The City of Durban’s renewed focus on tourism is projected to deliver a significant economic boost this season with over 1.3 million visitors, R2.5 billion (€133m) in direct spending, and R6.3 billion (€334.7m) added to GDP. This is estimated to create more than 11 000 jobs.
This was highlighted by the Deputy Head of Durban Tourism, Winile Mntungwa, speaking to Tourism Update after the launch of the “Take The Lead Tourism Roadshow” last week.
This roadshow was presented in partnership between Durban Tourism, City Lodge Hotels, South African Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority, eThekwini Municipality, Durban Metro Police, Durban Chamber of Commerce, Southern Africa Tourism Services Association, Tourism Business Council of South Africa, Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa and other tourism and hospitality product owners and companies.
The initiative's theme—“Exploring Durban’s Travel Adventures Together”—highlighted the city’s readiness to dazzle visitors with clean beaches, robust safety measures, and revitalised attractions.
This is the first of many similar activations and an ongoing strong working relationship that showcases an ideal public-private partnership.
Mntungwa said: “This collaboration, led by Durban Tourism, was a profound success. It was wonderful to see private and public-sector leaders galvanised into action to show that tourism’s success is a collective effort.”
Real tourism growth through collaboration
According to Mntungwa, the only way to see real tourism growth is for the three sectors of tourism to work together—government, communities, and the private sector.
She said most tourism products are owned by the private sector and not the government. The Tourism White Paper states that tourism is government-led, private sector-driven, and community-based.
This kind of close collaboration instils confidence in the destination, added Mntungwa, pointing to several new investments by existing hotel groups and new properties such as the Club Med resort set to open along Durban’s northern coastline.
“Because of the diversity of our offering, we’re aggressively marketing to international visitors, encouraging longer stays of four to seven days to ensure full exposure to culture, cuisine, adventure, safari, and more,” added Mntungwa.
She highlighted the key message of the roadshow: Durban is a diverse, affordable, and quality destination ready to welcome tourists from all over the world.
City Lodge investments
One of the businesses that have invested in Durban is City Lodge Hotels with City Lodge Hotel Umhlanga Ridge and Road Lodge Durban.
These hotels now feature fresh, contemporary designs tailored to meet the needs of leisure and business travellers. In addition, Town Lodge Umhlanga has added many new dishes to its already mouth-watering menu.
“City Lodge Hotels is proud to play a leading role in co-creating a revitalised Durban ready to welcome visitors this festive season. Through strong partnerships with local and national tourism stakeholders, City Lodge Hotels has been instrumental in initiating this collaboration with tourism partners to ensure that Durban and its surrounds offer a safe, vibrant and unforgettable holiday experience,” said City Lodge Hotels Chief Operating Officer Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo.
“Durban holds a special place in our hearts and brings out the inner child in all of us as we associate this holiday destination with sun, sand, sea, ice-cream and creating memorable moments with family.”
With seven hotels across KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, Umhlanga, Pietermaritzburg and Richards Bay, Sangweni-Siddo said City Lodge Hotels establishments are committed to being responsible members of their communities – contributing to tourism growth and working closely with public and private sector stakeholders to make Durban shine.
City Lodge Hotels’ general managers actively engage directly with their communities, tourism bodies, and associations to ensure efforts to revitalise locales such as Durban and Umhlanga are hands-on and impactful.
In response to travellers’ questions about Durban and Umhlanga – “Are the beaches safe for swimming?” and “Is the area secure?” – Sangweni-Siddo said: “We are delighted to confirm that seawater quality at 21 of 23 beaches has been given the all-clear and 30 public swimming pools are fully operational.”
In addition, Durban Metro Police has assured visitors of enhanced safety measures by deploying over 500 newly trained officers and 170 high-performance vehicles as part of its action plan to implement zero-tolerance of criminal behaviour.
