Pumped up summer season predicted

HOT on the heels of an exciting and busy provincial tourism month calendar, KwaZulu-Natal tourism industry players are strapping in for a bumper summer season.

Addressing tourism stakeholders at the launch of the annual KZN is Summer campaign at Richards Bay waterfront last week, the KZN MEC of Economic Development and Tourism, Michael Mabuyakhulu, was upbeat about the upcoming peak tourism season.

“The summer holidays are an exciting period for tourism in KwaZulu-Natal. While we have an all-year-round reputation as the home of the endless summer, we must acknowledge that it is the summer holidays, in particular, that draw first-time and repeat visitors from all over the country and indeed, the globe, to visit our shores in droves, to enjoy a diverse and fun summer

getaway,” Mabuyakhulu said.

“This province is blessed with a wonderful array of diverse, tourist-friendly attributes, making it an obvious tourism draw-card for foreigners and local visitors alike. Key to the long-standing status we enjoy as the country’s top domestic tourism destination is most certainly our sub-tropical climate. When this is coupled with world-class facilities, fun leisure activities for the whole family and an all-year-round line-up of exciting events, you will quickly see why KwaZulu-Natal continues to dominate the domestic tourism market,” Mabuyakhulu added.

“In growing both the domestic and international tourism market share, we are also rolling out critical tourism development and management interventions such as the KwaZulu-Natal Beach Tourism Policy, adopted by cabinet in 2011, and the

KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Master Plan launched last month, both of which have been championed by provincial government and strongly supported by the private sector,” he said.

Mabuyakhulu said with this mix of inherent destination appeal and strategic big picture planning, South Africans must acknowledge that from a tourism perspective, KwaZulu-Natal is in a strong position, a winning position.

uMhlanga Tourism chairman, Peter Rose, said: “I can confirm that everything which has been reported that our MEC for Tourism said, is true. He was very upbeat and extremely positive about tourism into the province. I am equally positive and upbeat for tourism into our region.”

Tourism KwaZulu-Natal said KZN’s key domestic tourism source markets, particularly over the summer period, are

Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, as well as holidaymakers from within KZN itself.

It is estimated the resulting tourism spend is more than R1-billion. About 170 000 foreign visitors are also expected, which would contribute a further estimated R1.3-billion to the provincial economy. Key long haul source markets are the United Kingdom, United States and Germany. The Southern African Development Community’s visitors hail mainly from Swaziland, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.