High hopes for tourism summer season after bumper long weekend
KwaZulu-Natal was the top domestic tourism destination in 2020, with 3.8 million trips.
AFTER a tough lockdown period, the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) hotel occupancy rates hit an all-time high of 86 % over the Heritage Day Long weekend, giving the sector a positive forecast towards the summer season.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, Phindile Makwakwa said,
“Government and tourism trade partners have been working around the clock to turn the sector around over the past few months and we are delighted to see that the tides are finally turning to our favor and the numbers are showing positive growth. While the world, South Africa and KZN are not where we were before Covid-19, the performance of the long weekend shows that our holidaymakers are slowly making their way back to KZN and we very pleased to have them back.”
Also read: Heritage Day long weekend boosts tourism sector
Makwakwa further welcomed the 2020 South African Tourism Annual Report which shows that KwaZulu-Natal was the top domestic tourism destination in 2020, with 3.8 million trips followed by Gauteng at 2.8 million trips.
“We are thrilled that KZN is back on the number one spot again and the plan is to surpass the 2020 numbers this year. We believe we can achieve that, looking at the work that we have done thus far. Our continued partnership with tourism trade is at the heart of this and our future success,” she said.
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With the President’s recent announcement that South Africa has moved to Alert Level 1 and the aggressive government vaccination drive, Tourism KZN is setting its sights on the Summer Season.
A campaign will be launched in the coming weeks, to drive more domestic travelers into the province for the upcoming season.
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