After two years of having electronic meetings and virtual conferences, The African Travel Indaba returned to the City of Durban with 3 700 delegates that had attended. The event was over 3 days, from 2 to 5 May, at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre.
“Rebuilding the local tourism sector” was the theme of the Indaba and the EThekwini Municipality presented many upcoming development projects and destinations that the Durban residents can look forward to seeing soon.
One of the highlighted developments that the EThekwini Municipality residents can look forward to is the construction of the multi-million-rand ferry wheel, the Durban Eye. The Durban Eye can be expected to be seen along the beachfront promenade the expected launch month is February 2023.
R450 million will be invested in the construction of the Durban Eye. The attraction is said to provide tourists with a 360-degree panoramic view of the City of Durban and will boost 30 to 36 eight-seater cabins. The full rotation of the wheel will take 20 minutes and the Durban Tourists can expect to see the Bluff headland and receive a warm reception from the cargo and the passenger cruise ships on the KwaZulu Cruise Terminal.
The Durban Eye can be expected to be 60-meters high and can be seen at the southern end of the beachfront, bordering the harbour entrance channel. The development processes towards the attraction are expected to begin in July 2022.
The new development will not only attract tourists, however, it will also stimulate economic growth and create jobs as there will be complimentary product offerings that will come with the Durban Eye. The product offerings include merchandising, Food & Beverage outlets in the form of a permanent ‘carnival setting’ with open space ablutions and amphitheaters.
With Durban recovering from the heavy rainfalls in KwaZulu Natal, which was identified as a state of the national disaster, the collaboration between the private and public entities was a success as the City was prepared and represented in its most excellent form to welcome all local and international delegates at the Indaba. “With the floods, the beach was just something else. What you are seeing now has all been done in two weeks because we have been working around the clock” said the Durban Tourism Deputy Head of Department, Mrs. Winile Mntungwa, as she was thanking all exhibitors, show-casers, buyers, media representatives, and all entities involved for collaboration with the City in preparing and executing a successful 2022 Africa Travel Indaba.
