The latest figures show that KwaZulu-Natal welcomed 520 000 domestic and 51 000 international tourists over the recent holiday period delivering a substantial boost to the province’s economy. Hotel bookings rose from 57% at the beginning of the holiday to an 81% occupancy rate between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

An estimated 760 000 domestic and 58 000 international tourists visited KZN so far during the summer season that will only end in March.

The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Siboniso Duma, says the ‘avalanche of people’ who visited the province over the festive season is an indication that KZN remains a popular tourist destination for both domestic and international markets.

Hotel and other accommodation occupancy rates are a good indicator of how well tourism is doing.

At the beginning of December, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal research insights estimated that average hotel occupancy rates for KZN would reach 60% at Christmas and New Year. KwaDukuza was expected to peak at 80%, Hibiscus 78%, Umdoni 78%, Okhahlamba 70% and Umgeni 64%.

Duma says that from December 19 to 25, KZN’s average hotel occupancy rate was 57% – three percent lower than projections. But from December 26 to January 1, average occupancy rates exceeded all expectations reaching 81%.

Attesting to the above figures, the KZN tourism trade on the North Coast, Durban and South Coast has indicated that bookings have increased substantially for the Christmas week until New Year.

From a slow start at the beginning of December, many upmarket hotels are seeing occupancies rise from around 70% to 90% to fully booked.

“We concede that the reason for the initial low holiday bookings was caused by the closure of the Durban beaches due to the contamination of water. We are working with eThekwini Municipality to ensure that all the beaches are fully functional as soon as possible.

“We are happy that there were no major incidents that spoilt what was, undoubtedly, once again a memorable experience for our visitors,” says Duma.