The City is ready to host the almost 1.4 million domestic and international tourists who flock to our shores to enjoy our warm weather, beautiful beaches and friendly people during the Festive Season.
The safety of all visitors is a priority and eThekwini Municipality with other stakeholders has put together a comprehensive integrated summer season programme with special measures to ensure that visitors enjoy a safe and hassle free stay in our beautiful City.
To prepare for the high numbers of visitors to the beaches, 90 000 wrist bands have been procured. All children on the beachfront will be required to wear a wristband which contains the details of their guardians. In the event that a child is separated from their guardian, 40 child-minders have been employed to look after them until they are reunited.
Around 72 beach buddies will be situated across the various City beaches and will be on hand to offer any type of assistance to visitors. An additional 113 seasonal lifeguards have also been deployed at various beaches. All bathing beaches will be operational between 06h00 and 18h00 on a daily basis.
The Durban Solid Waste (DSW) Unit has appointed 95 additional staff litter pickers and an extra 1 362 litter bins have been placed along the beachfront. The Municipality urges patrons to make use of these bins to ensure that the City is kept clean at all times.
Over the festive period, DSW staff will work in two shifts, providing an 18 hour service. A mobile “hit team” will be deployed to the beachfront to attend to urgent complaints and will be on site daily from 07h00 to 16h00.
Law Enforcement Officers will also be out in full force. Metro Police Officers, South African Police, security personnel and Beach Law Enforcement Officers will conduct regular patrols around the City including on the beaches.
Several road safety campaigns have been planned to ensure that unroadworthy vehicles, drunken driving and irresponsible conduct on the road is curbed.
To control traffic on the beachfront, certain roads leading into the beachfront will be closed while others will be boom-gate controlled. On peak days, the boom gates will be closed and only permit holders will be allowed access to the beachfront.
It is expected that approximately 1.4 million visitors will visit the City over the festive season. This figure includes day visitors. Hotels are expecting 80 percent room occupancy. The projected direct economic spend for the festive season is approximately R3.1 billion, which will result in a Gross Domestic contribution to the City of approximately R5.2 billion.
Speaking at the Festive Season launch on 26 November 2015, eThekwini Mayor James Nxumalo said the Municipality has heavily invested in the scenic seven kilometre promenade and other attractions to maintain, boost and drive Durban’s competitive edge in the tourism arena.
“Durban, as a tourism destination of choice, is a modern multi-faceted City with a rich history and unparalleled cultural diversity. Its all-year round warm weather guarantees a high quality of life characterised by a wide variety of social and recreation activities all within close proximity. Our diverse cultural heritage defines key aspects of our tourism products and offers unique experiences for international and domestic visitors,” he said.
He urged all visitors to take full advantage of the City’s scenic views, world-class recreational facilities and entertainment but cautioned them to do so in a responsible manner.
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