Tourism

Dedicated funds are promoting transformation.

Credit: Kevin Folk on Unsplash

The Tourism Transformation Fund, created by the National Department of Tourism and the National Empowerment Fund (NEF), has disbursed several grants to KwaZulu-Natal operations.

These include the Rhino Ridge Lodge in Hluhluwe and the Jozini Tiger Lodge, located on Lake Jozini with views of the Lebombo Mountains. The latter lodge is a community-owned initiative which employs 96 local people, mostly women.

The provincial government has invested in maintenance and upgrades of facilities such as the caves at Ngodini and Ndumo and the Bhanga Nek Campsite. There are plans to upgrade the Mandela Capture Site near Howick.

The combined contribution of retail and tourism to provincial GDP is 14%.

The province anticipated income injection from business events to be hosted in 2020/2021 to be about R1.2-billion. All of that fell away because of the global Covid-19 epidemic. The meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector is likely to be the hardest hit by the lockdowns and it is difficult to anticipate when it will recover.

Similarly, the investment of R220-million into the construction of a cruise terminal is unlikely to see a return for some time.

Adventures don’t come more hair-raising than throwing yourself into the void above a sports stadium, but that’s what thousands of visitors to the Moses Mabhida Stadium have been doing for a decade.

The SkyCar, a funicular trip over the top of the roof and bungy-jumping are popular, as is the “Adventure Walk” on the south side of the stadium. The 56 000-capacity stadium is home to a professional soccer team and forms part of a sporting precinct that includes the province’s professional rugby franchise, the Kings Park Stadium, and has greatly increased KwaZulu-Natal’s ability to host big events such as the Fact Durban Rocks and the Monster Jam.

The upgrading of the Point area between the beach and the Port of Durban has resulted in major investments. The Docklands Hotel at the Durban Waterfront is a fourstar Signature development that cost about R100-million to develop. ■

ONLINE RESOURCES

Durban International Convention Centre: www.icc.co.za Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife: www.kznwildlife.com Moses Mabhida Stadium: www.mmstadium.com Tourism KwaZulu-Natal: www.zulu.org.za SECTOR INSIGHT KwaZulu-Natal expected more than R1-billion from events in 2020.