Durban - As the festive season gets into full swing from this weekend, the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) say they expect a large number of holidaymakers to flock to KwaZulu-Natal.
The reason for the influx, Fedhasa said, is that this will be the first festive season since 2019 without any Covid-19 imposed restrictions and many accommodation outlets, including hotels and bed and breakfast establishments, were expecting a good number of visitors.
Brett Tungay, Fedhasa East Coast chairperson, said that the feedback from establishments was that they were looking at good numbers for accommodation in December.
“We are expecting an influx of visitors during the festive season. From the feedback I have got, restaurants are expecting good numbers and accommodation establishments have experienced good bookings for the festive season.”
He said the positive sentiment was shared by hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfast establishments across KwaZulu-Natal.
“Some of the areas in KwaZulu-Natal that I have got positive feedback from include the Midlands, Drakensberg, North Coast and the South Coast,” he continued.
Despite the festive cheer, Tungay expressed concern over the number of visitors to Durban, citing the concerns raised about the beach water quality due to sewage spills.
He expressed hope that guests would not cancel their holidays because of the beach water quality.
Another worry for Fedhasa was water shortages and power outages besides load shedding that have affected the South Coast.
Asked about Durban’s expectations for tourism, eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the city was expecting multitudes of tourists to descend on the city.
He added that in the week of December 5 to 11, the city recorded 293 520 beachgoers and 474 430 promenade visitors.
“The following beaches are open for public swimming: Point, uShaka, Addington, South Beach, Wedge, North Beach, Bay of Plenty, Anstey’s, Toti Main, Pipeline and Umdloti Main. Bathing at beaches is allowed from 6am to 6.30pm daily. The public is not allowed to swim at night as beaches are not manned by lifeguards,” he said.
Phelisa Mangcu, CEO of South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise, said that while many holiday bookings were still coming in, things were certainly looking positive for the festive season.
“With the announcement of our Blue Flag beaches and the growing awareness that our beaches are open, we are expecting a bumper holiday season,” she said.
Mangcu added that this announcement comes at an important time with the festive season approaching, and the topic of water safety dominating headlines.
Lizelle Young, a guest house owner in Margate, said that a lot of agents in Margate had reported that their accommodation establishments were close to full capacity.
“We should be preparing for a bumper festive season with our businesses, however, we are concerned with the situation with the power outages and the issues with water which have been made worse due to the heavy rains. I just hope this is sorted out as we don’t want any of our guests cancelling their bookings,” she said.