Durban – The city and the economy are reaping the benefits of Durban’sbig international marketing campaigns, and the record tourism figures are even better than officials had hoped for.
The number of tourists (overnight and day visitors) shot up 12.8 percent to 7.4 million during 2014 – and the bumper year brought in a massive R19.2 billion to the city.
This was the direct expenditure that tourists shelled out, but when the indirect spend was added, it came to R32.4bn.
The festive season was a cracker too, with 1.45 million visitors – up 20 percent, with 400 000 extra tourists than the previous year – who spent R3.1bn.
Exactly 95 396 people are employed in the hospitality industry, with 15 492 of those finding jobs during the festive season.
“We never expected the figures to be so high,” said the deputy mayor, Nomvuso Shabalala, after the launch of Durban Tourism’s latest statistics yesterday.
Initially, Johannesburg and Cape Town were to partner with Durban in a National Geographic multimedia campaign, and while Cape Town got involved in one promotional documentary with the city, “they (Johanesburg and Cape Town) had fallen by the wayside and we have moved forward,” Shabalala said.
Mayor James Nxumalo said the National Geographic campaign had reached 497 million viewers in the past two years.
The annual tourism statistics showed a 14.4 percent increase in the domestic market, and 2.5 percent in international figures, he said. And 92.4 percent of the visitors interviewed in surveys carried out by independent researchers said they considered Durban a “value for money” destination.
Most of the overnight domestic festive season visitors (49 percent) came from Gauteng, while American tourists (15 percent) accounted for the biggest international source market.
Phillip Sithole, head of Durban Tourism, said 6.8 percent of the festive season visitors headed for uMlazi.
Daily News