Crime, grime undermine KZN

2003-10-21 15:44

Durban - While tourists are flocking to KwaZulu-Natal, crime and grime are undermining the true potential the province can offer.

Addressing the first annual provincial tourism conference in Durban on Tuesday, economic development and tourism MEC Roger Burrows said studies revealed that the primary factor threatening the province's share of both the domestic and international tourism markets was the perception of crime and grime.

"It is crucial that each of us do everything that we can to reduce crime in our areas so that tourists will feel safe and secure," Burrows said.

He said partnerships involving the police and local government are essential.

Surveys by provincial and national tourism agencies for 2002 revealed that about 29% of an estimated 2.1 million overseas and African air-arrival tourists to this country visit this province, and the main source of foreign air-tourists were the United Kingdom (24 percent) and Germany (13 percent).

Anita Soni, chairwoman of Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) said research had shown that in the domestic tourism market, the province continued to enjoy the lion's share of the South African domestic urban tourism market and that Gauteng was still the province's core external source.

For the future, TKZN wanted to work with SA Tourism to penetrate the Chinese, Russia and East European markets, especially Hungary.

"This focus has started yielding results with us signing lucrative charter deals with UK and German-based operators - deals worth several hundred million - that will (be) a tremendous boost to our economy."

KwaZulu-Natal used the Zulu Kingdom brand to market itself, she said, and research showed that more than 40 percent of South African's were aware of the concept. About 21% of foreign tourists were familiar with the branding.

- SAPA