Durban - It has been a blockbuster of a festive season in Durban and the province – and some holiday-makers have even made bookings for 2017 Christmas and 2018 New Year events.
Thousands of people streamed into the city for the sell-out Christmas and New Year cruises aboard the MSC Sinfonia and some have already booked for the same cruises this and next year.
“They are very popular cruises,” said media spokesperson Ingrid Roding-Tudor, adding that some people were taking advantage of the early booking specials.
And many of the diners who had Christmas Day and New Year Day lunches at local hotels are also keen to book their places again this year and next year.
“Yes, we have certainly had enquiries,” said Andre van Wyk, the marketing and sales manager for the Coastlands Hotels and Resorts Group.
Van Wyk said that the festive season got off to a bit of a slow start, compared with previous years and he put that down to the fact that there was no international cricket in December.
But after the December 16 long weekend, things began to pick up – and thereafter, there were 100 percent hotel bookings.
While occupancies were not initially as high as the start of the 2015 festive season, guests were spending more than the previous year, he said.
The ever-popular uShaka Marine World had a bumper season too, Mpume Mthembu, the marketing director, said on Sunday.
While the official holiday season foot count is not yet available, Mthembu said guests had enjoyed the good weather, the park’s large number of attractions, and had dined at the various restaurants and shopped at the Village Walk “to the fullest”.
Holidaymakers, locals and the thousands of visitors were expected to spend some R2.5bn in the city over the festive season.
And some were having a last minute splash in the waves on Sunday before starting the new school year and reporting back to their offices and factories.
About 276 770 people visited the local beaches from January 2-5, when 119 rescues were carried out and 152 people received first-aid treatment, said Mandla Nsele, the deputy spokesperson for eThekwini Municipality.
Fourteen arrests were also made for a various of criminal activities, including theft, harassment and public drinking.