Durban tourism rebounds: City records over 800,000 beachgoers amid recovery

The eThekwini Municipality has shrugged off criticism over its recent beach woes, stating that the city is currently experiencing a festive season similar to the pre-COVID-19 era.

The municipality held a media briefing on the North Beach Pier on Monday to provide statistics on the season’s performance so far. The update follows the recent closure of four local beaches due to water contamination; however, the City has since reopened three of them.

In the 2019 festive season—the last peak period before the world was plunged into lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic—Durban recorded approximately 900,000 visitors.

With a few weeks remaining before the current festive season concludes, eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba reports that close to 500,000 visitors have already arrived in the city.

“It is exciting to note that Durban is experiencing a bumper festive season, last seen before the Covid-19 pandemic," said Xaba. "This is evident from the significant number of visitors who have already descended on our shores ahead of Christmas and New Year’s Eve.”

Xaba added that Durban’s beaches continue to be the primary tourism driver, with over 870,000 people visiting the coastline since the start of December.