Tourism KwaZulu-Natal in partnership with Durban Tourism and Ushaka Marine World will be promoting Durban- KwaZulu-Natal as a must visit holiday destination to thousands of travelers from 60 nations at this year’s MTN Bushfire music festival in Malkerns Valley eSwatini at the weekend (Friday 31 May to Sunday June 2)
Now in its 17th year the Music and arts festival is promoted as a diverse, inclusive and family-friendly festival and as always, this year’s line-up features a mix of pan-African and international artists from across different genres who not only entertain but use their art as a powerful form of creative advocacy.
“We are using this event as a platform to exhibit and market the province and the city’s attractions to a wide and diverse audience with the aim of attracting more travellers from our neighbouring countries to Durban and KwaZulu-Natal. With the easy connections between the two destinations via eSwatini Air, we want to get more leisure and business travellers to Durban and KwaZulu-Natal,” said Pinky Radebe, Senior Manager PR, and Communications at Tourism KZN.
During the 2023, some 625 000 international visitors came to KZN of which 240 000 or 38,5% came from Eswatini making this a key source market for the province and the City of Durban. In 2019, nearly 300 000 travellers visited South Africa from Eswatini, of which 11.8% were tourism arrivals and more than 75% visiting friends and relatives.
Durban’s famous double decker bus “The Durban Ricksha Bus” is also heading to eSwatini where it will travel through the country promoting eThekwini. “
We are encouraging everyone to be on the lookout for the Durban Rickshaw Bus as we will have special giveaways from Durban, which is ready to welcome visitors from eSwatini and beyond. As a city tour on the Ricksahw Bus is one of the activities travelers can embark on in Durban, this activation is intended to show the people of eSwatini what they can expect and entice them to visit Durban,” said Winile Mtungwa, Deputy Head of Tourism at Durban Tourism.
The City of Durban and KwaZulu-Natal boast a vast array of fun and exciting experiences suitable for the entire family, couples, friends, and business travelers which can keep visitors busy for weeks.
Durban’s iconic water theme park Ushaka Marine World will also be part of the activation at the MTN Bushfire music festival with fun activities such as face painting, meet the popular ocean warriors and peek into the underwater experiences available at Ushaka Marine World through a virtual reality platform. Guests will also be treated to daily prizes which they can earn through participating in the activities at the Durban-KwaZulu Natal stand.
“The invitation to attend the MTN Bush Fire festival provides an opportunity for uShaka Marine World to engage stakeholders within SADC. Meeting at eSwatini is opportune as the country is one of the identified countries that are strategic for the promotion and growth of the uShaka Marine World brand,” said Buhle Malunga, Marketing Executive, Ushaka Marine World.
uShaka Marine World is the largest attraction in the city of Durban, boasting the largest aquarium in Southern Africa and the highest slide yet. The park offers guests to create memories within a cost-effective range while enjoying unlimited fun. With six products to explore, uShaka Marine World should be on every African child’s bucket list.
KZN through Durban’s King Shaka International Airport has excellent accessibility via air and road, is safe for all travelers; provides a range of accommodation from budget to mid-range and exclusive; the cuisine is superb with plenty of cultural food ; there’s street and high-end fashion spoils from a plethora of designers that capture the spirit of our city; coupled with a warm all year around climate and good beaches makes Durban a must visit destination.
If you plan a winter escape to Durban, make sure not miss the Hollywood Bets Durban July on the first weekend of July, a must attend event for socialites and fashionistas alike.
As eSwatini is one of KZN’s key regional tourism markets with the two countries sharing both historical and cultural ties, TKZN continues its efforts to strengthen relations between the two by working closely with eSwatini’s media to promote KZN as a destination for leisure travelers.
The beach is still the most popular reason why travellers from eSwatini come to Durban-KZN and it is therefore fitting that TKZN, Durban Tourism and Ushaka Marine World collaborate on this initiative to take a true beach experience to the MTN Bushfire and cement Durban-KZN as the ultimate beach destination to visit.
Last year the entity hosted key members of the media from eSwatini to KZN and Durban as part of the ongoing initiatives to get more leisure travelers coming to Durban and KwaZulu-Natal in the near future.
