Durban -The study on what will make Ushaka Marine World a financially viable entity is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The entity has been struggling financially for the past few years and has received a bailout to the tune of millions of rand from the city. It is one of the locations the city believes could drive the tourism industry.
Addressing matters affecting the tourism industry, mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the city was working on a plan to fix uShaka Marine World.
“Our efforts to keep uShaka Marine fully operational are ongoing and we are currently conducting a feasibility study on how the entity can continue to be financially viable. The study will be completed by the end of this year,” he said.
On the state of leisure and business tourism in the city, Kaunda said the industry was recovering.
“The recent international events hosted at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre have once again confirmed that this iconic conferencing venue remains one of the best in the world.
“We are proud that this facility continues to obtain clean audits and we commend the management for this sterling work.
“We recently hosted a successful Africa Travel Indaba which brought over 4 000 delegates to our city, with an estimated spend of R29 million and a contribution of R72m to the GDP.”
He said in collaboration with the provincial government, the city also hosted the Intra- Africa Trade Fair where 12 000 delegates, including heads of states from across the continent, converged on Durban. During this important gathering of key African players in the trading space, deals worth close to R36 billion were clinched.
“We will endeavour to develop attractive tourism packages to ensure that we remain a preferred tourism destination,” said Kaunda.