Local travellers give tourism figures a boost

THE COUNTRY’S coastal cities showed an increase in tourist numbers over the festive season, with a more than 80 percent occupancy rate and an increase in domestic visitors.

The boom in Durban was attributed to the COP17 climate talks which took place in the city at the end of November, leading up to December.

Cape Town experienced a decline in the number of European visitors and this was attributed to the ongoing European debt crisis.

Mike Jackson, the Durban vice-chairman of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa), said COP17 definitely brought more visitors to the area, especially along the beachfront.

Jackson, who is also a general manager at the Southern Sun Elangeni hotel, said 95 percent of visitors in Durban were domestic travellers from all economic backgrounds. He said this festive season had been the “best ever” and had exceeded 2010, the year South Africa hosted the World Cup.

Jackson said the occupancy rate in hotels and resorts in Durban was well over 80 percent. “The holiday makers market is slowly changing. This festive season saw an increase in domestic visitors, especially from the middle class,” he said.

Alan Vels, the managing director of Signature Life Hospitality, said there was a marked improvement in the number of visitors over the festive period compared with 2010.

He said all Signature Life hotels in Kwazulu-natal had 90 percent of their rooms occupied by local guests.

Michael Bertram, the chief executive of South Coast Tourism, had a mixed review saying the upper South Coast, which includes Scottburgh and Park Rynie, had a poor turnout of visitors. “The occupancy rate was good across the South Coast, however, we saw a decline in the number of visitors in the upper South Coast compared to the previous year.”

He said holiday makers had been very cautious in spending on alcohol and desserts.

Occupancy rate for Durban hotels and resorts this season