KWAZULU-NATAL VISITOR BOOK PROJECT REPORT

Prepared by: Nanja Schalkwijk, Wayne Tifflin and Karen Kohler

2017

Tourism KwaZulu-Natal

[KWAZULU-NATAL VISITOR BOOK PROJECT

REPORT]

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Figures .................................................................................................................... 3

Table of Contents Tables ..................................................................................................................... 4

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 5

1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 6

2. Global Tourism ................................................................................................................................ 8

2.2 Africa ..................................................................................................................................... 11

3. South Africa Analyses ........................................................................................................................ 12

3.1 General ........................................................................................................................................ 12

3.1.1 Foreign visitors ..................................................................................................................... 12

3.1.2 Domestic visitors .................................................................................................................. 20

3.2 KwaZulu-Natal ............................................................................................................................. 22

3.2.1 Foreign visitors ..................................................................................................................... 22

3.2.2 Domestic visitors .................................................................................................................. 28

4. Visitor Book types .......................................................................................................................... 31

4.1 Standard Visitor Book ............................................................................................................ 31

4.2 Hostel Visitor Book ................................................................................................................ 31

5 Standard Visitor Book – Respondents ........................................................................................... 32

5.1 Responses .............................................................................................................................. 32

5.2 Museums and Art Galleries ......................................................................................................... 40

6 Hostel Book – Respondents ........................................................................................................... 47

7 Regional Analyses KwaZulu-Natal ................................................................................................. 53

7.1 South Coast.................................................................................................................................. 53

7.2 Drakensberg ................................................................................................................................ 58

7.3 North Coast ................................................................................................................................. 63

7.4 Battlefields ................................................................................................................................... 68

7.5 Zululand and the Elephant Coast ................................................................................................ 73

7.6 Durban and Surrounds ................................................................................................................ 78

7.7 Pietermartizburg and Midlands ................................................................................................... 83

8 Seasonality ..................................................................................................................................... 88

8.1 South Coast.................................................................................................................................. 88

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8.2 Drakensberg ................................................................................................................................ 90

8.3 North Coast ................................................................................................................................. 92

8.4 Battlefields ................................................................................................................................... 94

8.5 Zululand and the Elephant Coast ................................................................................................ 96

8.6 Durban and Surrounds ................................................................................................................ 98

8.7 Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands .......................................................................................... 100

9 Conclusion and Recommendations ............................................................................................. 102

10 References ............................................................................................................................... 105

Appendices .......................................................................................................................................... 107

Appendix 1 - Visa Regulations changes 2016 ................................................................................. 107

Appendix 2 – Participating Establishments (Standard Book) .......................................................... 108

Appendix 3 – Participating Visitor Hostels ...................................................................................... 110

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Table of Contents Figures Figure 1&2: International tourist arrivals, world, 1995-2017 Figure 3: International Tourist Arrivals per region, 2013-2016 Figure 4: Outlook; international tourist arrivals per region, world, 2013- 2017 Figure 5: Total overseas (long haul) visitors to South Africa, 1980 – 2016 Figure 6: South Africa’s provincial distribution – Foreign tourist, 2014-2016 Figure 7: South Africa’s overview of tourist arrivals, 2015/2016 Figure 8: South Africa’s main overseas (long haul) tourists source markets 2012-2016 Figure 9: Tourist arrivals in South Africa originated from BRIC countries 2012-2016 Figure 10: Purpose of visit for all foreign tourists to South Africa 2012-2016 Figure 11: South Africa – Seasonality of foreign tourist arrivals 2014-2016 Figure 12: South Africa’s top five domestic tourism source markets 2012-2016 Figure 13: South Africa – seasonality of domestic travel 2013-2015 Figure 14: KwaZulu-Natal’s top Long Haul Source Market (2012-2015) Figure 15: Destinations Visited in KwaZulu-Natal – Overseas and African Air Departures 2011-2015 Figure 16: Purpose of visit for all overseas and African air departures to KwaZulu-Natal 2011-2015 Figure 17: Purpose of visit for all land departures to KwaZulu-Natal 2011-2015 Figure 18: Destinations visited in KwaZulu-Natal – Foreign tourists 2011-2015 Figure 19: Purpose of visit for all domestic visitors to KwaZulu-Natal 2011-2015 Figure 20: Total respondents by month – Standard Visitor Book January 2002- to present Figure 21: Respondents by country of origin, domestic or foreign – Standard Visitor Book January 1998 – to present Figure 22: Domestic respondents by province of origin- Standard Visitor Book January 1998 – to present Figure 23: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Standard Visitor Book January 1998 – to present Figure 24: Respondents by length of stay – Standard Visitor Book January 1998 – to present Figure 25: Respondents by communication influence – Standard Visitor Book January 1998 – to present Figure 26: Respondents by purpose of visit – Standard Visitor Book January 1998 – to present Figure 27: Total respondents by month – Museums and Art Galleries January 1998 – to present Figure 28: Respondents by country of origin, domestic to foreign –Museum and Art Galleries January 1998-to present Figure 29: Domestic respondents by province of origin – Museum and Art Galleries January 1998 – to present Figure 30: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Museum and Art Galleries January 1998 – to present Figure 31: Respondents by communication influence – Museum and Art Galleries January 1998 – to present Figure 32: Respondents by purpose of visit – Museum and Art Galleries January 1998 – to present Figure 33: International arrivals in the youth travel industry 2002 - 2020 Figure 34: Respondents by purpose of visit- Hostel Visitor Book July 2000 - to present Figure 35: Respondents by communication influence – Hostel Visitor Book July 2000 - to present Figure 36: Respondents by country of origin, domestic or foreign - Hostel Visitor Book July 2000 - to present Figure 37: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin - Hostel Visitor Book July 2000 - to present Figure 38: Respondents by purpose of visit – South Coast January 1998 - to present Figure 39: Respondents by communication influence – South Coast January 1998 - to present Figure 40: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – South Coast January 1998 - to present Figure 41: Domestic respondents by province of origin – South Coast January 1998 - to present Figure 42: Top 5 overseas visitors by country or origin – South Coast January 1998 – to present Figure 43: Respondents by purpose of visit – Drakensberg January 1998 - to present Figure 44: Respondents by communication influence – Drakensberg January 1998 - to present Figure 45: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – Drakensberg January 1998 - to present Figure 46: Domestic respondents by province of origin – Drakensberg January 1998 - to present Figure 47: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Drakensberg January 1998 - to present Figure 48: Respondents by purpose of visit – North Coast January 1998 – to present Figure 49: Respondents by communication influence – North Coast January 1998 – to present Figure 50: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – North Coast January 1998 – to present Figure 51: Domestic respondents by province of origin – North Coast January 1998 – to present Figure 52: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – North Coast January 1998 – to present Figure 53: Respondents by purpose of visit – Battlefields January 1998 - to present Figure 54: Respondents by communication influence – Battlefields January 1998 - to present Figure 55: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – Battlefields January 1998 - to present Figure 56: Domestic respondents by province of origin – Battlefields January 1998 - to present Figure 57: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Battlefields January 1998 - to present Figure 58: Respondents by purpose of visit – Zululand and Elephant Coast January 1998 - to present Figure 59: Respondents by communication influence – Zululand and Elephant Coast January 1998 - to present Figure 60: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – Zululand and Elephant Coast January 1998 - to present Figure 61: Domestic respondents by province of origin – Zululand and Elephant Coast January 1998 - to present Figure 62: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Zululand and Elephant Coast January 1998 - to present Figure 63: Respondents by purpose of visit – Durban and surrounds January 1998 - to present

