Durban - While some B&Bs and guest houses are “struggling” and experiencing the slowest start to the festive season in years, the industry remains “cautiously optimistic” that the tourists will still come.
“We have our fingers crossed and are positive as Durban is the best place for a holiday,” said Heather Hunter, a guest house owner in uMhlanga, vice-chairperson of uMhlanga Tourism and vice-chairperson of the coastal branch of the National Accommodation Association.
But she admitted that she had “never known a Christmas like it” in 24 years in the local hospitality business.
“A lot of guest houses are struggling. Normally, by July, I am turning people away for the festive season.
“This year, I am wondering if the tourists are coming,” she said yesterday.
Usually, occupancy in the area was about 95% for December, but it stood at 70% at the moment.
However, everyone appeared to be fully booked from December 22 to January 4, she said.
She put the slow start down to the “general economic situation”, and echoed the sentiment of other industry colleagues.
She said that many would-be tourists were waiting to see if they received Christmas bonuses before making holiday bookings.
And there were always those people who regularly left the decision about whether to go on holiday until the very last minute.
It did not help that this year, the Day of Reconciliation (December 16) fell on a Saturday, which meant people did not get that extra day off work.
Therefore, they were unable to take advantage of the public holiday to make a long weekend of it as in previous years.
“The weather has not been brilliant either,” she said.
(The Weather Bureau, which can only give predictions a week in advance, said that while it would be sunny in the coming days, it would rain in the evenings because this was the normal summer pattern).
However, tourism was an industry that “sometimes surprised you”, Hunter said.
She said the situation may improve next week.