OVER R100 MILLION BOOST AS VISITORS FLOCK TO DURBAN FOR VODACOM DURBAN JULY
Agency News
With over 55 000 visitors expected to descend on Greyville Racecourse in Durban this weekend, provincial tourism authorities are upbeat about the impact of the annual Vodacom Durban July on the local economy.
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Tourism KwaZulu-Natal[/caption]
The ever ‘posh’ equestrian spectacle takes place on 6 July and is a major draw card for horseracing enthusiasts, punters, celebrities and media from around the country and increasingly the SADC.
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal estimates that at least 40% of the 55 000 Vodacom Durban July attendees will be visitors from outside the province and projects the resulting economic impact to be in excess of R124 million. A further R50 million is expected to be raked in from local visitor spending at the event.
The usually sunny Durban skies at this time of the year allow visitors to experience the glitz and glamour associated with the Vodacom Durban July (VDJ) and take full advantage of the wide range of weekend festivities, in comfort and style.
“The perfect weather coupled with the timing of the event – over a weekend in the midst of the winter school holidays – encourages visitors to arrive earlier or stay longer, lengthening their stay to an average of three nights. This bodes well for the tourism industry as the benefit of the event is spread to other economic sectors and often to other regions within the province as well,” said Ndabo Khoza, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Home-grown flagship events such as the Vodacom Durban July, established in 1897, are critical to KwaZulu-Natal’s tourism marketing strategy as its equity is grounded within the province. This 116 year old event is the oldest of its kind in Africa and the biggest in the African continent. Not only is there a direct economic impact in terms of visitor arrivals and spend but there is also the undeniable benefit of the province’s natural warmth and beauty being showcased as the backdrop to these major events as they are being promoted. Destination awareness is also boosted tremendously through social media networking platforms as visitors share their experiences of the event and the destination whilst beaming real time images and footage around the world,” added Khoza.
As part of the on-going commitment to attract more tourists from the SADC region, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal has partnered with Air Botswana and Botswana-based travel trade in a Joint Marketing Agreement (JMA) to package the Vodacom Durban July as part of a KZN tour package. As a result, tourists will be arriving on an Air Botswana charter flight and will experience a “warm” KZN winter holiday. Tourism KZN will also be hosting travel trade from Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia during the period of this event as part of a week-long tourism educational of the province.
With an estimated 1.2 million South Africans visitors expected to travel to KwaZulu-Natal during the current winter school holiday season, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal attributes the province’s warm welcome, fine weather, exceptional experiences and unparalleled line-up of exciting events as being amongst the many reasons it continues to enjoy its reputation as the domestic holiday destination of choice for most South Africans.
Hot on the heels of a successful Top Gear Festival for the second year running, holidaymakers in KZN are currently enjoying the annual Sardine Festival, which runs until August and includes a spectacular variety of smaller events happening along the ever-popular South Coast.
There are many other exciting events lined up for the winter holiday season. These include:
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal[/caption]The ever ‘posh’ equestrian spectacle takes place on 6 July and is a major draw card for horseracing enthusiasts, punters, celebrities and media from around the country and increasingly the SADC.
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal estimates that at least 40% of the 55 000 Vodacom Durban July attendees will be visitors from outside the province and projects the resulting economic impact to be in excess of R124 million. A further R50 million is expected to be raked in from local visitor spending at the event.
The usually sunny Durban skies at this time of the year allow visitors to experience the glitz and glamour associated with the Vodacom Durban July (VDJ) and take full advantage of the wide range of weekend festivities, in comfort and style.
“The perfect weather coupled with the timing of the event – over a weekend in the midst of the winter school holidays – encourages visitors to arrive earlier or stay longer, lengthening their stay to an average of three nights. This bodes well for the tourism industry as the benefit of the event is spread to other economic sectors and often to other regions within the province as well,” said Ndabo Khoza, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Home-grown flagship events such as the Vodacom Durban July, established in 1897, are critical to KwaZulu-Natal’s tourism marketing strategy as its equity is grounded within the province. This 116 year old event is the oldest of its kind in Africa and the biggest in the African continent. Not only is there a direct economic impact in terms of visitor arrivals and spend but there is also the undeniable benefit of the province’s natural warmth and beauty being showcased as the backdrop to these major events as they are being promoted. Destination awareness is also boosted tremendously through social media networking platforms as visitors share their experiences of the event and the destination whilst beaming real time images and footage around the world,” added Khoza.
As part of the on-going commitment to attract more tourists from the SADC region, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal has partnered with Air Botswana and Botswana-based travel trade in a Joint Marketing Agreement (JMA) to package the Vodacom Durban July as part of a KZN tour package. As a result, tourists will be arriving on an Air Botswana charter flight and will experience a “warm” KZN winter holiday. Tourism KZN will also be hosting travel trade from Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia during the period of this event as part of a week-long tourism educational of the province.
With an estimated 1.2 million South Africans visitors expected to travel to KwaZulu-Natal during the current winter school holiday season, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal attributes the province’s warm welcome, fine weather, exceptional experiences and unparalleled line-up of exciting events as being amongst the many reasons it continues to enjoy its reputation as the domestic holiday destination of choice for most South Africans.
Hot on the heels of a successful Top Gear Festival for the second year running, holidaymakers in KZN are currently enjoying the annual Sardine Festival, which runs until August and includes a spectacular variety of smaller events happening along the ever-popular South Coast.
There are many other exciting events lined up for the winter holiday season. These include:
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