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Figure 64: Respondents by communication influence – Durban and Surrounds January 1998 - to present Figure 65: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – Durban and Surrounds January 1998 - to present Figure 66: Domestic respondents by province of origin – Durban and surrounds January 1998 - to present Figure 67: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Durban and Surrounds January 1998 - to present Figure 68: Respondents by purpose of visit – Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands January 1998 - to present Figure 69: Respondents by communication influence – Pietermaritzburg and the Midland January 1998 - to present Figure 70: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign-Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands January 1998 - to present Figure 71: Domestic respondents by province of origin – Pietermaritzburg and surrounds January 1998 - to present Figure 72: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands January 1998 - to present Figure 73: Foreign holiday visitors by month, South Coast January 1980 – to present Figure 74: Domestic holiday visitors by month, South Coast January 1998 – to present Figure 75: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, South Coast January 1998 – to present Figure 76: Foreign holiday visitors by month, Drakensberg January 1998-to present Figure 77: Domestic holiday visitors by month, Drakensberg January 1998-to present Figure 78: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, Drakensberg January 1998 – to present Figure 79: Foreign holiday visitors by month, North Coast January 1998 – December 2013 Figure 80: Domestic holiday visitors by month, North Coast January 1998 – December 2013 Figure 81: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, North Coast January 1998 – December 2013 Figure 82: Foreign holiday visitors by month, Battlefields January 1998 – to present Figure 83: Domestic holiday visitors by month, Battlefields January 1998 – to present Figure 84: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, Battlefields January 1998 – to present Figure 85: Foreign holiday visitors by month, Zululand and the Elephant Coast January 1998 – to present Figure 86: Domestic holiday visitors by month, Zululand and the Elephant Coast January 1998 – to present Figure 87: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, Zululand and the Elephant Coast January 1998 – to present Figure 88: Foreign holiday visitors by month, Durban and surrounds January 1998 – to present Figure 89: Domestic holiday visitors by month, Durban and Surrounds January 1998 – to present Figure 90: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, Durban and surrounds January 1998 – to present Figure 91: Foreign holiday visitors by month, Pietermaritzburg and Midlands January 1998 – to present Figure 92: Domestic holiday visitors by month, Pietermaritzburg and Midlands January 1998 – to present Figure 93: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, Pietermaritzburg and Midlands January 1998-January 2015 Figure 94: Respondents by purpose of visit all regions January 2014 – to present Figure 95: Respondents by communication influence, all regions January 2014 – to present

Table of Contents Tables Table 1: South Africa - The Foreign Picture 2006-2015 Table 2: The South African Domestic Tourism Picture 2006-2015 Table 3: KwaZulu-Natal – The Foreign Tourist Picture 2008-2014 Table 4: Toll tariffs Durban – Johannesburg 2006-2016 Table 5: Average yearly South African fuel prices (petrol 95 unleaded) 2007-2016 Table 6: KwaZulu-Natal’s Top Ten Foreign Tourism Source Markets 2007-2014 Table 7: KwaZulu-Natal – Top Five Domestic Source Markets 2008-2014 Table 8: KwaZulu-Natal’s Domestic Tourist Picture 2009-2014 Table 9: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Standard Visitor Book January 1998- to present Table 10: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Museum and Art Galleries January 1998 – to present Table 11: Foreign visitors by country or origin - Hostel Visitor July 2000 - to present Table 12: Foreign visitors by country of origin – South Coast January 1998 - to present Table 13: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Drakensberg January 1998 – to present Table 14: Foreign visitors by country or origin – North Coast January 1998 - 2013 Table 15: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Battlefields January 1998 - to present Table 16: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Zululand and Elephant Coast January 1998 - to present Table 17: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Durban and Surrounds January 1998 - to present Table 18: Visitors by country or origin – Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands January 1998- to present

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Executive Summary This report contains information on data collected by the Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) Visitor Book project, as well as collated from other sources. By means of the visitor books, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal collects tourism information on media influence, purpose of visit, country of residence and more, from those people who visited participating establishments and filled in Visitor Book forms. The first Visitor Book developed by TKZN was the standard Visitor Book which is provided to all publicity associations, information offices and a range of tourist amenities and facilities throughout the province. The second Visitor Book was designed specifically for youth and backpacker hostels throughout the province because it was felt that far too little was known about this niche market. The information from both of these books is returned by their users on a regular basis and is captured in TKZN’s Visitor Book database. Reports on this data are produced and provided to the tourism amenities which participate in this project with TKZN. This report contains several sections: first an introduction to the report is given, second comes an analysis of the tourism market of the whole of South Africa, which is followed by an analysis of the tourist picture in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Third, there is a description of the Visitor Books, fourth, data from who filled in the standard Visitor Book are analyzed and fifth, data from all respondents who filled in the hostel book are analyzed. The visitor profiles for the different regions within KZN are analyzed as is the seasonality within these regions. Lastly, there are some conclusions and recommendations drawn from these findings which may prove useful in term of future planning for all participants. The Visitor Book project data in this report is separated into time periods, rather than all collated together. In this way, broad trends were able to be identified, and planning for development or marketing for establishments or tourism destinations will be assisted. The Visitor Book data indicates that most foreign visitors to KZN are from the UK, Germany USA, the France and the Netherlands. However, a significant decrease in the number of visitors from the UK is indicated. Domestic markets tend to remain as Gauteng or KZN. The low season troughs occur in May/June and peaks during public and school holidays, which is also the case in the other provinces of SA. This is a further indication that the majority of visitors to establishments with Visitor Books are South Africans, as well as an indication as to which markets need to be targeted in order to lessen the effects of seasonality. We urgently request any establishments which have not returned the Visitor Book pages yet, to do so. The more data we receive, the more accurate these reports will be.

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1. Introduction

An understanding of the number of tourists visiting KwaZulu-Natal and their interests is fundamental to all tourism planning; marketing and promotion campaigns; service and facility improvement; and tourism development in general.

Tourism KwaZulu-Natal started the visitor book project to collect such information from tourism attractions, information offices and facilities around the province and has run the visitor book project for just over seventeen years now. This report is a collation of all the returned data from the start of the project in January 1998 up until April 2017. Since 2010 the report has provided a new way of displaying the data. All of the data is divided into time periods, rather than all collated together. In this way, broad trends were able to be identified, which is helpful for tourism enterprises involved in tourism planning and development. In this issue, data is separated into five periods, 1998-2001, 2002-2005, 2006-2009, 2010-2013, and 2014 to date. The latest period, 2014-to date, only consists of a period just over three years instead of the normal period of 4 years. This will obviously have an influence on the results in the report. Due to the fact that this is the fifth time all the data have been divided into time periods, some things have emerged and need to be explained before reading this report. Despite the increasing number of participants, fewer returns were received over certain time periods. Therefore, this data may be less accurate. This can be explained by several factors, for example, a decrease in participating establishments over time in that particular area and an increase in participants in other areas. Also, some incorrect links of amenities to regions were identified in the database, which were subsequently corrected. This explained the difference in total data in some regions compared to the earlier visitor book reports. Unfortunately, because of the fact that the data was captured by different people over the years, some data capturers have interpreted visitor answers slightly different, which sometimes resulted in inexplicable differences in the figures over time, for example with the length of stay. Again, as many of these inconsistencies as possible have been corrected. In 2009, South African Tourism (SAT) changed their tourism data reporting methodology. They began only to include tourists, and no longer include day visitors. SAT was for the first time able to make the distinction between tourists and day visitors and therewith excluded day visitors. In this way a new data series was started only reporting on tourists. As a result of this change, the earlier results in this report are not completely comparable to previous reports, as they are considerably lower. In 2015, there was again a change in the data collection methodology, when Statistics South Africa (STATSSA) removed the transits from the arrivals categories. This put the data collection and dissemination methodology into line with internaitonal best practice. It should also be kept in mind that the data used consists only of the people who filled in visitor books, and which was not necessarily complete in all cases. It consists of the data of the establishments which sent in visitor book pages to Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) for data capturing. A list of participating establishments for each of the two visitor book types is appended to this report. It should be noted that although a great deal of information has been returned, data capturing takes time. This means that some establishments have not yet had their data captured although they may have sent in visitor book data pages some time ago. Likewise, some of the establishments which participated initially have become defunct but their valuable data has been retained.

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In conclusion, one needs to be careful with interpreting the visitor book results too literally. Broad trends can be identified, often confirmed by official statistics from SAT. However, some conclusions can not be reached because of lack of such confirmation. We hope you find these analyses useful.

