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This Tourism Month, Tourism KZN celebrated a rebound in figures, showing that, in the first six months of the year, the province enjoyed more than 2.2 million domestic trips. This was just shy of the 2.6 million total number of trips for 2021, indicating tourism is recovering after the pandemic and associated lockdown.
Released by South African Tourism on Friday, the figures show that hotel occupancy is also up, with establishments averaging 68% occupancy in July – 4% higher than the same month in 2019. This success is believed to be the outcome of the strategic provincial tourism recovery plan supported by marketing campaigns spearheaded by Tourism KZN.
Nhlakanipho Nkontwana, head of the Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental (EDTEA) Department, said the theme ‘Rethink Tourism’ was appropriate given the recent hardships. He was delivering the speech on behalf of KZN EDTEA MEC Siboniso Duma at KZN Tourism Month celebrations at Midmar Resort in Howick.
“The United Nations World Tourism Organisation unpacks rethinking tourism as putting people and planet first.
Bringing everyone, from governments to businesses and local communities, together around a shared vision for a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient sector. This is the type of tourism we want to see in KZN,” he said.
Nkontwana outlined government programmes aimed at assisting transformation of the KZN tourism sector by assisting emerging entrepreneurs.
Tourism KZN has reintroduced its Enterprise Development Programme, calling for small tourism enterprises to apply for capacity-building support via www.zulu.org.za. EDTEA also has an initiative focused on hospitality skills training targeting community trusts managing tourism assets on behalf of communities.
“There are tourism assets that are built on land returned to communities as part of the land restitution programme. It is critical that these community trusts can run their businesses well to ensure the tourism products they manage continue to be productive and sustainable,” he said.
He concluded by encouraging everyone to show the world that KZN was back in business by visiting local tourism destinations.