Mayor James Nxumalo has hailed the festive season as ‘the best we have had in a long time’.
“The 2011/12 festive season was by far the best we have had in a long time. I would like to thank everybody for playing a role in ensuring that this was made possible. From members of the public who complied with the City’s bylaws to Metro Police who made everybody feel safe by their visibility.
“A big thank you goes to the staff on the ground, who worked tirelessly sometimes under unfavourable weather conditions. We salute you,” said the Mayor.
During the festive season, huge crowds from all over the world descended to the beachfront. Despite the increase in the number of visitors from five hundred thousand to a million on New Year’s Eve, there were minor incidents reported with no drownings reported at all.
In early December, Nxumalo embarked on a beachfront walkabout where he interacted with members of the public and handed out gifts as part of the festive season celebrations. The Mayor said that locals and staff had once again shown why Durban was known as the prime tourist destination. The rescue services were particularly applauded for their efficient and effective response to emergency situations.
“Everything went smoothly and according to plan. We have had very minimal incidents that were reported. We have also heard from the visitors that they were happy to be in Durban and were pleased with the high police visibility that has left little room for crime to be committed,” said the Mayor. “We want to commend visitors and locals for their good behavior and cooperation with the Law Enforcement Officers during their stay in Durban,” Nxumalo added. Durban Tourism has reported that the revenue generated this festive season has increased compared to the previous year. The revenue generated over 3 weeks was R1.2 billion compared to the previous year’s R1 billion.
The Chairperson of the Economic Development Planning Committee, Deputy Mayor, Nomvuzo Shabalala said as the Committee they welcome the news. “These are just preliminary figures, next week we will be getting a full report, but we are very excited. We have a lot of programmes in place aimed at attracting visitors to our city, we invite business people to support us,” said Shabalala.
The Municipality’s Festive Season Management Committee Chairperson, Christo Swart said: “The atmosphere at the beaches was conducive and people were just enjoying themselves.
This made things easier for those that were tasked with maintaining law and order.” Metro Police Spokesperson, Senior Supt. Eugene Msomi said the law enforcement was tightened at all the beaches and they made sure that people do not bring alcohol to the beach. This led to zero drowning this year.