Swaziland Tourist Authority has started an international media campaign to sell the joys of the kingdom abroad.
The Swazi Observer reported (19 August 2008) that journalists from the United Kingdom and South Africa would visit Swaziland in September.
I hope they have a better time than one tourist who visited Swaziland.
The Times newspaper in the UK once ran a competition in which it asked readers to write about the worst holiday they had ever had.
One reader, Moira Rowan, wrote about Swaziland. Anyone who has enjoyed the Swazi concept of ‘customer service’ will instantly recognise Rowan’s story. And is there a woman alive in Swaziland who hasn’t had marriage proposed to her by a builder?
Rowan’s account did not win the competition – I shudder to think what the poor soul who did win had to endure.
A few years ago, I went on holiday to Swaziland. I arranged that the hotel would pick me up from Manzini airport and paid for a transfer. Problems started in Cape Town. The small aircraft to Swaziland had no luggage loading facility, so we lined up on the runway and indicated our bags, which were marked with a white chalk cross.
Among the passengers was a family of four from the USA who had 24 bags between them and they could not identify their luggage easily, which held up the flight. Once ready, another passenger decided he wanted to get off. The hostess tried to calm him down by pushing him into his seat, a fight broke out and the fed up captain stopped the plane at the end of the runway and evicted the passenger.
We arrived 90 minutes late at Manzini: there was no transfer. I phoned the hotel, they seemed stunned that I had arrived. I was left for three hours at the airport: every half an hour I would phone the hotel and ask what was happening. As they were about to close the airport, the hotel said I should get a taxi and they would pay.
I noted that there seemed to be little left of the hotel - I was then told by the taxi driver that it had been destroyed by a fire. He said there was one wing left, so I went inside and they said I could stay in this one room.
I was the only paying guest, the rest of the guests were builders. The following morning I woke with the building vibrating. I formed a truce that they would not start work till I was up.
The promise of tours did not exist, but the foreman felt sorry for me and told his driver to take me out when I wanted. I met some interesting locals, and members of the Royal family.
The foreman also proposed to me, but I decided that this holiday was a disaster and returned home early - Moira Rowan, Wimbledon, London
Times (London) 30 June 2006
1 comment:
I feel for this person, but I know MANY people who have been to Swaziland and said that this had been their greatest vacation ever - friendly people, good food, etc. So I'm not sure if this comment is really fair. I've just returned from the USA and I can keep you busy for at least 30 minutes on how I was treated at JFK in New York when I went through passport control, how Delta kept on postponing their flight and then eventually having the flight leave 90 minutes earlier than the postponed time. Then, on my way back from Chicago to New York Delta cancelled the flight, with no compensation at all, eventaully booking me on another flight via Cincinnati and on arrival at JFK leaving me stranded for 19 hours on a cold tile floor at JFK (no seats, no carpets). I eventually had to book a hotel at my own cost, take a cab at my own cost so that I could at least get in some sleep. So this type of thing happens in any country. And I am sure many people will be able to tell similar stories of their vacation in the UK.
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