Beaches empty – City still optimistic about visitors
City says closed beaches won't keep Easter-weekend tourists away.
AFTER an announcement by eThekwini Municipality that it is expecting a ‘bumper’ Easter season, most beaches on the South Coast, which are the major tourist drawcard, remain closed and deserted. This is a result of sewage and E. coli contamination.
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Only Pipeline, Amanzimtoti Main and Umgababa beaches are open for swimming and other water-related activities. Reunion, Isipingo, Doonside, Baggies and Winklespruit beaches are closed. Despite this, the City’s head of communications, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, said they are anticipating an occupancy rate of 65% during the Easter holidays at accommodation establishments. This would be an increase compared to last year’s occupancy rate of 63% during the same period.
“The city also expects 1. 25 million visitors compared to last year’s 1.2 million. The projected direct spend is around R2.34b, with the City’s GDP contribution being R5.7b. This will lead to an employment contribution of 11 110 jobs created this year,” said Khuzwayo.
eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the City, working together with industry role-players, has put certain measures in place to ensure a booming and safe Easter season.
“Visitors will be spoilt for choice as various tourism product owners have been marketing Easter-discounted travel packages on their websites,” said Kaunda.
He added that the water quality at all city beaches is constantly being monitored by experts to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.
“Only beaches whose water quality is at an acceptable standard are open. Beaches whose water quality is poor are closed. The City is working with stakeholders and experts to ensure we comply with water-quality safety standards,” he said.
The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) has also taken an optimistic stance after monitoring occupancy numbers leading up to the holidays. Brett Tungay, Fedhasa East Coast’s chairperson, said bookings are looking good across the city as occupancy stands at 75% on average.
“Obviously, some establishments have less than that, while some have reported a 100% occupancy. School first-semester holidays saw a low number of bookings, but I think that is because people were holding off for the Easter holidays. Overall, it is looking good,” said Tungay.
The City advised beach users to enjoy other activities in places where beaches are closed.
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