Festival will boost tourism potential
Durban plans to contribute R34m over three years to host the Essence Festival in the hopes of boosting tourism.
ETHEKWINI Municipality representatives will be visiting sister City, New Orleans, next week to begin negotiations for the City to host The Essence Festival, an event that will boost Durban’s tourism potential and economic growth.
The event, a new and exciting partnership with the international Essence Magazine, will be officially launched during the Durban Business Fair to be held in October. The festival will showcase local and international artists, music, conferences, workshops, performances, guest speakers, exhibitions and more, that will provide a unique experience and create a vibe in the city.
Speaking at a meeting of Exco this week, Deputy Mayor Nomvuzo Shabalala explained that the event has the potential to grow over the years and become a sought after event across the continent over the next three to five years.
“This event will provide a platform to promote the city and the Durban brand in the US and Europe through various international media platforms,” she said.
The city plans to contribute approximately R34 million over the next three years to host the event and is expecting an economic returns of R1.2 billion over three years.
City Manager Sibusiso Sithole explained that the cost of hosting the event could be reduced as the city would still seek out event sponsors as the event of this nature could cost in excess of R80 million to host.
