Fit festive season for Elephant Coast
The Elephant Coast and Northern KwaZulu-Natal had a busy season with visitors making the most of the bush and beach destinations
AS temperatures spiked in the run-up to the 2013 festive season, so did visitor numbers to the Elephant Coast and Northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Perhaps unseasonably cool temperatures in early summer played a part in the relatively slow start to the festive season. By mid-December, however, the region’s streets, game parks and beaches started to fill up with tourists, both local and foreign.
The 2013 festive season was not excessively busy, with tourism numbers somewhat similar to 2012. Some guesthouses in St Lucia reported more foreign visitors than local ones, while some tour operators experienced a majority South African market.
While previous trends show foreign visitors spending the festive season at their homes abroad and predominantly South African visitors enjoying the sights of the Elephant Coast, 2013 saw an increase in foreign visitors during the festive season. No doubt airfare specials and a weakening of the ZAR helped entice foreign visitors to local shores during an otherwise holiday-free time of year for them.
Guided game drives into Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HIP) and the Eastern and Western Shores of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, all of which depart from St Lucia, were full on a daily basis, with some tour operators employing more freelance guides than usual.
In a bid to encourage St Lucia residents to get fitter and healthier, a fitness gym opened at the end of McKenzie Street earlier in 2013. The gym, along with its adjoining coffee shop, reported a roaring trade throughout the festive season.
Holidaymakers just couldn’t get enough of the spinning, cross train or Pilates classes on offer.
Tour operators with concessions for boat trips on St Lucia Estuary had their boats full during the festive season, with one operator adding an extra trip to their daily schedule and still being sold out for every trip.
While the proposed St Lucia Beach Festival did not go ahead, independent beach parties did occur, leaving Jabula Beach in particular looking worse for wear. By all accounts, however, the litter-strewn car park was cleaned regularly.
St Lucia and the surrounding iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site certainly enjoyed a busy and prosperous end to 2013. Now the streets are emptying as visitors return to work and school and the Elephant Coast can begin preparing for a busy Easter.
