Mayor upbeat about recovery of tourism sector

More than 45 000 visitors over Easter

A waiter sets up tables on the balcony at a Durban hotel this week. Ethekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the sector’s road to recovery was evident during the Easter period this year. Picture: Doctor Ngcobo/African News Agency(ANA)

Published Apr 15, 2021

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DURBAN - ETHEKWINI mayor Mxolisi Kaunda is upbeat about the recovery of the tourism sector in the city.

Speaking at the Tourism Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) webinar, hosted in partnership with Tourism Investment Africa 360 (TIA) on Wednesday, Kaunda said that the sector’s road to recovery was evident during the Easter period this year.

He said more than 45 000 visitors descended on the city during Easter.

“As a result of this influx of visitors, the hospitality industry saw hotel occupancy rates hovering above 60%,” said Kaunda.

He said that eThekwini’s economy received a boost, with direct spending at approximately R60 million and a GDP contribution of around R150m, with a total of 320 jobs created over this period.

He further noted that they wanted to maintain this momentum through several interventions to be launched in eThekwini within the next few weeks, such as partnering with the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), to attract investors in the city to boost tourism and the business market.

Kaunda said other interventions that had started to yield positive strides towards the tourism sector recovery included providing incentives to small businesses since the outbreak of Covid-19, such as converting bed and breakfast rates from commercial to residential for a limited period.

THE MERCURY

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