By Mhlaba Memela

Hospitality industry records ‘a bumper festive season’. KwaZulu-Natal's hospitality industry has emerged from the festive season with a fat bank balance.

The tourists who flocked to the province during this period — most of whom were South Africans — spent more money than foreign tourists did in the province during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, according to industry players.

Provincial tourism spokesman Lihle Dlamini confirmed yesterday that KwaZulu-Natal had “a bumper festive season”.

Dlamini said though she could not provide exact figures, hotels along the beachfront “were packed” from December to January.

“Hotels along the beachfront had occupancy rates of between 90% and 100%. That meant a lot to us.

“There were tourists everywhere, from Zululand, the North Coast down to the lower South Coast. According to a report we received from other tourism stakeholders, it was a good year,” Dlamini said.

She said it was not only the beaches that were teeming with tourists, but also the townships. Shisa nyamas (public braai places) and shopping malls were some of the holidaymakers’ destinations.

Phillip Sithole, head of Durban Tourism, said there had been a substantial increase in tourist arrivals in the city during the festive season.

He said for two weeks the occupancy rates in major hotels and bed-and-breakfast establishments averaged90%, a 10 percentage point increase compared with the previous year’s figure.

“This was a huge number. The figures were also boosted by the upgrade along our beaches.”

The city had invested R500-million in the improvement of its infrastructure. Sithole believed that was another reason holidaymakers chose Durban.

“Tourists spent about R1.2-billion in the city this time,” he said.

Andrew Layman, CEO of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said he had received positive feedback from members.

“The hospitality industry is over the moon. Everything went well. We had COP17, too, which made some contribution. We’ve not heard from anyone who is not happy.”

The holiday season has also put a smile on hawkers who sell arts and crafts along the beachfront.

Nomalanga Ngwabe, who sells sandals made of animal skins, said there was a huge difference compared to last year.

“People bought a lot of my stuff. And I’m happy.”

Car guard Jomba Dlamini said he made R200 a day.

“With the R2 people paid me I was able to make some money to send to my wife so she could buy school uniforms for our children.”

“On New Year’s Eve, I made about R800 in a few hours,” he said.

Source: The Times