DURBAN along with KZN as a whole, will be rolling out the red carpet for the thousands of local and international visitors expected to flock to the coast for the summer holiday season.
Speaking at the festive season launch held in Durban last week, MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Sihle Zikalala said the province was set to offer an unforgettable holiday season experience along its coastline from Kosi Bay in the East to Port Edward in the south.
Zikalala said the province boasted two World Heritage Sites; namely the spectacular uKhahlamba-Drakensberg World Heritage Site and Isimangaliso Wetland Park.
“Our Midlands provide a unique tourism experience ranging from energy driven activities such as hiking, gorge swings, rock climbing, as well as 4×4 mountain driving through the fascinating Sani Pass that links the province with Lesotho.”
” We have also organised a series of activities and events in all the parts of the province to ensure that our visitors have a fulfilling and rewarding stay in KZN,” said he said.
He revealed that last year the province recorded 600 000 domestic visitors and 138 000 international tourists.
ALSO READ: Shaping Durban’s future growth
However, the MEC said the province was set on surpassing these figures in the coming season. He said his department was working on attracting no less than 850 000 domestic visitors and 150 000 international visitors which would R2.4 billion injected into the provincial economy.
“Over the next two years, we want to grow the tourism impact on the province’s GDP in the region of R65 billion and R98 billion.”
“This will enable us to reach our target of creating 183 000 direct jobs over the same period. By 2030, we want to attract at least 3.4 million international visitors. We urge our holidaymakers to use registered and graded tourism accommodation establishments. If they need information about KZN’s exciting tourism products, they can go to our information offices where our staff will assist them,” he said.
Ethekwini Mayor, Zandile Gumede who officially opened the summer holiday season with the MEC said Durban had over the past few years, worked with the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs and many other stakeholders to market the city.
She revealed that about 3, 8 million local and international visitors flock to the city each year and said the summer season expected 1.1 million visitors to set foot on Durban shores.
While promising a safe and incident-free experience, Gumede said the City was eagerly awaiting a host of activities that will include the upcoming Bafana-Bafana Mandela Match, Soweto derby, Crown Gospel awards, January 8 statement, Durban Jazz, Durban Braai Day and Maskandi festival.
The City’s festive season plans
ETHEKINI Municipality has a number of plans in place to make this festive season a success as well as an enjoyable experience for all visitors.
· Park and Ride system: The City will continue to use the park and ride system which was initiated last year and proved to be a success. Shuttles will ferry people from the Drive-In site to the beaches on a daily basis at 30 minute intervals to help eliminate traffic congestion around the beachfront area. Essential services such as ablution facilities and security will be provided at the Drive-In site.
· Waste Disposal: There will be teams responsible for cleaning and collection of waste around the City, on a daily basis during the season. Over and above this, the Municipality has engaged 12 contractors who will be responsible for litter-picking at the different beaches around the Municipal area.
· Pop-up markets: The Municipality will issue temporary business licences and allocate space for informal traders who wish to take advantage of the high volumes of people who will visit Durban beaches over the festive season.
· The City has recently procured 12 new jetskis that will be used by lifeguards in response to emergency situations. A total of 122 temporary lifeguards have been employed to complement the ones already in the system.
· 105 childminders have been engaged and will be stationed at various spots along the beachfront. They are mainly there to ensure the safety of children, particularly in instances where the child is separated from their parents. There will also be wristbands for children, and parents are encouraged to ensure the first thing they do when they get to the beach is tag their children with the provided wristbands.
· The City has also hired 120 seasonal pool lifeguards to ensure the safety of people in the pools and 50 pool guides to ensure by-laws are adhered to by patrons.
Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
