Tourism & Leisure
KwaZulu-Natal’s marketing of itself as an all-year destination is paying off.
Tourism has always been a major factor in the KwaZulu-Natal economy. The tourist market has expanded immeasurably from the days when the ‘Transvaalers’ on their annual holiday to the sea were the key to a successful season. Foreign tourists now play an important part in supporting a very wide tourist offering. Sixty percent of foreign arrivals in KwaZulu-Natal are African, with the majority of those being from the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
In 2007, visitor numbers were up by 11.7%. A total of 13.9 million domestic visitors and 1.4 million foreigners visited the eastern-seaboard province. The domestic market is very important, as the province attracts 35% of this market, worth R5.3-billion, to the region annually. For every R1-million spent by tourists, 11 direct and indirect jobs are created. In this context, it is easy to see why the provincial government is so keen to support the sector.
Although hotels and restaurants suffered somewhat from the recession during 2008-2009 (they showed a modest decline of 1.3% in trade), there is no doubt that the tourism sector has enormous potential to fuel future growth. According to the Premier’s office, the overall economic impact on the province in 2008 was R26-billion.
Family holidays and beach tourism are still major components of the tourism sector but key subsectors now include sporting events and exhibitions, conferences, ecotourism, cultural tourism, golf and game reserves and lodges. KwaZulu-Natal has more than 100 nature reserves.
The province has five casinos, one each in Newcastle, Pietermaritzburg and Empangeni in Zululand, with the Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom in the resort town of Umhlanga north of Durban. Durban’s Golden Mile is the site of the province’s biggest casino complex. SunCoast Casino has 1 330 slot machines, 12 restaurants and eight cinemas.
The advent of a new and bigger airport will obviously have a positive impact on tourist numbers. More than 9 000 international arrivals were recorded into Durban in the month of December 2009, a direct result of Emirates’ decision to commission a direct flight between Durban and Dubai. The provincial tourism agency has developed a good working relationship with the airline and Emirates Holidays and the province is to receive good coverage in Emirates’ publications.
IFA Hotels and Resorts had reason to be proud after the announcement of the 2009 World Tourism Awards; Fairmont Zimbali Lodge won the accolade of Africa’s Leading Sports Resort. The Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre again won the award for being the continent’s leading conference centre. Both of these developments are in KwaZulu-Natal.
Strategy
A key plank in KwaZulu-Natal Tourism’s strategic plan has been to target new sporting events. As the host of the Comrades Marathon, Durban July and Dusi Canoe Marathon (covered in the Events and Conferences overview), the province has an established reputation in big-event management. A glance at the list put forward some years ago by the provincial tourism agency shows how successful it has been so far in getting what it wished for:
• FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup – 2009
• Confederations Cup Soccer – 2009
• FIFA World Cup South Africa™ – 2010
• FINA World Swimming Championships – 2011
With so much new sporting infrastructure in place, KwaZulu-Natal will be bidding for multisports events into the future. The Moses Mabhida Stadium will be the centrepiece in any such bid. The whole area north of Durban’s central business district is already a sporting zone with: the soccer stadium, Kings Park rugby stadium; Kingsmead cricket and Greyville racecourse. With the end point of the Dusi Canoe Marathon not very far north of this concentration of sports facilities, the area lends itself to the hosting of events such as the Commonwealth Games.
Among the other goals for tourism in KwaZulu-Natal is to cement the province in the perception of the tourist market as an all-year destination and as a place to go for niche tourism: cruise tours, educational tours, charters, fun plane trips, golf, health and hunting.
Golf
The global golf tourism market was said in 2005 to be worth US$10-billion annually and was growing at a rate of 10% per year. With a number of major events having been held in South Africa in recent years, most notably the Presidents Cup, and with South African professional golfers faring exceptionally well on the international circuit, awareness of South Africa is high as a golf-tourism destination.
KwaZulu-Natal has positioned itself strongly to respond positively to the growth of the golf-tourism market. The South Coast alone has nine 18-hole courses,and the Wild Coast golf course, although it is in the Eastern Cape, is more often grouped together with the South Coast.
The countrywide phenomenon of the mushrooming of golf estates is well represented in KwaZulu-Natal: Prince’s Grant (near Stanger) and Dunblane Golf and Trout Estate (in the Drakensberg) are just two estates with golf courses crafted by well-known designer Peter Matkovich. San Lameer on the South Coast is an established property while Simbithi Eco-Estate and Zimbali are proving to be popular.
