The province itself is expecting to rake in a whopping R1bn when 250,000 local and 60,000 international visitors descend.
The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa was anticipating a “late surge of bookings’’, with hotels in the province already slowly filling up. “Holidaymakers tend to book very late. Our hotels are not at 100% occupancy as yet, but we anticipate the last-minute bookings. The harsh economic times, rising inflation, petrol prices and toll fees are situations which inhibit travellers," said Fedhasa east coast operational manager Charles Preece.
The beach and adventure experiences continue to be the biggest drawcards. However, TKZN statistics show that the Berg and Midlands also record good occupancy rates during the Easter period. “We receive a lot of visitors and travellers from our key source markets locally, from KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, and on the long haul our expected markets are the United Kingdom, Germany and United States,’’said TKZN acting chief executive officer Phindile Makwakwa.