Durban – The eThekwini Municipality is expecting a sizzling summer holiday in Durban.
The municipality, in partnership with industry role-players, is gearing up for a bumper summer season and is prepared to welcome the expected 950 000 travellers to Durban.
On Thursday, eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda unveiled the Durban Sizzling Summer Campaign, a promotional campaign to attract travellers to the city in anticipation of the summer season.
The destination promotion campaign includes roadshows taking place across the country where Durban Tourism will showcase the city’s many attractions and holiday packages. The destination marketing will be extended to national broadcasters through visuals.
Kaunda said the city is continuing to rebuild the local tourism industry and casting the light on Durban’s attractions and township gems.
He said it was poignant that the launch was held at Silokazis, which overlooks the majestic Inanda Dam, which is one of the city’s hidden gems.
Attending the launch were the media, tourism stakeholders and influencers. They were treated to activities such as boat rides on Inanda Dam, helicopter rides, and quad biking.
“Last week, we showcased another township tourism gem, the Coastal Beach Resort located on the serene shores of Umgababa where you can enjoy beach horse riding and other activities. Our efforts of rebuilding the tourism sector after the floods are paying off and have contributed immensely to the increase of visitors to Durban,” Kaunda said.
He said that during this year, Durban has seen an influx of 123 364 international passengers at King Shaka International Airport, marking a 126% increase from the previous year. Domestic arrivals have also seen a boost, with a 22% rise, amounting to 2.1 million passengers.
Kaunda said tourism is an important contributor to economic growth and job creation.
“The occupancy expected this year is around 62% compared to the 57% achieved last year. Furthermore, we are expecting a direct spend of R2.1 billion and R5.2bn contribution to the GDP as well 10 000 jobs to be created,” Kaunda said.
He said that to ensure the safety of visitors during the summer holidays, the city continues to beef up law enforcement personnel at tourism sites. To enhance smart policing, the municipality has also set aside R110 million to repair all defective CCTV cameras throughout the city with a special focus on areas with high economic activity, including tourist attractions.
“The contractor is already on the ground repairing this infrastructure and we anticipate that all cameras will be fully functional by the end of November, just in time for the festive season,” Kaunda said.
Speaking about recreational facilities, the mayor said swimming pools located along the central beachfront are currently receiving a facelift and will be ready in time for the summer season.
“We are happy that the Rachel Finlayson Pool has been operational since December last year. Construction of the Laguna Paddling Pool is complete, and we are finalising plans to reopen it soon. The site inspections are already under way at the South Beach Paddling Swimming Pool,” Kaunda said.
He added that the popular Circus Circus restaurant in North Beach is being renovated into a stunning fusion of Africanism and art deco and is anticipated to be opened in October.
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Daily News