New developments to boost Durban’s tourism numbers
ALTHOUGH tourism
numbers to Durban
have dropped recently,
new developments and lower
airfares are expected to put
the city back on the map both
internationally and locally.
Durban saw a drastic drop
in visitor numbers over the
past festive season. According
to overall figures released by
the Democratic Alliance, the
2017/2018 period showed
886 867 people coming to
the city, down from 1 355 267
over 2015/2016 and
1 146 762 in 2016/2017, a
decline of almost half a million
people over just two years.
Deputy city manager of
economic development and
planning, Phillip Sithole,
says all major tourist cities
in SA have experienced a
decrease in domestic tourists.
“Domestic tourist figures,
according to SA Tourism, have
been going down for the past
few years.”
One of the key factors
contributing to the drop, says
Phillip, is that the black middle
class have more disposable
income and more options
about where to go on holiday.
“They may come to Durban
for three days before going
elsewhere for the remainder
of their holiday. Another factor
is that Durban is also not the
cheap holiday destination it
once was. A hotel room on the
beachfront during the festive
season costs around R6 000
a night.”
Interestingly, members of
the travel trade have not seen
a drastic drop. “We have not
seen a decline in numbers
to Durban and KwaZulu
Natal,” says John Ridler,
spokesperson of Thompsons
Holidays.
Angus Macmillan,
spokesperson for the City
Lodge Hotel Group, says the
hotel group’s experience is
that travel to Durban has been
steady over the past couple
of years. He says the main
focus for City Lodge has been
Monday-to-Thursday business
travellers. However, he reports
leisure travel over holiday
periods and weekends has
been affected by the weak
economy.
FlySafair’s vp of sales and
distribution, Kirby Gordon,
says the Acsa arrival stats
show a very positive picture
for Durban’s tourism numbers.
Kirby admits his view on
growth out of and into Durban
could be skewed because
FlySafair has been on a
dramatic growth trajectory in
its own fleet and footprint. “We
actually established Durban
as a base of operations in
October last year, which means
that we have an aircraft that
actually sleeps in Durban, and
we now employ crew who live
in Durban. What this means is
that we’ve not only picked up
on capacity from Johannesburg
and Cape Town to Durban but
in November last year we also
started to operate between
Durban and East London
as well as Durban and Port
Elizabeth. We’ve certainly seen
value in the Durban market.”
Kirby says statistics show
a drop in the yearly price of
flights into Durban, which
should be stimulating demand
for local travel.
The city and the municipality
are also working hard to
stimulate local travel demand
once again and have put
together a comprehensive
turnaround strategy for the
domestic market. eThekwini
Mayor Zandile Gumede, says:
“When there are challenges,
we face them head on, which
is what we are doing about
attracting domestic tourists.”
Late last year, eThekwini
Municipality launched a new
marketing campaign, Discover
Durban. It encapsulates
the city’s unique attributes,
identifying new routes and
addressing the demands of
the new traveller to Durban.
The city also has 25
“catalytic” projects in the
pipeline, including the Point
Waterfront Promenade
Extension. Expected to be
completed by September
2019, the promenade
extension will include a mall,
hotel and restaurant facilities.
Transnet National Ports
Authority (TNPA) has
concluded an agreement
that will see KwaZulu Cruise
Terminal finance, construct
and operate a new terminal in
the Port of Durban by October
2020.
A spokesperson for TNPA
told TNW the terminal would
help attract the world’s top
cruise liners. “It will bring in
bigger vessels and extend
the cruise season year-round.
We envisage a substantial
increase in vessel calls
to Durban and passenger
numbers in the medium term.”
He said cruise calls were
expected to increase from
60 to 150-plus by 2040, and
passenger numbers to grow
from 200 000 to over
700 000 in the same period.
The trade has welcomed the
development. “The terminal
will certainly be a welcome
addition for SA cruise clients
and will no doubt attract more
international cruise lines to
Durban,” says John.
Angus comments: “There
is no doubt that a cruise
terminal would increase the
number of visitors coming to
Durban and KZN. We currently
have four hotels in the greater
Durban area and one in
Richards Bay, so we would
welcome this.”
