Queen Mary 2, docked at The N Shed, located at Durban’s old harbour on April 3 and the passenger ship’s 950 crew and 2 000 passengers were welcomed by Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda.
Kaunda highlighted the city as a premier destination for passengers and said the docking of Queen Mary 2 couldn’t have come at a better time.
“The arrival of Queen Mary 2 comes as we are busy with the expansion of the Port of Durban. This development is expected to be a major drawcard for cruise liners and will include five-star hotels, retail mall, apartments, and an African cultural centre,” Kaunda said.
He said the Easter holidays were almost here, and the city was busy with its winter season destination promotion campaign.
“City tours for passengers have been organised to showcase the many tourism offerings of the city. We want the ship’s passengers to return to our beautiful city,” Kaunda said.
Passengers are exploring the city on the Rickshaw bus, visiting the Valley of 1000 Hills, and taking a cultural tour to the Victoria Indian Market. Some are going on a historical tour visiting attractions including the Durban City Hall, the Playhouse Theatre, KwaMuhle Museum, and other historic sites.
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal are taking some passengers to St Lucia which was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco and Hluhluwe.
Last week, the municipality revealed that it was ready to host visitors anticipated to flock to its shores over the Easter period.
It said it’s anticipating an occupancy rate of 65% during the Easter holidays following last year’s occupancy rate of 63% and it also expects a visitor flow of 1.25 million visitors compared to last year’s flow of 1.2 million visitors.
“Visitors will be spoilt for choice as various tourism product owners have already started marketing Easter discounted travel packages on their websites. They are working with Durban Tourism and nine community tourism organisations that are supported by the Municipality,” Kaunda said.
He said most of the city’s beaches are open and safe for swimming.
Of the city’s 23 beaches, 19 beaches are open and safe for swimming.
These include Point, uShaka, Addington, South Beach, Wedge, North Beach, Bay of Plenty, Battery, Thekwini, Country Club, uMhlanga Main, uMdloti Main, Westbrook, Bronze, Brighton, Pipeline, Amanzimtoti Main and Umgababa.
Laguna Beach is open. However, it operates seasonally during peak periods such as the Easter holidays and during the festive season.
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