Durban rakes in R60m from Easter weekend

ABOUT R60 million in spending over the Easter weekend gave eThekwini’s ailing economic sector the boost it needed.

The much-needed injection and relief into the tourism industry were attributed to the 45 000 visitors who visited the city for the long weekend.

The Easter period provided an opportunity for the tourism industry to accelerate recovery after lockdown regulations had a detrimental impact on the economic prospects of the tourism industry.

As a result, the hospitality industry saw hotel occupancy rates peak at a 60 per cent average. The local economy received a boost with direct spending at approximately R60 million and a GDP contribution of around R150 million, with a total of 320 actualised jobs over this period.

“Durban has been working hard since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure the tourism and hospitality industries remain visitor ready within the necessary health guidelines.

“We have been on an aggressive marketing campaign to ensure that we remain top of mind as a tourism destination and these numbers are proving that we are on the right track,” said Mayor cllr Mxolisi Kaunda.

The Durban Beachfront promenade, restaurants around the city, and the township establishments were among the most popular attractions for holidaymakers who had made their way from various inland destinations across the country.

“The city has invested over R33 million in developing and maintaining this key asset (beach promenade) as part of its Economic Recovery Plan, which focused on reinvigorating the domestic tourism sector.

“This investment as well as other existing initiatives, including the recently announced Blue Flag beaches, paves the way for eThekwini to dominate and grow domestic tourism, an extremely important contributor to our local employment and economy,” Kaunda added.

Durban remains open and ready to welcome more visitors and the city hopes that this momentum will continue to grow ahead of winter.

The city has vowed to continue with its aggressive marketing efforts to ensure Durban remains a popular choice for all potential visitors.

Some of the initiatives include the launch and unveiling of new products and hidden gems, collaborations with other value chain stakeholders, both in the public and private sectors.

Furthermore, Durban Tourism has planned a number of in-market activations and above-the-line marketing initiatives in key domestic source markets in line with Covid-19 lockdown regulations.  

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