KWAZULU-NATAL remains upbeat about the numbers of tourists who will spend their Easter vacation in the province.
According to projections, hotel occupancies are expected to run in excess of 65 per cent when tourists start arriving this week.
KwaZulu-Natal is the leading destination in the country for domestic tourists.
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MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Sihle Zikalala, said, “We are expecting at least one million tourists between April and May which would pump in excess of R1 billion into the province’s purse and create much needed jobs.”
KwaZulu-Natal anticipates traffic volumes in excess of 200 000 on its roads. An equal number of tourists are expected to arrive into the province by air travel.
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Zikalala added that with the King Shaka International Airport having been recently voted as the Best Regional Airport in the Skytrax Awards, the province was also expecting a marked increase in its air arrival figures.
“We recently had two very positive developments which should definitely translate into tourism spin-offs for the province.”
“In the first instance, Durban was chosen as South Africa’s most liveable city and, more recently, the King Shaka International Airport won two international awards for being the best regional airport in Africa, ahead of airports like Tunis in Tunisia and Abidjan in the Ivory Coast.”
The airport also registered an overall increase of passengers of 6.4 per cent in 2017, the highest among all South African airports.
“We urge all the people of KwaZulu-Natal to continue to be the best tourism ambassadors for our province and also to have responsible fun during this important holiday period,” said Zikalala.
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