Programme Director,
The Mayor of eThekwini Municipality, His Worship Councillor James Nxumalo,
Dignitaries Present,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
All protocol observed.
On behalf of the people of this province and the government of KwaZulu‐Natal (KZN), it gives us pleasure to be part of this occasion where we are officially launching the 2013 edition of the Top Gear Festival which comes after the runway success of the inaugural instalment of this world acclaimed motoring festival.
Programme Director, we believe that we are speaking on behalf of all the people of this province when we say that the 2012 edition of the Top Gear Festival was not only a phenomenal success, but exceeded expectations and had gone a long way towards positioning the province of KwaZulu‐Natal and the City of Durban as the home of major events.
Critically, the event, as the impact assessment attests, had a positive impact on the economy of the province as evidenced by the number of tourists who visited the province during the Top Gear weekend and the impact on the hospitality industry of this province.
We have no doubt that, judging by the unmatched success of last year’s event; even those who doubted whether bringing Top Gear to the province was a wise move would attest to the fact that the investment that was made by the city and the province to bring this spectacular motoring show was worth it.
The challenge that faces all of us is to build on the gains we have already notched and ensure that this event becomes a pedestal on which to anchor the province’s future tourism gains.
Programme Director, we meet here at the time when the province of KwaZulu‐Natal has enjoyed an extended tourism bumper season owing to the number of events that have been held in the province, long after the festive season, which is traditionally the busiest peak period, has ended.
For starters, the province of KwaZulu‐Natal, in spite of the difficult economic times, had experienced one of the best festive seasons as evidenced by the number of tourists who flocked to this province at the end of 2012.
This proves that our province continues to be the holiday destination of choice and the net attractor of the domestic tourism. As all of us know, as the provincial government of KwaZulu‐Natal we took a conscious decision after the 2010 FIFA World Cup to build on the afterglow of this footballing spectacle by positioning the province as the home of major events.
We are more than excited to report that this strategy is beginning to pay handsome dividends for the province of KwaZulu‐Natal. As all of us know, the January/February period is one of the off peak seasons in terms of tourism in the province and in the country. However, the province of KwaZulu‐Natal has enjoyed an extended festive season run of sorts.
As all of us would recall, in the first week of January, we hosted the Volvo Golf Championships which was also a resounding success and brought to this province some of the biggest names in the world’s golfing fraternity. We also hosted the 101 birthday celebrations of the African National Congress, which also ensured that the hospitality industry in the province continued to enjoy a roaring trade.
Of course we also hosted the Africa Nations Cup which ended on Sunday. As all of us know, in March our province will play host to the heads of state from the Brics countries who will descend on our province as part of the historic Brics summit which will be held in South Africa for the first time.
Next week we are also hosting the Metro FM festival which will also keep the tills ringing in the hospitality industry. For the province of KwaZulu‐Natal this has been a fantastic period particularly for the tourism industry. Just last week we hosted the world’s biggest water open race, the Midmar Mile which was celebrating its 40 year anniversary and was attended by a 17 000 recorded number of swimmers. Indeed, we are beginning to reap the fruits of our painstaking efforts to position the province as the home of major events.
Programme Director, we have no doubt that this year’s edition of the Top Gear Festival will not only be a success but will surpass the record that has been set by the 2012 edition. However, we are also acutely aware of the fact that our status as one of the world’s fastest growing eventing destination is not an inherited title but one which we should work very hard to keep and build upon.
In this regard, the hosting of the Top Gear Festival is not only about the event but about how we grow our destination and ensure that it competes with other destinations around the world. It is for this reason that we are indeed particular about getting more than our due when it comes to return on investments stemming from hosting this and other strategic events.
Working together with our partners, we will ensure that we build on the tangible returns that the hosting of this event yields so that it is qualitatively better than last year. Some of the issues that, working with our partners, we aim to sharpen this year, going forward are tangible investments into social responsibility programmes; growing the event beyond the borders of our country such that it attracts participants from the SADC region countries; leveraging on the marketing and public relations platform to promote our province and ensuring wider public participation, in particular, in areas that were previously‐neglected.
We want to implore all the people who want to be part of the Top Gear Festival this year to ensure that they buy tickets early so that they don’t miss out on what promises to be an even better motoring show this year. Critically, we are aware that the Top Gear Festival is more than just an event but a platform to market our province globally, to foster social cohesion and to grow the economy of our province.
All of us need to support this initiative for it contributes meaningfully to our attempts to leverage on our comparative advantages to build an economy that creates opportunities for all and to make tourism work for all of us.
I thank you!
