KWAZULU-Natal, led by the Department of Economic Affairs, Tourism and Environmental Affairs and hosted by Durban Direct, is on a trade mission in Zimbabwe and Zambia this week, to boost trade, air travel and tourism between these countries and the province. Included in the delegation are nine KZN-based businesses operating in the retail, manufacturing, agriculture, agri-processing and mining sectors.
Durban Direct, the committee responsible for route development at Durban’s King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) works to improve the region’s air connectivity with strategic destinations throughout Africa and the world, unlocking aviation’s potential to drive socio-economic development.
It supports the introduction of new direct air services into KSIA by offering attractive airline and marketing support programmes to assist airlines in starting and growing air services.
“It is important that we continually remind ourselves of the central role that air services play in stimulating economic development. New international and regional air routes open new opportunities across a full spectrum of sectors including tourism and leisure, business and commercial, cargo and manufacturing. It is no coincidence that the fastest growing and most sustainable local economies across the world are served by airports with wide-reaching regional and international networks,” said Thulisile Galelekile, Durban Direct: marketing committee chairperson and investment leader of the KZN delegation.
Xolile Shabalala, route development project manager said: “As we continue to grow route development in the province, we’re looking to cultivate more partnerships, to systematically drive traffic to Durban thus leading to more sustainable routes in the long term.
“Regional developments such as the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market, the African Free Trade Agreement, and Africa’s growing and young population which is expected to have a significant contribution to the world’s GDP over the next 20 years are some of the factors making it increasingly important for us to prioritise collaboration among all economic stakeholders in driving air connectivity,” she said.
In the dynamic landscape of logistics, adaptability remains key, and the cargo terminal is not only flexible, operating 24/7 without extra charges, but it also has an inhouse road carrier and bonded trucking fleet to assist clients. The terminal has a proud record of 0% cargo loss since opening in May 2010, an excellent Service Level Agreement performance and it offers 900 sqm cold storage facility with temperatures from -18 degrees to +20 degrees.
For the past seven-year KSIA has been rated by Skytrax as the Best Regional Airport in Africa and rated as number two on the continent by Africa Facts Zone. It has a passenger terminal capacity: of 7.5 million per annum and a cargo capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes.
However, Dube TradePort’s vision extends beyond just developing its cargo volumes. The establishment of business travel and leisure air services between regional destinations has the potential to stimulate trade growth significantly.
In 2020 when air passengers through KISA reached some 6,1 million, the cargo volumes through the Dube TradePort Cargo Terminal reached a record 16,000 tonnes per annum driven, in part, by the increase in passenger flights, which injected additional belly capacity into Durban’s operations.
SA Tourism’s latest research report shows that in 2023 travellers from Zimbabwe to South Africa were 2,11 million people per annum an increase of 70,8% year on year from 2022 and made up the highest number of African visitors to the country. During the same period Zambian visitors rose 25,1% to 145,244.
“However, only a fraction of these visitors come to KZN, and this is where we would like to see change. In 2023/24 financial year, Zimbabwean visitors to KZN were 4,441 and those from Zambia were 3,344,” said Galelekile.
Land travel to South Africa is still the most popular mode, accounting for 72,5% of the trips while African air travel accounts for only 3%. This leaves huge room for improvement in air travel especially as the main purpose for these visits is Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events (MICE), business, holiday personal shopping and visiting friends and relatives, respectively.
On the other hand, those who travel to SA by land do so primarily to visit friends and relatives, followed by retail buying based on good pricing, value and variety of goods, and then diversity of attractions.
From a tourism perspective, KZN has one of the most diverse tourism offerings in the country ensuring that there is something for everyone from young to elderly. KZN boasts a coastline of 600kms, three international heritage sites (Isimangaliso Wetland Park, Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Mountains and the Sibudu Caves) and offers an array of land and water safaris. The province also has a rich culture and heritage, adventure and sports activities galore, warm weather and friendly people.