Kantha Pillay, aha Hotels
& Lodges KZN regional sales
manager, believes the new
cruise terminal will boost
tourism numbers. “Cruising is
very popular with South African
travellers and perhaps we will
get to see more international
larger vessels visiting us.”
Lastly, KZN will see the
development of several beach
resorts over the next couple of
years. Abie Wentzel, Tourism
KZN’s acting gm for tourism
development, told TNW that
although the resorts were
expected to put Durban on the
international map, domestic
travellers would benefit too.
KZN How to get creative when selling KZN
DURBAN can be a hard-sell for
travel agents as most domestic
holidaymakers tend to turn to the
Internet to book their local South
African getaway.
However, a spate of online
accommodation scams over the past
festive season once again highlighted
the value of using a travel agent, even
for a local getaway.
Bloemfontein resident, Sarah
Turmoil, was quoted in local Durban
community newspapers saying she
booked accommodation in Ballito
online. After paying a deposit of
R6 500 for four days, she did not hear
from the man into whose account she
had deposited the money.
“The advertisement was posted on
Gumtree and we wanted to book in
advance to avoid being disappointed.
I booked a three-bedroom house on
Compensation Beach Road. I had to
pay an additional R500 to bring two of
my pets along. I contacted the police
when the man did not get back to me
and we found out that the address did
not exist. I was told the matter is still
being investigated but I have no hope
of getting my money back.”
These stories will likely bring
domestic travellers back to their
trusted travel agents.
TNW asked industry players how
travel agents can best add value when
selling local packages to Durban.
Know your customer
The key element for travel agents
wanting to add value on a trip to
Durban is to have a very clear
understanding of the market, says
Kirby Gordon, vp of sales and
distribution for FlySafair.
“If many people travelling to Durban
are going to visit friends and family, or
to stay in second homes, then looking
at traditional packages with flights and
hotels might not be the ideal solution.
Perhaps there are ways to cater
for this market by creating relevant
packages that maybe include flights
and car rental – if that’s a need – and
experiences like rugby games at the
shark tank [King’s Park Stadium, home
of the KZN rugby team The Sharks] or
uShaka experiences,” he says.
Offer great value for money
“We all know that domestic travellers
are looking for value – especially at
the moment with the economy being
as tough as it is, so the more value
that an agent or wholesaler can pack
into a package for local tourists, the
better,” says Kirby.
He adds this comes down to smart
shopping, great relationships with
suppliers and sufficient
volumes to achieve bulk
discounts.
Angus Macmillan,
spokesperson for
the City Lodge Hotel
Group, says package
deals including airfare,
accommodation and car
hire are often the way
to go. “Travel agents
can stand out by adding
value any way that they
can. Sometimes, a little
goes a long way.”
Punting interesting
specials is certain to
attract the attention of
travellers, says Phindile
Makwakwa, acting ceo of Tourism
KZN. She says travellers are looking
for value-for-money packages and will
turn to the travel agent for information
on special deals.
Thompsons Holidays’ John Ridler
adds that it’s a good idea to sell your
clients a package with flights, car
hire and accommodation. By offering
package options, such as a family
room instead of two hotel rooms,
travel agents can help bring the price
down. Travellers can then opt to
include a flight in their package
instead of spending time on the road.
Do your homework
Travellers are turning
to their travel agent for
in-depth knowledge, says
Phindile.
“Travellers want
someone who is
knowledgeable about
the destination, who will
offer them something
special and unique for
them and their family to
enjoy.
“Durban is primarily a
beach destination and
that’s the reason why
travellers choose to
come here, so agents
can use that as a
hook and then perhaps add more
activities around heritage, nightlife
and shopping, as those are some of
the attractions that Durban offers to
travellers as well.”
Integrate events
Durban’s flagship events can be a
huge draw for domestic travellers
and should be used to package
the destination, says Phindile.
“A lot of lifestyle travellers are
looking for packages that include
some of the signature events, such
as the Durban July.”
