eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has announced that domestic and international visitors contributed more than R4.8 billion in direct spend to the city’s economy between January and May of last year, as Durban takes center stage hosting Africa’s Travel Indaba.
Speaking from the tourism event, Xaba detailed the city’s growing appeal, noting that during the festive season alone, Durban welcomed over 1.2 million visitors, generating nearly R10 billion in revenue. Between January and May, the city recorded more than 2.8 million domestic tourists and 136,000 international visitors.
“It means that we’re doing something right as the city,” Xaba said. “It was critical for us to stabilize the city because that gives confidence to the investors in the tourism products.”
The mayor emphasized that tourism is a vital economic sector for Durban, adding: “Unless we grow the tourism sector, our economy will remain stagnant because it’s one economic sector that KZN and particularly Durban has a competitive edge.”
Xaba outlined plans to expand and diversify the city’s tourism offerings so that visitors can extend their stays. He also stressed the importance of ensuring that township communities benefit from the industry’s growth, saying: “We must move together so that even our people in the townships see that growing this tourism industry benefits them.”
Addressing challenges, Xaba identified limited airline access as a constraining factor, noting that Durban currently receives only six direct international airlines. He also acknowledged crime perceptions but reported that crime levels have been reduced, particularly at key tourism sites, with dedicated police deployments ensuring visitor safety.
Regarding infrastructure, Xaba confirmed that all 23 of the city’s beaches are safe and open following past flood disruptions. He noted that devastating floods in February and April of the previous year had caused significant damage, but the city has since improved sanitation and road networks.
On major events, Xaba revealed that in August, the President will host the SAT summit of heads of government and state in Durban. He also pointed to recent international golf events that attracted global television coverage, showcasing the city’s offerings.
When asked about funding for major attractions like uShaka Marine World, Xaba said the city is creating space for private sector investment while providing bulk infrastructure support: “Ours is to ensure that we provide them with bulk infrastructure support because it takes the city investing spending a rand to attract another rand into the economy.”
