Durban is gearing up for three massive sporting weekends in a row, with the Comrades Marathon on Sunday, followed by the Springboks’ first Test against England at King’s Park next Saturday and then the Top Gear Festival in a fortnight.
More than 19 500 runners are set to take part in the Comrades Marathon, which is a down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. The Comrades Marathon Association estimates that the race has overall economic spin-off benefits for KZN of about R300 million.
Durban will also host the kick-off of England’s three-match Test tour of SA next Saturday.
Ticket officials at the Shark Cage said about 40 000 tickets had been sold, but have urged more rugby fans to support the Springboks. They hope ticket sales will pick up in the current month-end period, but judging by current ticket sales the match was unlikely to be sold out.
Topping off three consecutive weekends of major events in Durban will be the Top Gear Festival motoring extravaganza in and around the Moses Mabhida Stadium during the weekend of June 16 and 17. The organisers are catering for 60 000 car and racing enthusiasts from around SA.
“The next three weekends are set to be jam-packed in Durban. This is fantastic for the tourism and events industry in particular,” said Phillip Sithole, CEO of Durban Tourism. “Hotels, restaurants and entertainment and leisure facilities will benefit the most with all the people set to descend,” he said.
“The whirlwind Durban tour of ‘The Stig’ this week has heightened interest in the Top Gear Festival and I’ve been told by organisers that 80 percent of the tickets have now been sold.”
He said the racetrack inside the Moses Mabhida Stadium, the anchor venue for the Top Gear Festival, was ready.
The main shows – hosted by Top Gear’s presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May and The Stig – would take place inside the stadium.
“The next two weeks are going to be very exciting as we begin the countdown to what is set to be one of the biggest motoring spectacles SA has seen.
“There will be all-day entertainment including the first-ever street track for a Top Gear event in the world.
“Spectators will see power laps, head-to-head racing, supercars, drag racing, drifting, celebrity race challenges and more,” he said.
Tourism expert James Seymour said all three events would see “substantial economic spin-offs” for Durban, possibly exceeding R500m.
“June is very busy this year and then we have the July school holidays starting at the end of the month and the Durban July horse race,” said Seymour.