Page 6 - KZN Business Sense 7.2 - eBook
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REBUIDLING ETHEKWINI TOURISM



             Thekwini Municipality                                                                                              World Tourism Organisation
             Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda                                                                                              and currently the Secretary
        Eis upbeat about the                                                                                                    General of the World Tourism
        recovery of the tourism sector                                                                                          Forum Institute said that
        in the city. He called upon local                                                                                       global travel industry will only
        tourism businesses to be part                                                                                           return to a new norm when the
        of the Business Retention and                                                                                           whole world is ready to travel
        Expansion programme, which                                                                                              under a unified system. He
        will be an important component                                                                                          added that in tourism there
        of rebuilding the tourism sector.                                                                                       was no competition between
                                                                                                                                neighbours.
          Speaking at the Tourism
        Business Retention and                                                                                                   “Countries will have to work
        Expansion (BR&E) webinar                                                                                                together if tourism is to recover
        hosted in partnership with                                                                                              – one country cannot insist on
        Tourism Investment Africa 360                                                                                           quarantine while its neighbour
        (TIA) on 14 April, Kaunda said                                                                                          demands a vaccination
        that the sector’s road to recovery                                                                                      passport and a third simply
        was evident during the Easter                                                                                           requires 72 hours testing before
        period this year as more than                                                                                           arrival or at entry points,”
        45 000 visitors descended to the                                                                                        Dr Rifai said.
        city for holidays.                                                                         TIA360’s Chief Executive      He emphasised that the
                                                                     Mayor Kaunda mentioned
          He stated that eThekwini’s   link them with appropriate   that other interventions that   Officer, Sindile Xulu said   current winner from the
        economy received a boost      financial institutions that can   have started to yield positive   the BR&E programme is   COVID-19 travel crises
        with direct spending at       offer assistance.             strides towards the tourism   internationally recognised as a   is domestic and regional
        approximately R60 million and   He further noted that       sector recovery includes      tool to promote the retention   tourism. South Africa was in
        a GDP contribution of around   they want to maintain this   providing incentives to small   and growth of local businesses.   top spot in Africa and second
        R150 million, with a total of 320   momentum through several   businesses since the outbreak   “BR&E can provide sustainable   internationally when it comes
        jobs created over this period.  interventions to be launched   of Covid-19 like converting   and innovative solutions for   to domestic business travel
                                                                                                                                recovery, as per recent Flight
          Kaunda added that it is     in eThekwini within the next   Bed and Breakfasts rates from   companies in the tourism   Centre Travel Group report. 
        such progressive strides that   few weeks such as partnering   commercial to residential for a   sector that have been adversely
                                                                                                  affected by the lockdown.”
        encouraged the City to partner   with the Durban Chamber    limited period. “We have also
        with TIA360 to offer a support   of Commerce and Industry   embarked on an aggressive      The guest speaker at the     If you would like your Durban
        package to help tourism       (DCCI) to attract investors in   marketing campaign to keep   conference, Dr Taleb Rifai,   based tourism business to participate
                                                                                                                                in the BR&E programme, you can
        businesses prepare themselves   the city to boost tourism and   Durban top of mind to visitors,”   who is also a former Secretary-  complete a questionnaire on:
        for access to finance and then   business market.           said Kaunda.                  General of the United Nations’   www.tia360.africa/bre












                                                                                                                   Dube
                                                                                                                   TradePort               The city of Durban
                                                                                               0        1          and King             (eThekwini Municipality)
                                                                                               0        0          Shaka                    is South Africa’s
                                                                                                        1          International        second most important
                                                                                                                   Airport - 60-            economic region
                                                                                                        0          year Master
                                                                                               11       11         Plan - driving

                                                                                                                   growth of             Extensive first-world
                                                                                               01                  aerotropolis,        road, rail, sea and air
                                                                                                        1          or airport city
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                                                                 0          0                           11         1                                  00
                                                                 1          1
                                                                                               0                                              Rated in top 5
                                                                 0          0                  11       1          1 0                     ‘Quality of Living’
                        BUY LOCAL                                11         1                  01                  1 0                    cities in Africa and
                                                                                                                                             Middle East by
                INVEST LOCAL                                     1          1                  0        1          11                    Mercer Consulting in
                                                                                                                                                    2015
                                                                 1
                                                                                                        0
                                                                            1
                                                                 0
                                                                            1
                                                                 1          0                  0        1          1 1                     Named one of the
                                                                            0                  11       0          0                    New 7 Wonders Cities
                              Let’s come together and heal as a nation.  0  0                           11         1                      by the Swiss-based
             Let’s focus on renewing, restoring and rebuilding successful partnerships   11  1                                               New 7 Wonders
            and investment opportunities so we can get back to promoting our city as                               0 11                   Foundation in 2014
              the ideal destination for business and pleasure to the rest of the world.
                                                                            1                           1
                                                                 1          0                           1                                              1
                Your support coupled with our world-class infrastructure, innovative                               1
            business environment and ever evolving investment opportunities, means   1         0        0                                             01
                       we can get back to ‘connecting continents’ in no time.                           1
                                                                            0                  3                                                      00
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                                         Tel: +27 31 311 4227                                  0        11
                                    Email: invest@durban.gov.za                                11
                                          web: invest.durban
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