Durban’s hospitality and tourism sector appears to be ready for an influx of visitors from around the country as EThekwini Municipality gets set host Africa’s biggest horseracing event. The Hollywoodbets Durban July on 6 July at the Greyville Racecourse has a “Ride the Wave” theme and is predicted to attract around 45,000 visitors with accommodation occupancy expected to reach 78 percent.
The City revealed the above plans and initiatives during a media launch of the Durban July Grand Experience in Florida Road´s Gordon Park on 3 July. Both Hollywoodbets and Gold Circle representatives were enthusiastically looking forward to the season, stating that all their preparations are on point.
CounThembo Ntuli, Chairperson of the Economic Development and Planning Committee names a few types of preinstalled safety measures. “Members of Metro Police will be stationed in the vicinity at Greyville, together with law enforcement partners. ” All intersections will be manned for traffic control with a few road closures,” he confirmed.
Noting the economic impact, Ntuli said: “The direct spend is R271 million and [contributes a] total of 670 Million to eThekwini GDP, with employment at approximately beyond five thousand respondents.
He continued to commend the Durban Fashion Fair (DFF) programme, saying that: “Nine of our DFF rising stars are going to take centre stage this year and give spectators a taste of what is hot in fashion at present. In addition, six models identified via our Municipal model scout programme will be part of the race day fashion showcase wearing designers collections.”
In the run-up to the Durban July weekend, a tel of events have been lined up including Fact Durban Rocks and eThekwini Jazz Jam that will ensure long before arriving there,the city truly deserves its title as Africa’s leading festival and event destination.