The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes an increase in the number of Blue Flag beaches in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) ahead of the peak holiday season.
The continued, and more recently, awarding of the coveted status includes the Marina, Trafalgar, Southport, Umzumbe, Ramsgate, Hibberdene and Pennington beaches on KZN’s South Coast and Blythedale and Thompsons Bay beaches in KwaDukuza Municipality.
The status also looks to ensure the safety and security of beachgoers and bathers, which will go a long way to boosting our province as a destination of choice for visitors.
KZN’s Blue Flag beaches are a positive step after several years of eThekwini Municipality beaches being plagued by shocking levels of E.coli, leading to a severe decline in tourism numbers, particularly during peak seasons.
With eThekwini being KZN’s primary tourism focus, the DA is committed to ensuring that the municipality works hard to produce more blue flag beaches ahead of the December period.
We also look forward to more KZN beaches achieving Blue Flag status with the introduction of five further pilot sites, namely Rocky Bay, Preston, Mtwalume and Scottburgh beaches in Umdoni Municipality and St Michael’s Beach in Ray Nkonyeni Municipality.
The 2024 festive season has the potential to boost KZN’s tourism numbers – and, ultimately, its economy – dramatically. Every effort must be made to ensure this.
SHONTEL de BOER, MPL
DA KZN Spokesperson on Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA)
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