Bumper festive season ahead!

The festive season is in full swing on the Dolphin Coast, which should see thousands of holidaymakers flock to our shores for another warm and sunny Christmas at the sea.

With this in mind, holiday letting agencies are gearing up for another cracker December period.

Ballito Estates director Dhiran Maharaj said that they are always busy at this time of the year.

For a list of festive season activities on the Coast click HERE

“Periods leading up to the festive season are our quietest times for holiday letting, but we are fully booked for December,” said Maharaj.

“Our busiest time is between 20 December and 7 January.”

Ballito Accommodation general manager Christine Grobler said that although the first week of December got off to a slow start, overall it looks as though December will top last year’s figures after inflation.

“January is similarly looking excellent.

“While we are still full over peak periods, we are noticing that although we are achieving more bookings, holiday makers are coming for shorter periods.

“It would seem that people are being more conservative on their spend and limiting the amount of days on holiday.

“This trend has been apparent for the last two years.”

Ballito Agencies managing director Stephen Gore has also seen a decline in the number of days holiday makers are staying in the area.

“As with every December, the beginning of the month is generally quiet, but we have noticed slightly lower occupancy this year,” said Gore.

“A fair amount of tenants are also looking for shorter length stays instead of the usual 10 nights or more.”

Holiday scams Although it has been a positive start to the festive season, holiday accommodation scams are also popular around this time of the year.

Bloemfontein resident Sarah Termoil said she booked accommodation in Ballito online. After paying a deposit of R6500 for four days, she did not hear from the man whose account she had deposited the money into.

“The advertisement was posted on Gumtree and we wanted to book in advance to avoid being disappointed. I booked a three bedroom house on Compensation Beach Road. I had to pay an additional R500 to bring two of my pets along.

“I contacted the police when the man did not get back to me and we found out that the address did not exist. I was told the matter is still being investigated but I have no hope of getting my money back.”

Rawson Properties principal, Roelof Faul said there were similar accommodation scams every year.

“People should use reputable agencies when they are making a booking. Agencies run a number of checks to ensure that everything is safe and legal.”

Festive season fun Major attractions this festive season will be the new Ballito Junction Regional Mall and the Ballito Lifestyle Centre following their renovations and food market.

The Junction features a line-up of 200 stores together with six anchor tenants and 21 restaurants.

The Lifestyle Centre also includes a number of new restaurants.

Hops Ballito also recently underwent a major revamp and Ocean Basket opened its doors in Compensation Beach Road last month.

There are also a number of exciting holiday events scheduled for the festive period, including Christmas markets and train rides from Durban to Salt Rock.

More information on these and other events can be found in this issue and in the Entertainment and Events sections of The North Coast Courier website.

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