Cultural and historical tourism
KwaZulu-Natal has a rich history and visitors find the exciting blend of cultures and cuisines very stimulating.
Zulu culture
A major marketing thrust from the tourism authority is to link the branding of the province with Zulu culture, and more particularly with the notion of the Zulu kingdom. Important sites include the eMakhosini Ophathe Heritage Park, Ulundi and Nongoma, where the current Zulu king resides. The Zulu Heritage Route and the King Shaka Heritage Route were recently revived. Traditional Zulu crafts and cultural items are popular with visitors.
Battlefields
KwaZulu-Natal was the site of several of the most important battles in the wars that created the country now known as South Africa. The Battlefields Route is one of the most successful tourism initiatives in South Africa, catering to thousands of local and foreign enthusiasts and providing much-needed employment in the north of the province.
Indian culture
Indian temples in Durban and on the North Coast provide superb architecture to admire, while there are several sites, particularly around Pietermaritzburg, where Mahatma Gandhi’s stay in South Africa can be analysed.
INK Writers Trail
Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (INK) are linked by this innovative initiative set up in 2009 by the Creative INK Collective and supported by the eThekwini Municipality. Examples of writers and the area linked with them on this trail are Rider Haggard (Isandlwana), Gcina Mhlope (Zululand), Alan Paton (Maritzburg College), Lewis Nkosi (Durban beachfront) and Imraan Coovadia (Grey Street). A Midlands writers trail is under construction. It will take in important sites in the works of Jonny Steinberg and John van de Ruit, among others.
Centre for Creative Arts
This University of KwaZulu-Natal organisation is responsible for several major events on the province’s cultural calendar. The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is a flagship project while the Time of the Writer, Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience and Poetry Africa are all exciting events that fill the Elizabeth Snedden Theatre with a creative energy.
Hilton Arts Festival
The 2010 Witness Hilton Arts Festival is the 18th edition of this event which has established itself as one of South Africa’s major arts festivals. Endorsed by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture, the event, held in the leafy surrounds of one of the province’s oldest private schools, draws performers of every sort from all over South Africa. Bed and breakfast establishments, hotels and guest houses for miles around Hilton and Pietermaritzburg look forward to the festival as an annual injection of revenue.
The annual Hilton-Michaelhouse rugby match has a similar effect. Although obviously not as influential as the festival, this traditional fixture draws thousands of spectators, some from as far away as Johannesburg, and picnic hamper suppliers do brisk business at this time.
Indaba
The annual travel show, Indaba, is held at the iNkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban. This is an important event for the national tourism industry and is a good moneyspinner in itself. In 2008, the event earned the province R260-million. With 1 600 exhibitor stands and up to 13 000 delegates, it is the biggest show of its kind in Africa and provides local operators with marketing opportunities. In 2009, the event attracted 2 341 international visitors and 680 media representatives.
Investment
The northern part of the province, especially within the Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative in the uMkhanyakude District, is an area rich in potential for the extension of tourist facilities. The province’s investment agency, Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN), has a series of packaged opportunities to entice investors to the area. Places such as the iSimangaliso Wetland Heritage Park show what can be done in the field of ecotourism.
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal has a special Tourism Product Development Division to encourage investment in the sector and to provide guidance to potential stakeholders. Among the priority projects where the agency is looking for interested participants are: Royal Natal National Park: Jozini Dam Adventure Resort and the eMakhosini Ophathe Heritage Park.
Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal has prioritised six investment projects over and above the Lubombo initiative. These are for:
• The building of five new casinos in the province
• The development of a cultural conservancy at eMakhosini Valley, the eMakhosini Owphathe Heritage Park, a site of great significance in Zulu culture
• The development of the Port Shepstone marina, including the creation of a canal, an inner-harbour development and the creation of retail, office and residential space
• The provision of tourism facilities at Lilani and Shushu hot springs
• Mkhambathini Game Reserve
• The provision of a tourism centre in the Mnweni Valley in the Drakensberg.
To make investment in this sector attractive, funding sources are varied and include: the International Tourism Marketing Aid Scheme, Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Programme, the Tourism Enterprise Programme, the tourism scheme of the Industrial Development Corporation, Khula Enterprise Finance, Ithala Development Finance Corporation and Foreign Investment Grants.
