Durban ready to rake in millions from Easter holidaymakers

The sun will continue to shine on Durban's tourism industry as holidaymakers are expected to spend at least R240m this Easter weekend.

The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry told TimesLIVE that about 100,000 visitors were projected to visit the city.

"Based on the numbers above, it is clear that this holiday period represents a clear opportunity for positive economic activity and brings with it an array of socio-economic benefits to the local economy," the chamber's chief executive officer, Palesa Phili, said.

Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) said the 100,000 visitors were expected to spend their money on entertainment and dining, holiday accommodation and car rental.

The province itself is expecting to rake in a whopping R1bn when 250,000 local and 60,000 international visitors descend.

The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) was anticipating a “late surge of bookings’’, with hotels in the province already slowly filling up.

“Holidaymakers tend to book very late. Our hotels are not at 100% occupancy as yet, but we anticipate the last-minute bookings. The harsh economic times, rising inflation, petrol prices and toll fees are situations which inhibit travellers," said Fedhasa east coast operational manager Charles Preece.

The beach and adventure experiences continue to be the biggest drawcards. However, TKZN statistics show that the Berg and Midlands also record good occupancy rates during the Easter period.

“We receive a lot of visitors and travellers from our key source markets locally, from KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, and on the long haul our expected markets are the United Kingdom, Germany and United States,’’said TKZN acting chief executive officer Phindile Makwakwa.