Durban Sizzling Summer experience in Soweto's Vilakazi Street. Picture: Supplied/Nelisiwe Ginya
Durban Tourism has launched the Durban Sizzling Summer Campaign to promote Durban as a tourist destination for the festive season.
At the weekend in Soweto and Fourways, Durban Tourism showcased Durban’s many attractions and holiday packages.
Kicking things off in Soweto in Vilakazi Street, at Vuyo’s restaurant, guests, including the media, were treated to activities like a Rickshaw bus ride and a Rickshaw puller experience. There were also prizes to give away.
Durban Tourism Marketing Officer, Miseni Duma, said they were happy with the response.
“The experience has been amazing, and the people of Gauteng have been very responsive. One of the things that we have done as the destination is to treat Gauteng as a country, and they are one of our key source markets in the Domestic market. Soweto and Fourways, Farmer’s Market, has offered that platform to promote our destination and attract the market we seek as a tourism destination.”
He said Vilakazi Street was a perfect choice for their campaign as it is one of the tourist hubs in Gauteng.
“International tourists are always buzzing in the street of Vilakazi. Fourways Farmer’s Market offers us a different dimension and different Living Standards Measure (LSM) to what we are also looking to attract in Durban in terms of visitors. They offer us a different platform to attract a different demographic and a higher LSM,” he added.
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EThekwini Municipality Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said their efforts of rebuilding the tourism sector after the floods are paying off and have contributed immensely to the increase of visitors to Durban.
“This year alone, Durban has seen an influx of 123 364 international passengers at King Shaka International Airport, marking a 126% increase from the previous year. Domestic arrivals have also seen a boost, with a 22% rise, amounting to 2.1 million passengers,
“The occupancy expected this year is around 62% compared to the 57% achieved last year. Furthermore, we are expecting a direct spend of R2.1 billion and R5.2 billion contribution to the GDP as well 10 000 jobs to be created,” he added.
He said to ensure the safety of visitors during the summer holidays, the city continues to beef up law enforcement personnel at tourism sites. The Municipality has also set aside R110 million to repair all defective CCTV cameras throughout the city, focusing on areas with high economic activity, including tourist attractions.
“The contractor is already on the ground repairing this infrastructure, and we anticipate that all cameras will be fully functional by the end of November, just in time for the festive season.
“We are happy that the Rachel Finlayson Pool has been operational since December last year. Construction of the Laguna Paddling Pool is complete, and we are finalising plans to reopen it soon. The site inspections are already underway at the South Beach Paddling Swimming Pool.”
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