Tourism bodies and businesses say a bumper crowd at the MTN8 final in Durban at the weekend reaffirmed the city as a premier sporting event destination.
The final, which was contested by Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch, was held at a sold-out Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night.
Over 60 000 spectators watched on as Pirates clinched the title.
Both eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba and KZN Premier Thami Ntuli said the event provided an important boost to the tourism economy.
Ntuli applauded the partnership between MTN and the Premier Soccer League, which brought the high-profile event to KwaZulu-Natal.
He said he was pleased with the overwhelming influx of fans from other provinces who travelled to KZN for the event.
“Hotels and accommodations in eThekwini were fully booked, which resulted in a surge in the provincial hospitality sector. Local restaurants, transport services, and other businesses also benefited from the large number of visitors attending the final.”
Ntuli added that the event had a positive impact on the township economy.
“The final provided a substantial boost to local businesses in our townships.
“Vendors, small businesses, and informal traders all experienced increased foot traffic and sales. It is important to continue to attract events of this magnitude to KwaZulu-Natal, as they play a crucial role in stimulating the economy and creating opportunities for local enterprises.”
Xaba said the city continued to live up to its tag of being the premier destination for major sporting events.
“The numbers we continue to attract during events in the city, whether it is sport or conferences, is an indication that our tourism sector is indeed bouncing back.”
Xaba added that eThekwini was poised for a bumper festive season.
“I am confident that the city will be able to attract over 1.3 million visitors during this period.”
Sammy Alli, general manager at Jessica's B&B in Durban, said that he had many calls for bookings this weekend.
“I had many rooms that were booked over the weekend and received a lot of calls on Saturday for rooms.”
Jeanie Sarno, chairperson of uMhlanga Tourism and owner of Burnham House B&B, said the tourism sector had longed to host more events in the province.
“KZN is magnificent in that it’s capable of receiving visitors all year round with the incredible climate we have. Be it sports, recreational, musical or religious events, we can host them all and it can be appreciated by local residents and out of town visitors.
“I see great things for the tourism sector in the near future, it’s taken some time but I am grateful to see we are regaining the visitors that we had lost.”
Brett Tungay, Fedhasa East Coast chairperson, said that sports and other events were extremely important for the tourism environment.
“They boost occupancy especially during out of season periods.
They provide a boost for restaurants, shopping malls and it’s great for the economy. We need more events like conferences, sporting events and concerts.“
Professor Irrshad Kaseeram, from the University of Zululand's Economics Department, said that events are critical for the growth of the eThekwini sub economy involving tourism such as flights, taxis, hotels, recreational entertainment and retail.
“If each fan spends a total of R3000 in the local economy, we have a total spending of R180 million.
With a conservative multiplier effect of 20%, this could result in a R0.9 billion effect in further spending investment and job creation.”
The Mercury