Durban is a leading South African tourist destination and is marketed globally by Durban Tourism, an official marketing unit that forms part of the eThekwini Municipality. The strategic focus of Durban Tourism is to drive tourism and make it a key contributor to the local economy, thereby promoting economic upliftment for all its communities.

Durban Tourism has made considerable progress in repositioning the city as a sophisticated destination with an extensive variety of things to do. Following the covid-19 lockdown period, the City is ready to welcome visitors. Deputy Mayor of eThekwini, Councillor Belinda Scott said: “The local tourism sector is ready to be a host again for business and leisure following a difficult lockdown period.” Scott said, “The Re-Ignite Durban programme officially set the tone of the industry’s road to recovery and it is one of our efforts to boost the sector by promoting the sectors state of readiness. Uplifting the tourism sector is an integral part of eThekwini’s economic recovery plan because the more tourists that descend on the City means more business, which will result in an economic boost and create job opportunities.”

The City is focussing on providing visitors with a unique set of experiences that go beyond the beach and into the realm of Durban’s cultural and scenic diversity. Durban has a laid-back outdoor lifestyle, providing fun-filled activities ranging from mountain-biking and diving, to deep-sea fishing, game viewing, or cultural and historical tours. These activities include a visit to the Markets of Warwick; coffee at the Bike and Bean; the slides at uShaka Marine World; whale and dolphin watching from a charter boat, high tea at the Beverly Hills; a cocktail at the Oyster Box; a shishanyama at Max’s Lifestyle; trails of the Kranskop Nature Reserve; Zulu dancing at PheZulu Safari Park; and mountain biking at Giba Gorge.

The popular beachfront promenade is a major attraction and has recently been extended to run a full 10km from the Durban harbour to Blue lagoon. Construction on this was completed in 2019. In addition, the newly installed social media photo frames along the promenade will allow tourists and public a platform to take pictures that will capture their memorable stay in Durban. And of course visitors are encouraged to upload them on social media so that the City continues trending as the warmest place to be in terms of hospitality and hosting capabilities.

The municipality has also launched its North Beach Tourism Information office which will provide personalised service, brochures, maps and WiFi access to tourists. Within the office, there is a newly established Durban Souvenir Shop trading locally produced products supplied by about 11 SMMEs that promotes the City’s heritage. Furthermore, the North Beach Tourism Information office will also provide Ricksha Bus sightseeing tours to tourists which is an introductory and easily accessible means of seeing many of Durban’s major attractions in a short space of time. These tours are aimed at giving visitors more reason to come back to explore other City’s hidden gems and also spread the word about the beauty of eThekwini to others.

Recognising that tourism is an industry that is never static, Durban Tourism is committed to building and defending the Durban brand, thus ensuring that it remains not only the national destination of choice, but also that of the global market. As part of building the brand, Durban Tourism has a three-year partnership with its tourism ambassadors - the Sharks, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the Golden Arrows.

Helping to drive the latest campaign is a three-year global partnership with media giant, Discovery. The partnership is across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and across 54 markets, including key tourism source markets for Durban and KwaZulu-Natal. Programmes on the City have also been flighted on National Geographic and many of South African channels. Durban Tourism hopes that its Visitor Marketing Strategy, its partnership with its tourism ambassadors and its travel trade relationships will continue to position Durban as a global tourism destination.

Full Name of Company: Durban Tourism (Tourism Authority of the eThekwini Municipality)
Services: Tourist Services, Ricksha Bus Bookings, Destination Marketing, Quality Assurance, Research, Communications, Events Tourism
Events: Major tourism events managed by Durban
Tourism Include: Tourism Indaba
No. of Employees: 40 Permanent

VISION
To position Durban as a preferred ‘must visit’ tourism destination, providing a unique Durban experience supported by world class facilities and infrastructure.

MISSION
To market Durban as a ‘must visit’ destination to the domestic and international tourism markets, and in so doing achieve economic development and facilitate job creation for the benefit of All the people of the metropolitan region.

KEY PERSONNEL
Head Durban Tourism: Thulani Nzama
Senior Marketing and Communications Manager: Sbu Zondi

CONTACT DETAILS
Physical Address: 90 Florida Road, Morningside, Durban, South Africa
Postal Address: P.O. Box 1044, Durban, 4001, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)31 322 4164
Website: http://www.visitdurban.travel