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2. Global Tourism Demand for international tourism remained significant in 2016 regardless of the challenges. International tourist arrivals reached 1,235 million, which is a 3.9% increase compared to 2015 where there were 1,184 million arrivals and grew by 4.4% compared to 2014 (UNWTO Barometer, 2017). As compared to 2015, 46 million more tourists travelled internationally in 2016. This means that 2016 is the 7th consecutive year of above average growth after the global economic and financial crisis in 2009. A comparable order of continuous substantial growth has not taken place since the 1960s. This resulted in an increase of 300 million international tourists that travelled the world in 2016 in comparison to the year 2008 when a pre-crisis was recorded. International tourism receipts grew at a pace in this period that is very much alike

Figure 1&2: International Tourist Arrivals, World 1995-2017*

(UNWTO Barometer, Jan 2017)

According to the World Travel Trends Report (as cited in UNTWO press release, 2017), tourism has shown strenght and resilience in recent years, particularly in regard to safety and security such as terror attacks and political unrest as these happings have had no impact on the overall volume of worldwide outbound trips this year. Yet, international travel continues to grow strongly and contribute to job creation and the wellbeing of communities around the world”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. This growth in the global travel industry is led by Asian and the Pacific with an increase of 8% in international tourists’ arrivals in 2016, driven by strong demand from intra- as well as interregional source markets (UNWTO Barometer, 2017). Some 24 million more international tourist arrivals were recorded in 2016 to total 303 million. Growth was present in all four sub-regions with Oceania having an increase of 10% in arrivals followed by South Asia with 9%, while North-East Asia and South East Asia both grew by 8%. Africa increased +8% points in international arrivals in 2016 indicating a strong comeback after two weaker years, and this added 4 million arrivals to the continent to reach 58 million. Sub-Saharan Africa reached +11% growth followed by a slow but continued recovery in North Africa of +3%. America continued its positive and solid growth with +4%, an increase of 8 million tourist arrivals to reach 201 million. Growth was stronger in South America and Central America, being both +6%, while the Caribbean and North America were noted to be +4%.

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Figure 3: International Tourist Arrivals per region, World 2013-2016


However, according to the World Travel Trends Report, Europe (+2%) showed positive results in some destinations while there were declines in others due to the impact of safety and security challenges (ITB, 2016/17). International arrivals reached 620 million in 2016, or 12 million (+2%) more than in 2015. Northern Europe (+6%) and Central Europe (+4%) both recorded sound results, while in Southern Mediterranean Europe arrivals grew by 1% and in Western Europe results were flat. The Middle East received 54 million international tourist arrivals in 2016 but also experienced an uneven result among different destinations with a decrease of 4%. Results for both Africa and the Middle East should be read with caution as they are based on limited available data. The number of outbound trips is expected to increase by 4 to 5% next year. Moreover, there is growth in longer holidays exceeding the shorter trips as well as in average spending per trip. It is predicted that the world outbound travel market turnover for the full year 2016 will top the $2 trillion mark for the first time, which would be an increase of around 7 to 8% compared to 2015. According to the UNTWO World Tourism Barometer (2016), there were three major factors that directed the flow of tourism in 2015 and 2016; strong exchange rate fluctuations, a decline in the price of oil and declines in the prices of other commodities. A key trend is that political unrest or terror attacks did not affect the volume of foreign trips while it did have an impact on the destination choice among tourists. Destinations perceived dangerous, lost their visitors to the ones with a positive safety image, resulting in significant growth. The forecasts based on IPK’s World Travel Confidence Index state that the outlook for 2017 in terms of travel is very positive with a predicted increase of 4 to 5% (ITB, 2016/17).

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Future outlook The latest survey of UNWTO’s Panel of Experts shows continued confidence in 2017, with the large majority (63%) of the some 300 respondents expecting ‘better’ or ‘much better’ results than in 2016 (UNWTO press release, 2017). The Panel score for 2017 virtually equals that of 2016, so growth is expected to be maintained at a similar level. Based on current trends, the outlook of the UNWTO Panel of Experts and economic prospects, UNWTO projects international tourist arrivals worldwide to grow at a rate of 3% to 4% in 2017. Europe is expected to grow at 2% to 3%, Asia and the Pacific and Africa both at 5% to 6%, the Americas at 4% to 5% and the Middle East at 2% to 5%, given the higher volatility in the region.

Figure 4: Outlook; International Tourist Arrivals per region, World 2013-2017*


International tourist arrivals worldwide are expected to increase by 3.3% a year between 2010 and 2030 to reach 1.8 billion by 2030, according to UNWTO’s long-term forecast report Tourism Towards 2030. Moreover, between 2010 and 2030, arrivals in emerging destinations (+4.4% a year) are expected to increase at twice the rate of those in advanced economies (+2.2% a year). The market share of emerging economies increased from 30% in 1980 to 45% in 2015, and is expected to reach 57% by 2030, equivalent to over 1 billion international tourist arrivals. Calling to mind that 2017 has been chosen by the United Nations to be the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, Mr. Rifai said, “we need to work closer together to harness the contribution of tourism to economic growth, social inclusion, cultural and environmental preservation and mutual understanding, particularly when we live in times with such a deficit of respect and tolerance”.

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2.2 Africa Tourism accounts for 7% of all exports in Africa and 58% of its service exports and is one of the most important sectors for the economies of the continent”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai (UNTWO, May 2014). “Yet to fully realize the potential tourism has in promoting growth and development in Africa, it is imperative to work towards a better alignment of tourism and air transport policies in the region”, he added. The lack of consideration of tourism benefits and coordination between the tourism and aviation sectors, producing suboptimal air transport and tourism policies, infrastructure limitation, unsuitable taxation and restrictive visa policies, were revealed as being the main factors restraining the development of both tourism and air transport in Africa. In 2015, Africa received 53.5 million international tourists which generated a total of 30 billion Euro (UNWTO, Oct 2016). With regard to 2016, relatively limited data points to an estimated 5% increase in arrivals in the first half of the year, with a strong comeback in sub-Saharan Africa (+12%), but still weak outcomes in North Africa (-9%) (UNWTO barometer, 2016). South Africa, the continent’s top destination, reported 15% more international tourists, driving growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is due to the recent simplification of the former visa procedures. After a decline in 2015, Kenya is also experiencing a steady recovery (+14% through May). Additionally, Island destinations such as Cabo Verde (+11%), Mauritius (+10%) and the Seychelles (+9%) continued to report healthy results reinforced by improved air and sea connectivity. Sierra Leone has rebounded strongly after the Ebola virus outbreak, with arrivals multiplying from January to June compared to the same period last year. Pent-up demand from 2014 and 2015 lies behind this rare surge, though from very depressed levels. By contrast, North Africa (-9%) continued to struggle with security challenges in the first half of 2016. Tunisia (-2%) is still suffering from the impact of various acts of terrorism last year reporting negative figures in the first and second quarter of the year, though figures for July and august show a positive change in trend. The Russian market in particular has shown signs of recovery according to Tunisian experts, resulting from the diversion of traffic from other troubled destinations. Meanwhile, the sub region’s largest destination, morocco (+0%) reported flat results through July. By contrast, Egypt its (50% through July) international arrivals has plummeted significantly, as the country continues to struggle with the impact of last year’s security incidents, as well as with the negative travel advisories from major source markets such as the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom. The ongoing security concerns and the political turmoil are expected to be the main reasons for the decrease in arrivals. Looking at the full year picture of 2016, Africa’s tourism sector showed great recovery after two weak years, in which it was affected by the Ebola outbreak and terrorist attacks (UNWTO, Jan 2017). The continent received 58 million tourists, being a significant growth of 8% compared to 2015. It is expected this figure will reach 134 million by 2030. The continent is a step closer to Asia and the Pacific who was the leader in 2016 in terms of tourist arrivals but maintains an identical growth pattern of +8%. Africa as a whole has seen a rising interest in tourism business from different corners of the globe, owing to the fast economic growth across her nations and improved business environment. For instance, UNWTO estimates that the number of Spanish companies based in Sub-Saharan Africa has multiplied by seven in the last five years. Investour, a tourism business event has demonstrated the immense potential of the tourism sector of Africa as reflected in the very positive results that the region had in terms of international tourism in 2016. *Results for Africa should be read with caution, as they are based on currently limited data available for these regions.

