DURBAN - It should be another bumper Easter for Durban as the city prepares to celebrate the coming long weekend. This is despite the gloomy economic climate the country is facing.
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) said the Easter season, which extends over the next couple of weeks, is expected to generate more than R675 million for the province from local and international tourists.
Apart from South African visitors, the season will also attract some 65000 tourists from countries like France and India.
“We are projecting an increase of 18.7% on our international arrivals. And we are confident they will fall in love with our destination and keep coming back,” said Ndabo Khoza, the chief executive of Tourism KZN.
But this did not mean that everyone would be spending megabucks at hotels.
Charles Preece, the east coast operations manager of Fedhasa (the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa) said the current economic climate meant people would be feeling the pinch.
“People are looking for value. There are fewer people who can afford full-service
hotels,” he said.
Preece expected people to stay longer over the weekend as this year’s Easter weekend coincided with the school holidays.
He encouraged people to come to the region for a visit, as there was still hospitality space available.
On the safety front, Sibonelo Mchunu, Metro police spokesperson, said they would have all their officers on standby.
“Only members who have special reasons will be allowed to take time off,” he said.
Roadblocks, particularly at the entrance and exit points of highways in the city, have been planned.
“We will also be beefing up our crime prevention patrols,” Mchunu said.
Pedestrians
Simon Zwane, the national Road Traffic Management Corporation’s spokesperson, said they have long completed preparations for the holiday weekend.
Each province would focus on various aspects of road safety. In KwaZulu-Natal, the focus is on pedestrian safety, especially among communities who live along major highways.
“We will be looking at areas along the N2, especially near KwaDukuza,” Zwane explained.
He said officers would be educating people about the need to wear light clothing and reflector vests when walking at night.
“We will also be deploying ambulances in accident hotspots during peak hours” to ensure they could respond in time to crashes.
The Department of Transport’s “Closing Ranks” road safety campaign was recently launched in Empangeni.
Transport, Community Safety And Liaison MEC
Mxolisi Kaunda said they had engaged with various local enforcement agencies to ensure there was an accident- and incident-free weekend.
“We anticipate an influx of motorists and visitors coming to the province. Our focus will be on busy national roads (N2, N3, and N11), and municipal and residential areas including townships and areas of entertainment. We have instructed traffic officers to close ranks and redouble their efforts. Our operation will be running overnight in strategic crash hot-spots,” Kaunda said.
He also encouraged people in the transport sector, such as the taxi industry, to ensure they conduct their activities safely.
Thabo Molelekwa, the South African National Taxi Council spokesperson, said they would be encouraging long distance taxi drivers to ensure their vehicles were in order. But the responsibility did not only lie with drivers. He urged commuters not to get into unroadworthy taxis or taxis with drivers under the influence of drugs and alcohol.