Durban Pushing Hard for Quick Tourism Recovery to Help South Africa’s Economy
Photo Credit: Durban, South Africa, wants to get back to 2019 growth mode (a rarity in South Africa) as quickly as possible. Flickr / Paul Saad
Skift Take
Durban was a rare source of growth for South Africa's tourism economy in 2019, but leaders have to be vigilant against an early reopening of international borders sparking a case surge and becoming a drag on the region's reputation.
South Africa reopened its borders to international travelers earlier this month, as travel leaders in a city on the country’s eastern coast argue tourism is crucial to delivering the country a full economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Durban — South Africa’s third-largest city — may not be as historically popular with tourists as Cape Town or Johannesburg. But the metropolitan area, with roughly 3.7 million people, was a pre-pandemic tourism bright spot at a time when inbound tourism into South Africa was on the decline.
While Durban wasn’t spared from the pandemic, business leaders are optimistic reopening borders can deliver an accelerated recovery timeline without running the risk of losing control of the virus.
“We need this tourism. That’s all we’ve been trying to say. It’s not a bad call. Just make sure Americans come with certificates saying they don’t have the disease — just like they’ve been strict with us on Ebola,” said Lee Zame