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3. South Africa Analyses

3.1 General This first chapter deals with the overall tourism situation of South Africa, which is divided into foreign and domestic tourists. The focus of this chapter will be KwaZulu-Natal. This is included to enable comparison between the national and the provincial tourism situations later in this report.

3.1.1 Foreign visitors In 2016, over 10 million foreigners visited South Africa, surpassing the global growth average (3.9%). In total, this represented a significant increase of 12.8% (8.9m visitors) which is a whole 1.1 million more than in the year before (STATSA, Dec 2016). This improvement comes following a previous decline in the number of foreign arrivals after new strict visa regulation were introduced in October 2014 (STATSA, 2017). The new visa regulations were reported as to have a negative impact on the tourism industry. However, some requirements have been dropped last year to make the process more tourist-friendly. According to Minister Hanekom, ‘’the growth indicates that the close collaboration between various government departments, between the department of tourism and industry, and between suppliers and service providers on the ground has paid off’’, (Baker, 2017). Moreover the weak rand and ‘’robust performance’’ of the tourism sector have made south Africa an appealing destination for many tourists.

Figure 5: Total overseas (long haul) visitors to South Africa 1980 – 2016

(SAT, 2017)

In figure 5, you can see the development of South Africa’s long haul tourists from 1980-2016. Noteworthy is that from 1980 to 1989 the tourism industry slightly fluctuated over time but had difficulties to grow. From 1990 to 1994 it can be seen that has been the starting period of tourism in South Africa, however, it continued to grow at a slow pace. In 1994, the impact of the ending of the apartheid era is marked by a significant increase in long haul tourist market arrivals. From that year onwards, the overseas market has increased gradually over time. In 2002, a peak can be noted which might have been caused by implementation of tourism strategies. The small decrease from 2008 into 2009 can be explained by the economic recession during that time. In the following year, 2010, the long haul visitors peaked because of the FIFA World Cup event. However, this number might have been affected by the methods applied by SAT. In 2012, there was another significant peak where after the following years, the arrivals were notably lower. In 2016, the most significant peak occurred

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of the whole time period since 1980, due to positive developments in visa regulation and tourism planning. The distribution of travellers in the provinces remained fairly consistent over 2016 when comparing to 2015. Gauteng remained the most visited province (42.9%), which does show an increase, from 2015 (41.1%). Moreover, whereas Limpopo was the second most visited province in 2015, even though it dropped in tourist arrivals from 17.2% to 15.1%, it has swopped places with the Western Cape in 2016. Mpumalanga and North West showed the highest increase in tourist visits to the province in 2015, where in 2016 Free State showed a significant increase in visits (SAT, 2016). Additionally, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and the Western Cape, showed an increase in share of bed nights in 2016. Western experienced the most significant increase in 2016 compared to 2015, closely followed by Gauteng, which remained the most visited province with over 38% of the total bed nights spent there. For the holiday tourists the average length of stay increased in dropped over time, to 9.2 nights in 2016 from 9.5 nights in the year before and 8.6 in 2014 (SAT, 2016).

Figure 6: South Africa’s provincial distribution – Foreign tourist 2014 -2016

Gauteng Western Cape

Eastern Cape

KwaZulu-Natal

Mpumalanga Limpopo North West

Northern Cape

Free State

2014 39.80% 14.50% 3.20% 8.00% 12.00% 17.20% 5.30% 1.70% 10.10%

2015 41.10% 14.90% 3.00% 8.40% 14.60% 15.10% 8.70% 1.20% 10.60%

2016 42.90% 15.60% 3.20% 7.50% 14.20% 15.30% 8.90% 1.00% 12.20%

(SAT, 2014– 2017)

When looking at the origin of the tourists, it can be stated that European tourists generally stayed longest, an average of 14 nights, while tourists from Africa mostly stayed for 4 nights in 2015. Tourists from Europe tend to stay longer when comparing them with the Africa land markets with 14.9 and 7.6 respectively (SAT, 2015). This is a completely expected finding as they travel a long way to get to the country, and it makes sense for them to get value for their travel spend by maximising the time they spend here. This data for 2016 has not been released yet.

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South Africa’s neighbouring countries continued to be the major foreign tourism source markets, with Zimbabwe (2 028 881 visitors) continuing to be the largest source market in 2016, followed by Lesotho (1 757 058 visitors) and Mozambique (1 286 258 visitors) (DOT, 2017). An explanation of these markets could be the shopping purposes of those from neighbouring countries. These vendors come shopping in South Africa, to buy goods for resale in their own country. In 2014, shopping was one of the main activities undertaken in the country over 80% of the total foreign visitors, but this data is not yet available for 2015 and 2016. Note that there is an increase in visitors from neighbouring countries, which is contrary to the decline of last year; this can be explained by the recovery of the economic instability that South Africa had to deal with in the past year. Lesotho was the fastest growing African ssource market in 2016, recording an increase of 26% over the previous year. In terms of overseas tourist arrivals, the total grew with 18% from 2015 (2 144 988) to 2016 (2 531 046) The UK, USA, Germany, France and the Netherlands were the top five overseas (long haul) tourist markets in 2016. The UK remained the leading market for overseas arrivals to South Africa (447 840) followed by the USA (345 013) and Germany (311 832) (SATSA, Dec 2016). Noteworthy is that all the main overseas long haul tourist markets decreased from 2015 to 2016, except for the Venezuelan market. China went from a decrease of over 11% in 2014, to an increase of 2.2% to a solid 38% this year. There might be a strong possibility that this improvement is caused by the new visa regulations the South African government introduced and that were implemented in June 2015 (Brophy, 2016). Arrivals from India grew by 22%.

Figure 7: South Africa’s overview of tourist arrivals –2015/2016

2015 2016

Overseas tourist arrivals 2 144 988 2 531 046

Africa tourist arrivals 6 746 114 7 501 512

Other (Unspecified) 12 671 11 605

Total tourist arrivals 8 903 773 10 044 163

(DOT, 2017)

The national tourism minister, Derek Hanekom, announced that the decision of the South African Cabinet to implement a revised visa application process for China ‘’has paid off immensely’’ (Traveller24, 2016). The new visa facilitation centres that opened in Chengdu and Guangzhou in addition to the centres in Beijing and Shanghai have been positive changes for Chinese tourists travelling to South Africa. Five additional centres are expected to open in other places in China. Furthermore, accredited Chinese travel companies can now apply for visas on behalf of their clients and biometric data would be captured on arrival, making the process much easier for travellers to South Africa (NDT, 2016). Moreover, Chinese tourists in groups would no longer be needed to provide their three month bank statements. For the Indian market, the accreditation of travel agents should have been finalised at the end of February 2016 according to Hanekom. The process of identifying travel agents in Russia and key African tourist markets is assumed to be still underway as no record of finalization is found yet. Hanekom noted that the strong performance during peak season points to the great potential South Africa has of attracting more visitors in different seasons throughout the year (Brophy, 2016). A counter-seasonal marketing strategy is worked on to achieve this. Furthermore he states “Tourism touches the lives of all South Africans,” said Minister Hanekom. (DOT, 2017). “Given its importance to our economy, we must continue to nurture the sector and drive increasingly impactful and collaborative strategies and programs for sustained, inclusive growth. “

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Figure 8: South Africa’s main overseas (long haul) tourists source markets 2012-2016

(SATSSA, 2012-2017)

Looking at the pattern over the year, it can be seen that the Netherlands only got included in the main overseas arrivals from 2014 onwards. Both India and china dropped significantly in 2014 but increased in the following years. Remarkable is that china experienced its highest peak in 2016, which shows a positive result from the visa changes. Australia also increased in 2016 as compared to the two years before. The UK, USA and Germany continued to be the top three of main overseas markets through time.

