Durban - SA celeb Aewon Wolf has the word “Durban” tattooed across his stomach.
With that level of passion for his home city, it will come as no surprise that Wolf, also co-founder of the Durban creative collective The Wolfpack, has come to the fore in promoting KZN as the tourism destination locally and nationally.
Speaking to the Independent on Saturday this week, Wolf said that along with another Durban celeb and muso, Kyle Deutsch (also part of The Wolfpack), and in collaboration with producer Earl Evans, they wrote and produced title track "We Have It All", which is expected to be dropped on Wednesday.
Teaming up with some of KZN's top tourism industry players and iNCO Creative, Wolf and Deutsch shot the video for their new track in a whirlwind trip taken late last year titled "8 Days. 2542KM. KZN Has It All!", which saw the pair having some insane adventures and quiet moments.
"I'm pretty active in promoting our province and, partnering with Tourism KZN, we made the song and had a crazy time shooting the video. I'm passionate about Durban and anyone who knows me well, knows that I am about promoting Durban artists; I even have ’Durban’ tattooed across my stomach.
“I grew up in Isipingo Beach, a township close to the beach on the south coast, and it was a different lifestyle, a surf culture. There were Black and Indian families, but we were all one culture and that is what shaped my mindset and is part of my music," said Wolf.
Wolf said he has travelled overseas, but spent the past two years focusing on discovering his own country.
Of the eight-day shoot, he said: "Most of the places we went to, I had been before, but it was just pretty cool to shoot the video around KZN. I think the gorge on the South Coast has the best view; it's amazing. One of my favourite places to visit is Drakensberg Gardens, I've always had the most fun there.
“We also went up to Isimangaliso and Hluhluwe, and when they say KZN has it all, they are not lying. I've travelled to many places around the world and it's good to travel to other countries. But it makes you realise we have everything here: beaches, mountains and wildlife. If you are looking for somewhere to go, you will find it right here and you don't have to go far, it's all right here in our backyard," said Wolf, adding that local travel was considerably cheaper than travelling overseas, where "you spend more on getting to your destination than the holiday, so it's a no-brainer”.
Kyle Deutsch said his favourite activity during the eight-day adventure was the swing at Oribi Gorge.
"I love adventure and that was an adrenalin rush, it was really, really fun. Each part of KZN has something unique to offer and to pick a favourite place is quite tough because there are so many different experiences on offer, and within such short geographical distances. Many of these experiences are not something you would find available anywhere else in the world," said Deutsch yesterday.
The tourism sector has been devastated over the past year since the Covid lockdown, and the industry is aiming to boost local travel with South Africans enjoying everything this country has to offer.
According to TKZN’s Tourism Performance Report, KZN's hotel occupancy rates during December were among the highest in the country. In May last year occupancy dropped to a low of 12.2% in May, climbing to 21.6% in May and then suffering another drop to 14.9% in July.
Between October and December, hotel occupancy improved steadily across the province with an occupancy rate of 51.9% in December, second only to the North West region, which went up to 59.7%.
TKZN said they were "betting on a boom in the travel sector" as lockdown regulations are eased, and emphasised that the industry was strictly implementing lockdown protocols.
The Independent on Saturday