tipping point in the province’s recovery, as it leaves behind all legacies of the damaging floods.

Dube-Ncube made remarks during Africa’s Travel Indaba currently underway at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban.

She said the event shines the spotlight of the world on the province and brings a much-needed boost to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“Tourism is one of the foremost sectors we have identified as part of our Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan (ERRP). As figures for the festive season indicate, the return of our tourism sector is well on its way having recorded a recovery of R2.5 billion during the December period.

“As provincial government announced, the province welcomed over 500 000 domestic tourists and 51 000 international tourists. We were also pleased that according to Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, the occupancy rate from 26 December 2022 to 01 January 2023 reached an average of 81% across the province,” Dube-Ncube said.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the Premier said, the tourism sector boosts efforts in the creation of jobs, ending poverty and narrowing the gap between the rich and poor by availing opportunities for entrepreneurship and opening the sector to new players.

Africa’s Travel Indaba is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar and one of the top three ‘must visit’ events of its kind on the global calendar.

The 2023 edition of Africa’s Travel Indaba brings together stakeholders from across the tourism industry ecosystem, just under 1 000 exhibitors, destination marketing bodies, hotel groups, airlines, tour operators, and 10 African tourism boards.

The three-day event, being held from 09 to 11 May 2023, showcases the widest variety of Africa’s best tourism products and attracts international buyers and media from across the world.

Source: South African Government News Agency