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

UK 438,023 442,523 401,914 407,486 447,840

USA 326,643 348,646 309,255 297,226 345,013

Germany 304,090 304,090 274,571 256,646 311,832

France 122,244 134,840 131,502 128,438 154,226

Netherlands - - 131,287 121,883 147,937

Australia 120,315 125,167 111,213 99,205 109,146

India 106,774 112,672 85,639 78,385 95,377

China 132,334 151,167 82,905 84,691 117,144

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Figure 9: Tourist arrivals in South Africa originated from BRIC countries 2012-2016

(SATSSA, 2010- 2017)

As can be seen in figure 9, South Africa was increasingly popular among Chinese tourists from 2012 through to 2013, after which there was a significant drop was noted in 2014. The market slowly increased where after a significant increase can be noted from 2015 to 2016. Moreover, in 2014 there was a drop in the numbers of the other BRIC markets, Brazil and India. India had the highest number of tourists travelling into South Africa during that year, from the BRICS countries. The number of Russian tourists visiting South Africa in 2014 is not known, though in all other years presented in figure 5. All of the markets, except the Chinese, experienced a slight drop in 2015 and a recovery in numbers in the year that followed (2016).

Table 1: South Africa - The Foreign Picture 2006-2016

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 2014 2015 2016

Numbers of foreign tourists

8.396mn 9.091mn 9.592mn 9.933mn 8.074mn1 8.300mn 9.62mn 9.55mn 8.90mn 10.04mn

Average spend (per person per day)

R1 000 R880 R980 R1 110 R1 094 (R9 300 per

trip)

R1 070 (R8 900

per trip)

R870 (R7 569 per trip)

R810 (R7 000 per

trip)

R960 R850

Average length of stay

8 nights 7.9 nights

8.2 nights

7.5 nights

8.5 nights 8.3 nights 8.4 nights 8.6 nights

9.5 nights 9.2 nights

Main overseas source markets

UK, German

y, USA

UK, USA, Germany

UK, USA, Germany

, Netherla

nds

UK, USA, Germany

, Netherla

nds

UK, USA, Germany,

Netherlands,

France

UK, USA, Germany, Netherlands, France

UK,USA, China,

France, Netherland

s, Germany

UK, USA, Germany,

France, Netherlands, Australia

UK, USA, Germany,

France, Netherlan

ds, Australia

UK,USA, Germany,

France, Netherlan

ds, Australia

1 SAT changed their methodology in 2009 and day visitors were excluded from totals so as to be in line with UNWTO standards. The data from 2010 onwards is thus not directly comparable with previous years. They changed their methodology again in 2014 to exclude transits from the total arrivals, again in line with UNWTO methodology.

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Brazil 78,376 82,802 39,082 29,339 38,814

Russia 13,350 13,718 - 7,244 8,307

ndia 106,774 112,672 85,639 78,386 95,377

China 132,334 151,847 82,905 84,691 117,144

(SAT, 2007-2017)

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As compared to 2014, the number of foreign tourists decreased in the following year. However, the number increased dramatically, surpassing the global growth average. Remarkably, the average length of stay and average spend per person decreased in 2016. Moreover, table 1 shows that the main overseas markets have stayed static over the past years. Looking at figure 10, the decrease in spend from 2011 to 2014 could be related to the growing number of VFR tourists to the country which thus decreased the overall spend totals, as such tourists spend less. In 2013, the percentage of VFR tourists increased to 30.4%, whilst in 2014 VFR increased to 40.1%. VFR tourists tend to spend less money on accommodation, transport, food and drinks as most of them are staying at friends and family while being in the country. In terms of holiday purposes a slight decrease can be noticed from 2013 onwards. In 2015 VFR has decreased to 37.4% but increased in 2016 to 41.1%, which can explain the decreases in average spend. In 2014, the percentage of tourists in South Africa for holiday reasons decreased to 16.8%, which is the lowest percentage in years. This was followed by an even further decrease in 2015 to 16.5%, which continued to 16% in 2016 (SAT, 2017). A negative finding is the decrease in MICE travel, which is included in the ‘’business’’ category. The MICE market showed from 2014, the year in which business event and conventions in South Africa increased, with its 12.4, a slight drop to 11.4% in 2015. However, it even dropped further to 9.4% in 2016.

Figure 10: Purpose of visit for all foreign tourists to South Africa 2012-2016

(SAT, 2012-2017)

Moreover, South Africa moved up to 39 in the 2013 World Bank ‘Ease of doing business’ rankings, climbing two places compared to 2012. By 2015, this had changed with South Africa sitting down in 73rd place where after they dropped one more spot to the 74th place in the rankings (World Bank,

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Holiday 18.70% 19.10% 16.80% 16.5% 16%

VFR 27.70% 30.40% 40.10% 37.4% 41.1%

Shopping 25.90% 22.30% 21.60% 26.3% 23.7%

Business 18.70% 17.50% 13% 13.3% 11.5%

Other 6.40% 10.70% 8.50% 7.3% 7.7%

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2016/17). A growth in business opportunities in South Africa will most likely cause a growth in business tourism as well (SAT, 2014). Research by Grant Thornton says South Africa hosts around 860 international conference events a year, drawing more than 110 000 foreign MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) participants (Grant Thornton, 2016) annually. South Africa attracts 63% of all conferences held on the African continent, with the local industry supporting 12 000 jobs and contributing a total of R2.6-billion a year to GDP. Oxford Business Group states that offering 1700 MICE venues, the largest of which can accommodate over 20,000 visitors, and standing as one of Africa’s leading economic centers, South Africa is a prime destination for MICE events, and the business segment has shown rapid growth. As revealed in a 2014 report by professional services firm PwC, the number of non-holiday foreign visitors to the country rose by 125% between 2009 and 2011, and a further 86% in 2012, before moderating to 5% in 2013, for a total of 171,000 visitors. Despite the relatively small proportion of total visitor arrivals, business travel spending is high. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) reports that business travel in 2014 generated R83.6bn ($7.22bn), or 34% of direct travel and tourism GDP, and is expected to grow by a further 2.1% in 2015. The government reports that South Africa will host over 200 international conferences between 2014 and 2019, attracting around 300,000 delegates and injecting more than R1.6bn ($138.24m) into the economy. No comparison with following years can be made as there is no new data available yet on this topic. Business travelers throughout South Africa are welcomed from the United States, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Turkey, India, Australia, Germany, China, France and Kenya (The Team of MICE industry News, 2016). Traditional accommodation options still dominate with 69% to 85% of international delegates still booking hotels. However, a growing number is opting for guesthouses, game lodges and bed-and-breakfast establishments while attending business events. The places that were visited most during the period under review were the urban centers of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, but Sandton, Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Polokwane and Pietermaritzburg belong to the upcoming place. Tourist destinations such as the Drakensberg, Pilanesberg, Soweto, Sun City, Parys, Rustenburg, the Kruger Park, Hermanus, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch are also part of an increasing number of delegates’ trips which points to an overlap of business and leisure tourism. Approximately half of the delegates interviewed spent between six and 10 days in South Africa on their business trip. Another significant proportion stayed for between three and five days, but only about 10% visited for 11 to 15 days. This data suggests that efforts need to be made to extend delegates’ length of stay by formulating and promoting attractive leisure tourism add-ons to business trips. About half of business delegates are accompanied by one other person on their trips to South Africa and a significant number are joined by three or more fellow travelers. Whether they are accompanied by colleagues or family members, these delegates could be encouraged to extend their stay in order to experience South Africa’s leisure tourism attractions. After all, both VFR and shopping tourists have been important segments for South Africa because, over the years, the numbers of people travelling for these two purposes has been constant (SAT, 2014). Beside the overseas arrivals, many people from neighboring countries, such as Lesotho and Swaziland, cross the border to shop in South Africa.

