Durban — The DA in eThekwini says that the municipality’s collapsing infrastructure, which led to the closure of beaches due to high E. coli levels, has made it very challenging to promote the city as a tourist destination.
This comes after it was recently revealed that international tourist visits to eThekwini had declined by 82% in three years.
In a joint statement, DA eThekwini Municipality ward councillors Sakhile Mngadi and Geoff Pullan said the DA remained concerned about the performance of the tourism industry in the city.
They said their concern was highlighted when two reports were tabled to the Economic Development and Planning Committee in the city last week.
They said that according to one report, the number of international tourists visiting the city declined to 58 271 in 2021 from 339 007 in 2017. This amounted to an 82% decrease.
“The downward trajectory was happening before the Covid pandemic and so the excuses given by the tourism unit where most of the blame is put on Covid-19, does not cut it.
“The reality is that collapsing city infrastructure, which has recently led to the closure of our beaches in the city due to high E. coli levels, and poorly functioning units like Electricity, Parks, Water and Sanitation, among others, have made destination-promotion very challenging. eThekwini, as the warmest place to be, is known for its year-round beaches,” they said.
They said the suggestion of holding a joint sitting between ECOD, the Human Settlements and Infrastructure unit as well as Community Services, to talk about progressive ways to counter the effects of the collapse of service delivery in eThekwini, was welcomed.
They said that at the talks, the DA would present the following suggestions:
Massive investments be made into water and sanitation to ensure large-scale infrastructure upgrades across the city; and
A tourism recovery plan based on the successful intervention made by the city of Cape Town.
“The DA also noted with concern the loss of our beaches’ blue flag status stemming from the sewage contamination at Durban beaches. As the first city outside of Europe to have this status, it is indeed a concerning situation that needs immediate intervention,” the duo said.
The blue flag programme is a worldwide initiative, and an international award is given to beaches that meet excellence in the areas of safety, amenities, cleanliness, environmental information and management.
“Tourists are now skipping Durban and this is having a very negative impact on the local economy. The ANC-led coalition in eThekwini is ultimately responsible for this collapse and needs to act promptly!” the duo added.
Daily News