenirs, these are handicrafts: straw products, wicker plates, vases made of hard straw and reed. Tourists are also taken to the soap factory, where they make soap in the form of animals. The remaining 70 percent of souvenirs are Chinese.

– Do the people of Eswatini monitor the situation in the world?

– Not. They live with their problems. People are concerned about survival and some small joys. In our opinion, they are very far from the events that take place outside their country.

– I read that there are protests there?

– There are protest movements. Someone does not like the local authorities, people want to undermine this business. But the king severely suppresses his opponents, puts him in jail for a long time, does not allow anyone to power.

– Local complained to you about life?

– Not. No one talks about these topics or complains. And in fact, the standard of living of people has still improved significantly compared to what it was 20-30-40 years ago. For example, a decent toll road to the capital was built there two years ago. True, few people drive along it, the locals prefer to take a detour, along a free highway. However, there are small steps to improve. And people are happy that at least somehow the country is developing.

We called travel agencies, on whose website we found tempting offers: “Tours to the Kingdom of Eswatini are an excellent solution for residents of Moscow and all of Russia”, “Author’s tours to Eswatini. Only trusted travel experts”, “Fabulous Eswatini-2023. Rest in the best hotels, attractive prices and high-quality individual service.”

– Eswatini? – smiled at the first travel agency. – What do you mean, there is no such tour. And it’s definitely not expected in the near future.

“We hear for the first time, we don’t fly that far anymore,” another company said.

– Ruled out. Choose something simpler, – commented in the third.