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Figure 11: South Africa – Seasonality of foreign tourist arrivals 2014-2016

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2014

949,403

734,122

751,816

840,100

714,121

672,726

724,199

828,531

752,681

820,675

826,163

934,699

2015

887,712

681,216

733,241

719,557

685,407

610,092

732,891

731,248

716,750

748,561

774,378

892,720

2016

983,529

776,154

873,356

765,955

735,481

670,967

792,110

796,347

764,493

814,228

770,681

935,575

(SAT, 2014-2016)

As can be seen in figure above, South Africa was visited most by foreign tourists in the months of January, March, October and December in 2016. This is a slight shift as compared to 2015 when November belonged to the most popular months instead of March. This indicates that the summer season is the most popular period to visit South Africa in terms of foreign tourist arrivals. January and February are popular months for the European countries as they want to escape from the cold winters. Starting from March/April the hot and humid summers are over in South Africa which means these are the best months to travel to South Africa weather-wise. The months July and August are the usual holiday periods in Europe and the northern hemisphere. During this period people often have time to travel. At the end of the year the European winter starts again and there are several public holidays such as the Christmas period in December, all of which encourage foreign people to travel.

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3.1.2 Domestic visitors In 2015, the total number of domestic trips decreased significantly from 28 million trips to 24.4 million trips. This equates to a 13% decrease compared to 2014. In 2016, the number of trips decreased further but slightly to 24.3 million trips (SAT, 2017). The main purpose of visit for domestic visitors was to visit friends and relatives (VFR), a total of 72%, business 9%, and for a holiday 11%. The split in 2015 was 71% VFR, business 11%, followed by holiday 11%. This indicated that there were some small changes over the year. However, there was no significant change except for the large decrease in business tourism in 2016. The slight decline in VFR trips from 2014 to 20.125 can be partly accredited to results of the global economic crisis; fewer visitors tend to stay with friends and family since they are able to afford different accommodation again. Mainly it was due to fewer trips being taken, however. Due the recession, South African consumers faced economic pressures that bought about job losses in the entire country. South Africans tend to say closer to home during these difficult economic times. The main reason for not having taken domestic trips is that people could not afford to travel anymore. Other reasons could be that they had no reason to take a trip, time constraints, unemployed/no income or dislike travelling (SAT, 2017). KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Limpopo were the top 3 source markets in 2016 contributing 13%, 27% and 26% of all trips made respectively. These three provinces generated more than two thirds of all the domestic trips, a total of 66%. A large increase was noted in domestic trips to Limpopo. This shifted from 4.7 million in 2015 to 6.3 million in 2016, whereas Gauteng contributed 6.6 million trips and KwaZulu-Natal 3.2 million, showing decreases in the number of trips over the year. This change contributed to the fact that Limpopo has surpassed KZN as a leading domestic destination as the drop in KZNs largest source markets Gauteng and KZN itself dropped (SAT, 2017).

Figure 12: South Africa’s top five domestic tourism source markets 2012-2016

(SAT, 2012-2017)

The main domestic tourism source markets shifted to Gauteng and Limpopo instead of KwaZulu-Natal from 2014 onwards, accounting for more than half of all domestic trips (53%) taken in 2016 (SAT, 2017). Gauteng is still the largest domestic source market for South Africa with 6.6 million tourists in 2016 but dropped significantly from 8.5 million in 2015. The Western Cape also experienced a remarkable increase in 2016. Overall, the domestic market remained fairly stable in

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2014 and 2015, but shows some notable changes in the most recent year. This graph shows again the importance of the domestic market for South Africa as it is one of their main sources of tourism.

Table 2: The South African Domestic Tourism Picture 2006-2016

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Numbers domestic trips

32.9mn 30.3mn 29.7mn (13.4mn

travelers)

26.4mn (13.9mn

travelers)

25.4mn (12.5mn

travelers)

25.2mn (12mn

travelers)

28mn (12mn

travelers)

24.5mn (12.4mn

travelers)

24.3mn

Total market value

R25.8bn R22.4bn R21.1bn R20.3bn R21.8bn R24bn R26.8bn 23.6bn 26.5bn

Average spend - per trip

R780 R730 R710 R780 R850 R980 R950 R960 R1092

Average spend - per day

R173 R173 R160 R177 R180 R210 R238 R230 R256


4.5 nights

4.2 nights

4.5 nights

4.4 nights

4.8 nights

4.4 nights 4 nights 4.2 nights

4.2 nights

Main source markets

Gauteng, KZN,

Eastern Cape

Gauteng, KZN,

Eastern Cape

Gauteng, KZN,

Eastern Cape

Gauteng, KZN,

Western Cape

Gauteng, KZN,

Limpopo

Gauteng, KZN,

Limpopo

Gauteng, Limpopo,

KZN

Gauteng, Limpopo,

KZN

Gauteng, Limpopo, Gauteng

(SAT, 2007-2017)

In 2015 the domestic trips decreased significantly, however the travelers over the year increased to 12.4mn. In 2016, the number of trips decreased slightly. Moreover, the average spend per trip has increased which means that there is less travel but the visitors tend to spend more during their travels. However, the length of stay remained the same in 2016, compared to 2015 (SAT, 2016).

Figure 13: South Africa – seasonality of domestic travel 2013-2015

( STATSSA, Domestic Tourism Survey 2015 [Slideshare])

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Due to the high proportion of VFR in this market, domestic trips generally follow the trend of major public holiday periods. Domestic travel is very seasonal with most of the travel occurring during summer school holidays as can be seen from figure 12. In the months March, April, September, December and January, most domestic trips are made over the years (2013-2015). In 2015, the distribution of the number of overnight trips is more consistent with less dips than in the years before. During that year, the months December, January, April and June are the most popular. In the period December/January the major summer holiday takes place (SAT, 2014). This information was not yet available for 2016.

3.2 KwaZulu-Natal The graphs and tables in this chapter provide information on the markets entering KwaZulu-Natal. Unfortunately, no data over 2016 has been received and as a result these figures and tables could not been updated.

3.2.1 Foreign visitors Table 3: KwaZulu-Natal – The Foreign Tourist Picture 2008-20152

(SAT, 2007-2016)

The foreign tourist picture shows a decrease in visitor numbers, average spending per visitor (per day) and total market value. It is interesting to note that the average length of stay continued to be almost the same figure, with a slight drop of 0.1 night compared to 2015 but still above the average length of stay of previous years. Despite the higher toll rates, higher petrol prices, increase in cost of living and high interest rates that could be all related to the global economic recession, did not have such a big impact anymore as the visitors’ spend increased significantly from R4 941 per visitor in 2014 to R6 338 in 2015. This can be explained by the falling value of the rand. However, as compared to the previous years this figure is still below average which could be the result of more tourists, especially the African air and land tourists staying with their friends in family as revealed by the increase in VFR trips.

2 Please note that the data for 2016 is not available

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Number of foreign visitors

1.227mn 1.213mn 956.550 908.277 891.822 847 146 768 228 743 615

Average spend per visitor

R6 764 R 7 215 R 7 215 R 7 215 R7 517 R7 201 R4 941 R6 338

Average spend per day

R995 R 1 110 R 1 080 R 1 070 R1 089 R880 R549 R737

Total market value

R 8 300mn R 8 400mn R 8 750bn R 7 100bn R6.7bn R6.1bn R4.8bn R4.7bn


6.8 nights 6.5 nights 6.8 nights 7.6 nights 6.9 nights 8.5 nights 9 nights 8.9 nights

Main overseas source markets (in order of importance)

UK, USA & Canada, France,

Germany, Netherlands

UK, USA, France,

Germany, Netherlands

UK, USA, France,

Germany, Australia

UK, USA Germany,

France, Netherlands

UK,USA, Germany,

India, Netherlands

USA, UK, Germany,

India, Australia

UK, USA, Germany,

France, India

UK, Germany,

USA, France,

Netherlands

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When looking at the overall picture of South Africa, the average length of stay was 9.5 nights whereas the tourists visiting KZN spend 8.9 nights on average within the province. Moreover the average spending in South Africa with R830 for foreign visitors does not differ that much with the average spend of R737 in KZN (SAT, 2016).

