crisis
3 March 2009
Last year we met under different circumstances, the global tourism industry
was booming and all indications were that we would have another good
year.
We all know that this was not to be the case in many parts of the world because
of the global financial crisis. Late last year we began receiving warnings that
tourism would not escape this crisis however there was optimism when it comes
to South Africa due to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Tourism performance
As Tourism KwaZulu-Natal had predicted, there was a slight decrease in the
tourism flow during the main summer holiday season in the province, between 15
December and 15 January. However, this decrease was not as marked as projected
prior to the festive period. The season was actually a very successful one with
occupancies hovering around the 70 percent level for KwaZulu-Natal, greater
Durban and Durban Central.
It is important to note that any hotel occupancy of about 70 percent is an
indication that the hotel is doing quite well. In addition, reports Tourism
KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) received from some of the core destinations were very
positive. The North Coast, for example, reports that occupancies in that area
were in fact slightly higher than the same period last year. Both the
South Coast and the Drakensberg regions report that the season was a reasonable
one also.
The World Tourism Organisation indicated that annual holiday trips remain a
strong part of the culture in places such as the United Kingdom and Germany,
and the same can be said of South Africa. The annual holiday is part of our
culture and it takes a great deal to make South Africans give these up. What
happens in times of economic stress is that people tend to travel closer to
home, the lengths of stay are reduced, and more economical accommodation and
other spend options are used, but tourists tend not to give up their
holidays.
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal is confident that their projections were achieved
overall. The total economic output was in the region of R2 billion with some
100 000 foreign visitors arriving in KwaZulu-Natal during December, January and
February, plus upwards of 2 million domestic adult trips were taken to the
province. There was also no radical decrease in the passenger movements at
Durban International Airports and those movements were about the same as was
the case in the 2007 holiday period.
Crime
âI am pleased to once again note that for a second consecutive year, very
few incidents of visitors falling victim to criminals were reported. This is an
indication that our strategies as a Department and important stakeholders such
as the eThekwini Municipality and the South African Police Service (SAPS) are
working.â
We look forward to a time hopefully soon when we will not have to consider
crime as a factor in the tourism industry.
Big provincial projects
KwaZulu-Natal has invested in a number of multi-billion rand projects which
are currently underway. These projects are not only good for our economy in
terms of job creation but they will make KwaZulu-Natal even more attractive to
visitors. Here we are talking about projects such as the King Shaka Airport,
the Point Waterfront Development.
Events
The provinceâs preparations for the prestigious FIFA 2010 World Cup are at
an advanced stage and by all indications the tourism sector especially
accommodation establishment have assured us that they are ready. We are all
excited about the tournament because it has long term benefits for the tourism
sector.
Events remain an important feature in our plans to attract visitors to
KwaZulu- Natal. This is an industry that contributes more than R500 million
annually so it is important for us to continue focusing on it. In 2008 we again
successfully hosted events that have become synonymous with KwaZulu-Natal.
These are the Dusi Canoe Marathon, Midmar Mile, the A1 Grand Prix, Spleshy
Fenn, the Tourism Indaba, Comrades Marathon, Durban Fashion Week, the Durban
July, Beach Africa and the Loerie Awards.
Together these events made a significant contribution to the tourism
industry and indeed our economy.
Going forward
Our beautiful province remains the number one domestic tourism destination
and we are indeed increasing our efforts to maintain and improve on the
products we have to offer and our standards. We are also not letting up on our
efforts to position KwaZulu-Natal as Africaâs leading destination both
nationally and internationally.
We are doing everything possible to increase the number of international
visitors to our province. We are already at an advantage because in this regard
we do not have to wait for the festive season because of our weather all year
round. I believe another very big advantage is that our province has also over
the past few years shed its image as violent and unstable and become a peaceful
and prosperous place.
We are very excited by the decision of Emirates Airlines to spread its wings
to include flights directly from Dubai to Durban. We hope that this will
further boost our efforts towards making our Province a tourist destination of
choice.
For more information contact:
Ncumisa Fandesi
Cell: 083 447 0958
Pinky Radebe
Cell: 082 493 3426
Issued by: Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial
Government
3 March 2009
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kwazulunatal.gov.za/)
