KZN tourism revival: strategies to grow international market
Sibusiso Gumbi
The KwaZulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority (KZN Tourism & Film) is actively engaged in efforts to restore and revitalise the province’s international tourism markets, which faced significant challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our Tourism Recovery Strategy is dedicated to revitalising our international markets through targeted in-country initiatives and activations in collaboration with South African Tourism.
Our international marketing initiatives align with the newly established KZN Tourism and Film board’s directive to enhance the influx of international visitors. We provide education and engagement for tourist businesses to enable them to effectively market and sell KwaZulu-Natal.
In Q2, we reported that we have received 166900 international visitors in contrast to 181785 in Q1. Nonetheless, we hold a positive outlook that the upcoming spring and summer seasons will yield promising figures.
As tourism continues to expand “significantly”, it plays a larger role in the GDP compared to the construction, transport, and mining sectors.
The country received over 5.8 million international arrivals from January to August this year, an increase of 385000 compared to the same timeframe last year.
Last year’s total arrivals reached 8.4 million, marking an increase of 2.7 million, with 6.4 million originating from other parts of Africa.
In collaboration with South African Tourism, we have been actively engaging with leading operators from countries including China and Japan last month to finalise agreements that will attract international tourists to the province.
Trade missions with travel businesses that market South Africa and KZN and create holiday packages for overseas tourists were successful.
While KZN’s long-haul key international markets are the United Kingdom, United States of America, France, Germany, Netherlands, the Asian market also remains key in our international marketing programmes.
In the continent, Africa – eSwatini, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Lesotho contribute significantly in our international marketing realm, hence the value of international tourists to KZN should not be underestimated.
We are focused on rebuilding our international markets through various in-country initiatives and activations that we have undertaken together with South African Tourism.
Over the next six months, KZN Tourism will showcase the destination at global tourism exhibitions to revive foreign markets. These will include, IBT World Spain (November 19-24), and World Travel Market (WTM) in London (November 7-9), the major worldwide travel event, which will open business prospects for inbound and outbound tourism and travel experts.
Africa Showcase in North America (November 13-21) brings tour operators and travel brokers together.
Relaxed visa regulations
The visa reform and Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) will reduce red tape and improve efficiency for tourists from non-visa-exempt countries like China (the second largest economy in the world) and India (the fifth largest).
Chinese tourists made more than 100 million outbound trips in 2023 –and South Africa received just 93000 of these arrivals. Currently, Chinese tourists to South Africa account for just 1.8% of all international arrivals and Indian tourists for only 3.9%.
In her 100 days in office address, Tourism Minister Patricia De Lille said that she will visit India in December 2025 to promote South Africa which is also preparing for its December 2025 G20 tourism presidency.
International air connectivity
Air services play a critical role in ensuring ease of travel for tourists.
Air connectivity is on the increase with international routes to Durban’s King Shaka International Airport now involving six international carriers: Emirates, Qatar, Turkish Airlines, Eswatini Air, ProFlight Zambia and Airlink.
As the number of international flights to KwaZulu-Natal continues to rise it sends a message that the province is open for business and committed to targeting markets outside its borders. After finalising its preparations, Air Botswana may launch its first weekly service before year’s end.
ProFlight resumed flights last year after stopping them during Covid-19 and Airlink increased its service between Durban and Harare, Zimbabwe, to a daily service this year.
Durban Direct, a multi-stakeholder framework that executes KZN’s air access policy, is working round the clock to attract additional foreign carriers.
A high-powered KZN group from Durban Direct returned from Bahrain where they attended Routes World, an expo of airlines, airports, and aviation stakeholders to boost air services and worldwide economic growth.
MICE and major events
Conferences continue to remain big business for KZN. Over the next nine months, 25 MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) are scheduled, bringing R120 million in bleisure (a combination of business and leisure) tourism to the region.
Delegates and their spouses, partners, and families sometimes add days to work visits and return for another vacation if they enjoy what they see and experience.
A recent four-day Library and Information Association of South Africa conference at the ICC had an R17.9m economic effect.
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions and events have generated more than R1.8 billion in economic spin-offs in the past five years and industry leaders say this is an indication of a resurgence for the province.
The ICC in Durban alone hosted 448 events between 2020 and 2023 and welcomed delegates at 385 events up until the end of the 2023-2024 financial year in June.
Samantha Croft, Southern Sun KZN operations director, agreed that the bleisure and domestic tourism sectors are on the increase with a demand in the resort division.
The group had responded to the increased demand for a space for people to work with consistent connectivity and less noise, and special lounges had been created in some resorts.
The 2023 financial year figures report an ongoing interest in KZN. Most KZN tourists were Zimbabweans (66952), followed by the UK (43721) and Americans (36428).
Germany had 25 549, France 16417, the Netherlands 14575, India 14021, and Australia 12712.
As all-out campaigns continue to entice airlines and more passengers to visit KZN, the industry has a lot to be proud of.
* Gumbi is the interim CEO of the KZN Tourism and Film Authority.
The Mercury