Table 4: Toll tariffs Durban – Johannesburg Table 5: Average yearly South African fuel 2006-2017 prices (petrol 95 unleaded) 2007-

2017

(AA, 2017) (AA, 2017)

As seen in table 6, there have not been many changes in KZN’s top 10 foreign tourism source markets through time. In 2007, Zimbabwe was in third place, and was replaced with the UK in 2008. In 2009, Mozambique disappeared from the list and Zambia entered. In 2010, Zambia disappeared from the list and France and Mozambique entered. However, this was only for a short while, in 2011 Mozambique disappeared and Malawi entered (SAT, 2014). In 2013 there was one new entrant, Botswana. In 2014, there are some shifts in places as Germany enters top 3. Moreover, The Netherlands entered the list once again in 2014 whereas it was not in the top 10 in 2013 (SAT, 2015). The year after, in 2015, Mozambique entered again replacing Australia which was part of the top ten for three years in a row. The UK and Germany climbed up while Zimbabwe the USA dropped a place. France, The Netherlands and India continued to be at the bottom (SAT, 2016). Moreover, Swaziland has been the leading foreign tourism market for years. In 2014, Swaziland showed an increase compared to 2013 where after it dropped again in 2015. Lesotho showed a different pattern in 2014 compared to previous years as it always used to be in second position but dropped to the sixth position, even lower than the year before, but managed to get back up to the second place. Where Botswana was a new entrant in 2013, it did not make it to the top 10 in both 2014 and 2015. Lesotho and Swaziland continuing to be at the top can be clarified by the fact that they often visit South Africa for shopping purposes as they are neighboring countries. These cannot be included in the category of leisure tourists.

Toll tariffs Durban-Johannesburg

Absolute increase

Relative increase

2006 R114.50 - -

2007 R123.00 R8.50 7.4%

2008 R133.50 R10.50 8.5%

2009 R150.00 R19.50 12.4%

2010 R159.50 R10.50 6.0%

2011 R174,.00 R14.50 9.1%

2013 R184.50 R10.50 6.0%

2014 R194.00 R9.50 5.1%

2015 R204.50 R10.50 5.4%

2016 R215.00 R10.50 5.13%

2017 R229.00 R14.00 6.5%

Fuel price per liter

Absolute increase

Relative increase

2007 R3.86 R0.27 7.6%

2008 R5.63 R1.77 45.9%

2009 R7.38 R1.75 23.7%

2010 R8.22 R0.84 10.2%

2011 R9.69 R1.47 6.7%

2012 (Sept) R11.62 R1.93 19.9%

2013 (Oct) R12.93 R1.31 11.2%

2014 (Oct) R13.20 R0.27 2.0%

2015 (June) R12.93 (R0.27) (2.04%)

2016 (May) R12.26 (R.067) (5.18%)

2017 (May) R13.30 R1.04 8.48%

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Table 6: KwaZulu-Natal’s Top Ten Foreign Tourism Source Markets 2007-2015

(SAT, 2008-2016)

The figure below shows the top long haul source markets for KwaZulu-Natal.

Figure 14: KwaZulu-Natal’s top Long Haul Source Market 2011-20153

(SAT, 2011-2016)

The graph indicates the top markets decreased in the last year, with the exception of the UK and The Netherlands. Interesting is the pattern of the UK over time. Whereas, in 2009, 103 665 visitors from the UK visited KwaZulu-Natal, by 2014, this number had dropped dramatically to 44 211 visitors. This was followed by a slight increase in 2015. Concerns should be raised about the slight decrease of the UK as this county has been KwaZulu-Natal’s leading long haul source market for years. Most probably this pattern will continue like this with a possibility for more noticeable decreases in numbers due to the Brexit its impact. On the other hand, the stable patterns and increase in numbers in some years in most of the other countries is a somewhat positive for the province, whereas the decrease noted, comparing 2014 and 2015 is a small setback. The appearance of India in the top of long haul source markets from 2012 onwards, despite its decline in the past 2 years, does offer opportunities. However, KwaZulu-Natal should try to attract more of each country into the province so that consequences of reliability on one or just a few countries can be excluded. This can be achieved by launching promotion campaigns and advertised overseas as well as through working with general sales agents (GSAs) in the main


2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

1 Swaziland - 24%

Swaziland – 31%

Swaziland – 30%

Swaziland – 22.3 %

Swaziland -26%

Swaziland- 28.4%

Swaziland- 31.8%

Swaziland – 39%

Swaziland – 33.4%

2 Lesotho – 16%

Lesotho – 12%

Lesotho – 15%

Lesotho – 13.1%

Lesotho – 15%

Lesotho- 14.3%

Zimbabwe- 6.8%

Zimbabwe- 6.5%

India – 22%

3 Zimbabwe – 7%

UK – 8% UK – 8.6% Zimbabwe – 11.8 %

Zimbabwe– 10%

Zimbabwe- 7.9%

USA- 6.5% Germany- 5.9%

Netherlands– 16.8

4 UK – 7% Zimbabwe – 7%

Zimbabwe – 8%

UK – 7.4% UK – 7.4% UK-5.8% UK-6.2% UK – 5.8% France – 16%

5 Botswana – 6%

USA – 4% USA – 3.8 % USA – 4.4% USA – 4.4 % USA-5.0% Lesotho- 6%

USA – 5.7% Germany- 15.3%

6 Mozambique- 5%

France – 4 %

Botswana – 3.8%

Mozambique – 3.6 %

Germany – 3.5 %

Germany-3.5%

Germany- 5%

Lesotho – 4.1%

USA – 12%

7 Germany – 4%

Germany – 4%

France – 3.5 %

Germany – 3.5%

France – 2.9 %

India-2.9% India-3.2%

France – 3.2%

UK – 11.2%

8 USA – 4% Mozambique- 3 %

Germany – 3.3%

France – 3.4%

Netherlands – 2.8%

Netherlands-2.8%

Australia- 2.9%

India – 2.7%

Lesotho- 3.5%

9 France – 3%

Botswana – 3%

Netherlands – 3%

Australia – 3.1 %

Zambia – 2.7 %

Australia-2.7%

France – 2.6%

Netherlands – 2.7

Zimbabwe- 2.4%

10

Netherlands – 3%

Netherlands – 3%

Zambia – 2.5%

Botswana – 3.0 %

Malawi – 2.6%

France-2.6%

Botswana – 2.5%

Australia – 2.4%

Mozambique – 2.3%

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

UK 66857 53877 52219 44211 45638

USA 40266 46383 55086 43914 35667

Germany 32065 36488 42269 44755 39267

France 26460 19804 21709 24196 20550

Netherlands 25388 23351 20257 20349 20476

Australia 19139 22619 24408 18017 -

India - 23704 27267 20639 17254

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markets. The only difference that can be noticed is the appearance of India in the top five during 2013.

Figure 15: Destinations Visited in KwaZulu-Natal – Overseas and African Air Departures 2011-20154

(SAT, 2011-2016) As can be seen in the figure above, Durban is the most visited destination in KZN by overseas and African air departures over the past years. However, the number of visitors has decreased or stayed the same since 2010. Comparing 2014 with 2015 and other decrease of 4% are noted. The number of visitors for Zululand and the Elephant Coast were always combined, but since 2010 the regions have been shown individually. In 2013, the Elephant Coast showed a major decrease, losing over a 3/4th of its visitors compared to 2010. In 2015, compared to 2014 it dropped from the 3rd to the 4th place but increased in percentages. Whereas, in 2014, Zululand reached the second place it dropped significantly in the ranking. Moreover, Pietermaritzburg/Midlands as well as North Coast have put themselves on the map again, taking the 3rd place and 2nd place. Drakensberg is a point of concern as it dropped dramatically over time. South Coast and Battlefield remained at the bottom through the past few years. Zululand is an area full of culture and people can also experience the Big Five. Both of these experiences are found in Zululand, a well-visited destination as concluded. These two features, culture and game reserves, are probably what makes the destination so popular. All other regions

4 Please note that the data for 2007 and 2016 are not available

5 Based on SAT surveys on international travel

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Durban Metro 70% - 70% 63% 59%

