As part of its efforts to attract more tourists to Durban, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, in partnership with Durban Tourism and Ushaka Marine World, are promoting the city as a destination at this year’s MTN Bushfire Music Festival in Malkerns Valley, eSwatini.
The festival, which runs from May 31 to June 2, is a diverse, inclusive and family-friendly event featuring a mix of pan-African and international artists from across different genres who not only entertain, but also use their art as a powerful form of creative advocacy.
TKZN’s senior manager PR and Communications, Pinky Radebe, said they were using this event as a platform to exhibit and market the province and the city’s attractions to a wide and diverse audience.
“With the easy connections between the two destinations via eSwatini Air, we want to get more leisure and business travellers to Durban and KwaZulu-Natal,” said Radebe.
According to TKZN, close to 625 000 international visitors came to KZN in 2023 and 240 000 or 38.5% of these came from Eswatini making this a key source market for the province and the City of Durban.
The tourism promotion agency also revealed that Durban’s famous double-decker bus, the Durban Ricksha Bus, is also heading to eSwatini where it will travel through the country promoting eThekwini.
It also said that Durban’s iconic water theme park, Ushaka Marine World, will also be part of the activation at the MTN Bushfire music festival with fun activities such as face painting, meet and greet with the popular ocean warriors and peek into the underwater experiences available at Ushaka Marine World through a virtual reality platform.
Commenting on Ushaka Marine World showcasing at Bushfire, Ushaka Marine World Marketing marketing executive, Buhle Malunga, said the invitation to attend the MTN Bush Fire festival provides an opportunity for uShaka Marine World to engage stakeholders within SADC.
“Meeting at eSwatini is opportune as the country is one of the identified countries that are strategic for the promotion and growth of the uShaka Marine World brand,” said Malunga.