Durban - Tills are ringing, traffic is crazy, and recreation spaces are buzzing with energy as holidaymakers get festive in KwaZulu-Natal.
Tourism bosses expect visitors to spend at least R4bn here this festive season.
Shopping centres report a surge in foot traffic as excitement mounts ahead of Christmas on Sunday. While the figures have yet to be tallied, Durban’s biggest malls are doing a roaring trade despite three years of disasters, which led to an economic downturn for the city.
Gateway said hundreds of thousands of shoppers had made their way through its doors since the beginning of the month.
The mall's head of marketing, Michelle Shelley, said they were doing much better than during the same period last year.
She said shoppers were enjoying the festive vibe and usually stayed in the centre for a few hours at a time.
“The mall starts to get busier from 11am onwards. We are currently open until 10pm. We’ve had more than 350 000 vehicles visit the mall since December 1.”
Shelley said while the mall would be open on Christmas Day, trading was optional, so shop owners could decide whether or not to trade.
Pavilion shopping centre acting general manager Vicky Deppe said they had a consistent stream of people flowing into the mall, with a definite increase compared with last year. Their trading hours are from 9am to 10pm.
“We are ready and well equipped to deal with any issues and eventualities, with an experienced team on the ground, especially if we find ourselves experiencing load shedding. Generators will be ready to keep you cool and keep the lights on,” said Deppe.
Beaches listed as open by eThekwini spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela are Point, uShaka, Addington, South Beach, Wedge, North Beach, Bay of Plenty, Anstey’s, Toti Main, Pipeline and uMdloti Main.
Bathing at beaches is allowed from 6am to 6.30pm daily when lifeguards are on duty.
“More than 1 800 Metro Police officers (about 900 during the day and 900 at night) have been deployed to strategic areas. Their efforts will be supported by the South African Police Service (SAPS),” said Mayisela.
He added that 60 lifeguards would be on duty across the beaches and about 150 000 wristbands were on hand for children under the age of 12 on beaches to make it easy for children to be identified and re-united with their families if they are separated.
South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise chief executive officer Phelisa Mangcu said they had noted plenty of beachside activity, particularly at Ramsgate, Uvongo, Margate, Manaba, Marina, Hibberdene, St Michaels and Southport.
She said they had also received positive feedback from tourism establishments regarding the number of bookings for the festive season.
“The recent announcement that the KZN South Coast retained Blue Flag status at six of our beaches – the highest number in the province – with another five earning pilot status, came at just the right time for this prime holiday season.”
Mangcu said only the beach at Scottburgh had been temporarily closed after the recent heavy rains, which had opened the river mouth resulting in muddy water which was unsafe for bathing.
“Once it’s deemed safe by authorities, the beach will be reopened,” she said.
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) said according to research estimates, the average hotel occupancy rate for the province would reach 69% at Christmas and New Year. The North Coast is expected to peak at 84%, South Coast at 80%, Drakensberg at 74% and the KZN Midlands at 64%.
TKZN acting chief executive officer Nhlanhla Khumalo said: “KZN remains a very popular destination for domestic travellers, and this summer season, we are projecting an estimated 760 000 domestic trips, from December to the end of February, which is in line with 2019 figures we are using as our baseline.”
Khumalo said an estimated 58 000 international visitors were expected to visit the province over the summer season until the end of March.
He said domestic tourism had always been the cornerstone of the province’s tourism sector, and most of the visitors were from KZN itself, followed by Gauteng, while other important source markets were Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Eastern Cape and the Free State.
“The combined spend from domestic and international tourists is predicted to be about R4.1 billion, which will be a big boost to the recovery of the tourism sector.”
He said, post-Covid, they had noticed a “pent-up need” to get out and travel.
“Statistics for this year so far show we are on course to beat our 2019 pre-Covid tourist numbers. The figures also show that people are spending more, taking into account the increase in the cost of living,” Khumalo said.
Fedhasa, the national trade association for the hospitality industry, said load shedding was having a negative impact.
The body’s East Coast chairperson, Brett Tungay, said: “It’s not a bumper season, but we are doing great.”
He said occupancy rates across the province were between 75% and 85%, and in some areas, like the KZN Midlands, it was at 100%.
However, Tungay said all the gains being made over the festive season were going up in smoke because many establishments had to run generators to keep the lights on during load shedding.
He said in one instance, the power outage lasted at least 13 hours in the central Drakensberg and the establishment burnt between R70 000 and R80 000 in diesel to keep the lights on.
Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive officer Palesa Phili said it was essential for key stakeholders to work together to position Durban and South Africa as international and domestic destinations of choice.
She said the enforcement of the municipal by-laws, full coverage of the city’s key tourism nodes by law enforcement agencies and “zero tolerance” policing strategies were essential this festive season.
Traffic authorities said between 1 000 and 1 500 vehicles were passing through the province’s toll plaza hourly on Thursday, and the number was expected to rise exponentially.
Spokesperson Zinhle Mngomezulu said they would maintain a visible presence on the roads, especially in areas with high accident zones.
The Independent on Saturday