S tourism 10 |
S tourism 10 | Service magazine
tourism S Rebuilding KwaZulu-Natal for Africa and the globe MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Siboniso Duma, opens Africa’s Travel Indaba breakfast with his keynote address. I It is here, at this Africa’s Travel Indaba, that we are part of shaping Africa’s tomorrow, through the connections we make over the next three days. I say this, ladies and gentlemen, because tourism is a cornerstone in supporting economic growth and job creation and this iconic event plays a vital role in growing tourism across the continent. It is particularly important for us, as it plays a big role in putting South Africa and our province KwaZulu-Natal on the map of Africa and the world. Despite the challenges faced by the province during and post the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism sector has not just survived, it has reignited and bounced back with vigour. We are now focusing on our growth pillars and are rebuilding our sector in line with the provincial tourism recovery plan. Our domestic figures recently released by SA Tourism show that KwaZulu-Natal is the country’s favourite holiday destination, attracting 7.6-million tourists. To put this in perspective, we had about 6.2-million tourists in 2019 and the last time we reached the seven-million mark was 2017. The overall economic benefit for KwaZulu-Natal was over R19-billion. On the international front we are still in the recovery phase. KwaZulu-Natal attracted 9.4% of the international visitors coming to South Africa in 2022, which provided a total economic spend of R4.2-billion. I believe our key to this success was the coming together of government and the tourism sector in keeping our name and brand top of mind, instilling confidence in visitors about their safety when visiting us, ensuring that tourism products are affordable and that our service, hospitality and warmth are of the highest levels. We are also aware that a lot of the tourist activity is revengebuying from the two-year travel restrictions and that this will come to an end. So, we are redoubling our efforts in marketing KwaZulu-Natal. We continue to work closely with our trade and strengthen our relationships with travel buyers and operators, as we build on our achievements to establish KwaZulu-Natal on the international travel stage. And this is where all of you come in, especially our international buyers and visiting media, who play a key role in packaging tours to KwaZulu-Natal and promoting the province and its travel offerings to the world. NOW IS THE TIME TO REROUTE TO KWAZULU-NATAL If you are planning a birding tour, reroute to KwaZulu-Natal; if it’s safaris you are after, reroute to KwaZulu-Natal for a big-five or big-six (whale watching) experience; if you are planning a trip for history buffs, reroute to KwaZulu-Natal; if culture is high on the list of travel itineraries, reroute to KwaZulu-Natal. We continue to offer the world’s travellers incredible value for money due to exchange rates in their favour. We are among the world’s few destinations that enjoy great weather almost all year round. We have an unparalleled range of offerings with something for everyone, immense cultural diversity, a rich historical heritage as well as some of the most beautiful landscapes and natural wonders. So much so that we can confidently say, “KwaZulu-Natal has it all”. Air traffic activity over King Shaka International Airport continues to increase with South African Airways, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Emirates flying long-haul routes directly to Durban, giving the world easy access to what we deem as the exceptional Zulu Kingdom. Regionally, Proflight Zambia has reinstated its Lusaka- Durban route and Airlink is flying a Durban-Harare, Zimbabwe route and in May this year we welcomed the inclusion of Durban on the Eswatini Air flight schedule. This opening of air access between SADC members will significantly boost traveller volumes between these countries. As Service magazine | 11
