Umhlanga Tourism confident water curtailment programme won’t affect visitor numbers
Tourism body chairperson feels the City’s strategy of managing water demand will not adversely affect tourism or the hospitality industry during the festive season.
UMHLANGA Tourism says it is confident that the water curtailment programme implemented by the eThekwini Municipality earlier last month will not adversely affect tourist numbers over the festive season.
Chairperson of the tourism body Jeannie Sarno made the comments after the Water and Sanitation Unit, in collaboration with uMngeni-uThukela Water and Durban Tourism, hosted a stakeholder engagement session at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The meeting was to reassure the hospitality industry.
Also read: eThekwini Municipality explains the reason for water curtailment programme
Various tour operators, tour guides, accommodations, B&Bs, hotels, restaurants, eateries, shisanyama/lounges and community tourism organisations convened to discuss the City’s strategy of managing water demand.
“When the initial news came out, it was very vague, and we assumed that the water curtailments would be very similar to load-shedding, but the misconception being shared by media was later clarified on exactly how the municipality would enact the curtailment, and this brought huge comfort to many in the industry. There has indeed been a reduced number in visitors to our region, and KZN has gone through some tough times in the recent years, such as floods and, most recently, the tornados, which do cause holidaymakers to change their destination plans,” she said.
Sarno, who also runs a bed and breakfast in the area, added that holidaymakers shouldn’t be worried about the water curtailment programme.
Also read: City to determine scope of repairs on uMhlanga sinkhole
“The way it’s being implemented, I do not foresee it being any concern to our visitors. I honestly haven’t seen a huge impact, and I hope that the residents continue to be diligent with water consumption in their everyday lifestyle and that they report water leaks and wastage on the eThekwini App. The app has proven to be very useful for reporting faults, and it provides much other valuable information for visitors and residents,” she said.
For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook, X or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here
