THE Port of Durban will on Monday, April 3, welcome the biggest ocean liner, Queen Mary 2, to sail into the city.

According to a statement released by the eThekwini Municipality, the mayor, Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda, will be present to give a warm Durban welcome to the ship’s captain and over 2 000 guests who are scheduled to disembark Queen Mary 2 when she docks on Monday.

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“Guests will be transferred to shuttle buses to visit tourist attractions in eThekwini and KwaZulu-Natal. Organised tours will include city tours as well as visits to the Valley of 1000 Hills, Hluhluwe, and St Lucia,” said the statement.

The welcome of Queen Mary 2 comes as the Port of Durban expansion is set to take off. “This development is expected to be a major drawcard for cruise liners and will include five-star hotels, a museum, an exhibition centre, a retail mall, apartments, and an African cultural centre and science centre,” said the City in the statement.

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The statement goes on to say that the docking of this ocean liner contributes to the national Department of Tourism’s Cruise Tourism Maximisation Strategy for 2021 to 2031.

“The strategy aims to robustly penetrate the cruise market by ensuring that more cruise liners stop in South Africa. The long-term strategic objectives are to focus on the impacts that cruise tourism has on cruise port destinations,” said the City.

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