The Durban Tourism Authority held a cocktail party at the Durban Exhibition Centre on Monday, 09 May 2011 as part of the South African Tourism Indaba that is currently taking place in Durban. This was to welcome visitors to this City and for international tour buyers and South African Tourism managers to network and get to know the Durban tourism brand.
EThekwini Mayor, Cllr Obed Mlaba welcomed visitors and encouraged them to enjoy the warm hospitality of the City. ‘Durban is a place where you can do your business, have leisure and pleasure. You must also explore other places like the Drakensburg and witness the beautiful province of KwaZulu-Natal,’ said Mlaba.
Municipal Manager, Dr Michael Sutcliffe expressed his gratitude to the longest serving Mayor in South Africa for his leadership when it comes to tourism. ‘Durban has been able to spend a lot more money than any other city in South Africa through the support of Mayor, Cllr Obed Mlaba.’
He further stated that even though many parts of the country are still suffering from the historic apartheid divisions, the beach area still remains the only part where you will find people of all races gathered together to have fun.
A presentation on the latest developments in Durban was shown, including the expanded the beachfront promenade and further investments in the expansion of the promenade for the enjoyment of locals and visitors.
Issues of safety and security that had previously been of great concern to visitors have been carefully tackled with the installation of CCTV cameras throughout the City and the increased visibility of Metro Police and the SAPS.
Head of Business Support, Tourism and Markets Unit in the eThekwini Municipality, Mr Phillip Sithole said; ‘We had at least 20 to 25 international buyers that we were able to network and do business with. The Tourism Indaba is a good platform for us to market the City as we seek to further grow the tourism industry.’
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