By Rev Musa Zondi – KZN MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs
SEPTEMBER has long been recognised as International Tourism Month and later this month, on the 27th, we will celebrate World Tourism Day.
As you no doubt know, this is acknowledged by The United National World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and celebrates awareness in the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value.
Connecting the world
UNWTO’s theme this year is “Tourism and Peace” – and we in South Africa have taken this message even further.
Our national theme is “Tourism and Peace: 30 Years of Connecting People and Places and Cultures’’.
The KZN Tourism and Film Authority will use this theme to highlight that our province is open for business and that we are ready to welcome guests from far and wide.
We have a new brand and a new logo and we are enthusiastic about another special culture – the culture of travelling, of exploring our own backyards and welcoming visitors to our warm, friendly province with its rich history.
This special month is a wonderful opportunity for us to remind potential visitors – and those who want to revisit the attractions – of the province’s tourist offerings.
Zulu heritage
We have joined forces with several other entities – including the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, KZN Amafa and Zululand District Municipality and schools in the area – to support and host celebrations and to tell everyone about Zululand – the heart of the Zulu Kingdom, Zulu heritage and rural tourism.
Steeped in history as Zululand is, this unique cultural and heritage destination has shown a steady increase in the number of tourists it has welcomed post-Covid 19, going from 305 018 visitors in 2022 to 364 160 in 2023.
One of the region’s big attractions which I must mention is the eMakhosini Ophathe Heritage Park, which lies along the White uMfolozi River, and is close to Ulundi.
This park was formed after the addition of the eMakhosini valley, also known as the Valley of the Kings.
We are thrilled to be hosting a range of activities during Tourism Month which showcase what KZN has to offer visitors.
We will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the famous Reed Dance. And a special billboard featuring the Reed Dance was unveiled in Ulundi this week.
To mark the 40th anniversary, we are starting work on a world-class Reed Dance documentary, which is likely to be produced next year.
Tourism education
As you are never too young to learn about the benefits of tourism, we, in partnership with the KZN Department of Education, and District and Local Municipality, will be hosting an educational tour targeting schools in Zululand, Amajuba and the Ugu District Municipality.
The best performing schools in tourism will be identified for the tourism awareness programme, and 30 learners and their teachers from each district will have the opportunity to experience the tourism products in their district.
I must also mention how delighted we are that KZN now has two other World Heritage Sites – the Sibhudu Cave, a rock shelter in a sandstone cliff, in KwaDukuza; and the Ohlange Institute. This unique site, which shows evidence of some of the earlier human innovations, adds another exciting chapter to the region’s heritage landscape.
Hilton Hotel revival
Meanwhile, back in Durban, there is also something special to celebrate: something that will add to the region’s luxury executive accommodation inventory.
One of KZN’s landmark five-star hotels – the prestigious Hilton Hotel – is set to reopen after having closed in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
The timing of the phased re-opening is particularly significant, coming as it does during Tourism Month.
Sited next to the Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (Durban ICC) and the nearby Durban Exhibition Centre, the hotel will once again be available for business and leisure guests and conference delegates and for those high security-risk guests – including Heads of State attending national and international conferences and who need to stay somewhere close by and secure.
As well as contributing to job creation, the re-opening of the Hilton Hotel will enable the ICC and the KZN Tourism and Film Convention Bureau to once again be able to boost the city’s business case when bidding to host those all-important conferences.
This Tourism Month, we want to encourage everyone to continue supporting local tourism. There are no bigger ambassadors of KZN and South Africa than its citizens. This allows us to keep growing the sector and creating more jobs for the people of KZN. Therefore, we will have myriad exciting activities and events across the province to keep the entire family entertained.
Events calendar
I encourage you to visit www.zulu.org.za to download our calendar of events in the province and explore things to do during Tourism Month. We also have value for money specials put together by our tourism partners.
We cannot forget the role of filmmaking in promoting this exceptional province of KZN and we also encourage you to use your own social media platforms to wave the KZN flag high. With the power of social media today, a top producer might just spot your content, and it may raise his curiosity to come to KZN and shoot his next big blockbuster.
As the year slowly comes to an end, we are all looking forward to the upcoming summer season. Therefore, let’s start now to book for those summer holiday breaks – and trust me when I tell you, there is no better holiday destination than KZN.