Durban will be getting more direct international flights as KwaZulu-Natal's plans to woo tourists away from favoured destinations such as Australia, look set to succeed.
Negotiations are already under way with several airlines to introduce direct foreign flights to Durban. One airline is looking to increase its flights to three a day.
This emerged in London on Wednesday where KZN premier Zweli Mkhize spoke of an "unbelievable" and increasing interest in the number of people wanting to visit and invest in the province.
He was briefing journalists at a world travel trade fair on Wednesday.
| 'The enthusiasm is great' |
A lot of people living in the Gulf region went to Australia for their summer holidays, he told his VIP guests from the tourist industry and London-based media at the World Travel Market.
Now, as a result of Emirates' direct flights to Durban, those tourists suddenly realised "that there is a place to go to that is half the distance, cheaper and has more to offer", Mkhize said.
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And such was the interest, that Emirates airline was already talking of the possibility of putting on three flights a day, he said in an interview. It had only started daily flights between Dubai and Durban on October 1.
The province was also in "serious discussions" with other airlines which wanted to fly direct to Durban, the premier said, although he was unwilling to reveal which airlines at this stage.
"The enthusiasm is great," he said.
| 'We have some interesting leads' |
The World Cup was a platform for growth and huge interest in KZN had been generated as a result.
In a bid to keep the good times rolling, the province is mounting an aggressive marketing campaign to get soccer fans not only to visit - but to get them to come back again.
Provincial and tourism leaders wanted KZN to become the leading international destination in the country (it is already the domestic leader) and that needed good marketing and good facilities, the premier said.
KZN is to have a presence in London and the Gulf and would be represented by agents, Mkhize said.
A KZN marketing team will now head to Nigeria and Brazil to promote the province.
Another initiative which looked good, was to get European soccer clubs to to use the Moses Mabhida Stadium in their off-season.
"We are in talks with teams. We have some interesting leads and it looks promising," he said.
Serious investors now wanted to come to the province "to put money into retail and the hospitality industry: beach resorts and the game parks".
Mkhize told of one industrialist who had recently managed to clinch land for his operation in Durban... "and we are negotiating with others", he said.
He pointed out that despite KZN suffering the largest number of job losses in the country, there was still positive growth with jobs being created as a result.
"If there was no recession, we would really be booming," he said.
There were little more than 200 days to go to the first whistle being blown in the world cup - and South Africa and KZN were ready, he told his guests.
More than 15 participating countries had been to the province to investigate training and accommodation sites for base camps, he said. The final decisions would be made known after December 4 - the final draw in Cape Town.
Referring to recent reports that the province had asked for a quarter-final to be played in Durban (it has a semi-final), he said during a radio interview that this was part of the behind-the-scenes negotiations.
"Our job is to promote KZN and we will never stop asking... we will push for more and more," he said without elaborating.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of Daily News on November 12, 2009
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