Zululand/Elephant Coast - - - - -

Elephant Coast 22% - 5% 8% 10%

Zululand 14% - 5% 22% 5%

Drakensberg 16% - 2% 2% 1%

North Coast 14% - 0.7% 0.3% 13%

Pietermaritzburg/Midlands 8% - 5% 4% 11%

South Coast5 8% - 0% 0% 0,2%

Battlefields 3% - 2% 2% 1%

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show either a major increase or a small decrease which can be explained by a shift of focus in marketing of the different regions. Pietermaritzburg/Midlands might have increased popularity due to small distance, making it an attractive stopover destination for visitors of Durban. The number of overseas visitors can be linked to the total number of foreign visitors to the province as this number decreased slightly as well. The economic recession still could be one of the main reasons why overseas visitors decide to stay closer to home or even decide to not go on holiday at all. Within the province the high fuel prices and toll rates could be from influence on fewer people travelling between the different regions. The Drakensberg area, visited by 1% of the overseas and African air visitors, contains a beautiful mountain range in the west of KZN. The Zulu named it “Barrier of Spears” and the Dutch called it “Dragon Mountains”. Furthermore, the Drakensberg is one of the two sites in KZN which was declared a World Heritage Site, and is just two and a half hours away from Durban which is probably one of the reasons why this site is a popular destination for overseas visitors. However, the Drakensberg has become a point of concern since the number of visitors plummeted enormously over time.

Figure 16: Purpose of visit for all overseas and African air departures to KwaZulu-Natal 2011-20156

(SAT 2011-2016) For the category overseas and African air departures all purposes of visit showed to be quite steady over time, with holiday being by far the main purpose for people to visit the province. In 2015, as compared 2014, a small decrease can be noted. The second and third purpose, being quite equal had been business and VFR which both increased in 2015.

6 Please note that the data for 2007 and 2016 are not available

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Holiday 58% 58% 50% 53% 51%

Business 19% 19% 24% 19% 20%

VFR 19% 19% 21% 19% 21%

Other 5% 5% 5% 8% 8%

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Figure 17: Purpose of visit for all land departures to KwaZulu-Natal 2011-20157

(SAT 2011-2016)

With regard to land departure tourists to KZN, VFR increased enormously. In 2013 the economic recession was still a reason for visitors to stay at home. However, whereas in 2014 VFR can be seen as the main purpose for people to travel, a continuation of the response to the fragile state of the economy, in 2015 land departure tourists seem to be in the recovery phase. KZN is an interesting business destination. The province has a range of facilities and pleasant weather conditions. Also, The World Travel Awards have named the Durban International Convention Centre as the best conferencing venue in Africa every year since 2001. This shows that the province of KZN is a suitable and desirable business destination, even so in terms of conferences (STATSA, 2009). In terms of foreign visitors, business remained fairly stable within the province. However, this number should grow in the future. The Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau was developed with the aim of bidding and winning more conferences and conventions for the province and has already shown itself to be a marked success. In the first four years of operation, it has brought in over R2 billion-worth of business into the province.


2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Holiday 33% 33% 16% 9% 18%

Business 38% 38% 14% 12% 19%

VFR - 24% 57% 75% 53%

Other 5% 3% 13% 3% 10%

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3.2.2 Domestic visitors

Table 7: KwaZulu-Natal – Top Five Domestic Source Markets 2008-20158

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

1 KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal

Gauteng Gauteng

2 Gauteng Gauteng Gauteng Gauteng Gauteng Gauteng KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal

3 Free State Free State Limpopo/ Mpumalanga

Limpopo/ Mpumalanga

Free State Free State Western Cape

Western Cape

4 Mpumalanga Mpumalanga Free State Free State Mpumalanga Eastern Cape

Free State Eastern Cape

5 Limpopo Limpopo Eastern Cape N West/ N Cape

Limpopo Western Cape

Eastern Cape

Free State

(SAT, 2008-2016)

In 2008, KZN was its own major source market, with Gauteng on the second place, which has continued for years. Some shifts were noted with regard to the 3th place with the Free State taking the spot in 2008 and 2009 with a little comeback in 2012 and 2013 after it was taken away by Limpopo and Mpumalanga with a shared place. The Western Cape took over in the most recent years (2014 and 2015). Remarkable is that Mpulanga and Limpopo who have been part of the top five all along till 2012, they have been replaced by the eastern cape and western cape in the top 5. In 2014 and 2015 a change has taken place, with Gauteng replacing KwaZulu-Natal as being the top domestic source market. As it is of great importance for the province that KZN can depend to be its own major domestic source market it should be addressed that the stability it has shown are very valuable and therefore efforts need to be made for them to remain this position in the future.

Table 8: KwaZulu-Natal’s Domestic Tourist Picture 2009-20159

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Number of domestic trips

8.8mn 8.3mn 7.1mn 6.2mn 7.1mn 5.3mn 5.0mn

Total value R6.34bn R5.6bn R5.28bn R5.28bn R6.6bn R5.2bn R5.5bn

Average spend per trip

R720 R710 R780 R670 R670 R979 R1108

Average spend per day

R167 R154 R170 R145 R163 - -

Average length of Stay

4.3 nights 4.6 nights 4.6 nights 4.6nights 4.1 nights 4.2 nights 4.8 nights

Main source markets KwaZulu-Natal,

Gauteng

KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng

KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng

KwaZulu-Natal,

Gauteng

KwaZulu-Natal,

Gauteng

Gauteng, KwaZulu-

Natal

Gauteng, KwaZulu-

Natal

Unlike 2013, the domestic tourism trips decreased in 2014 and even further in 2015. The total value went down accordingly. Interesting to note is that the average spend per trip increased sharply in 2014 and even more in 2015 while the average length of stay only increased with 0.1 nights in 2014 and another 0.6 nights in 2015. Hence, visitors tend to spend more on average while their length changed slightly.

(SAT, 2009-2015)

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Figure 18: Destinations visited in KwaZulu-Natal – Foreign tourists 2011-2015

Durban

PMB and Midlands

Battlefields Drakensberg South Coast

North Coast

Zululand10

Elephant Coast

2011 638 519 76 295 29 973 14 3508 73 570 123 526 131 700 202 546

2012 626 950 74 913 2 9430 14 0908 72238 121 288 129 314 198 876

2013 596 391 44 899 16 096 16 943 - 5 930 44 052 44 052

2014 486 288 33 033 18 437 16 133 -- 2 305 169 778 59 922

2015 438 733 81 798 7436 7436 1487 96 670 37 181 74 362

(SAT, 2011-2015)

Durban is by far the most visited destination in the province by both domestic and foreign visitors (SAT, 2015). This is probably due its being the nearest beach destination for the majority of the population of the country, and to the availability of infrastructure an international airport, main highways and numerous of facilities and accommodation. In 2015, North Coast is surprisingly taking the second place after it has been on the bottom of destinations visited in KwaZulu-Natal, followed by the Elephant Coast and Pietermaritzburg. All top three destinations have decreased visitor numbers over the past years. In 2014 Pietermaritzburg was second place where Elephant Coast took the 3rd. Overall a major decrease in numbers can be noticed for all destinations in KZN. Again, this could be strongly related to the economic recession, higher petrol costs and increased toll fees, resulting in less disposable income, and thus a decrease in domestic tourism throughout the country. In 2007, more than half of the tourists (65,6%) visited the coastal areas of KZN. In 2008, the percentage decreased a little to 53,3%. In 2009, the percentage increased again to 61,5% where in 2010 it shows a slight decrease (57,8%). However, visitors to coastal areas remained fairly stable over the years as the percentage has always been around 50/60%. This shows that coastal areas are popular to visit and could be considered as one of the main attractions of KZN (ACNielsen, 2011).

10 Please not that Zululand and the Elephant Coast are taken together during the first years

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Figure 19: Purpose of visit for all domestic visitors to KwaZulu-Natal 2012-2015

(SAT, 2012-2016)

The differences between the domestic and foreign visitors in terms of purpose of visit to KZN are very clear. Foreign visitors are in the province for holiday purposes while domestic visitors are mainly in the province for the purpose VFR. KZN is a very strong destination in terms of domestic VFR visitors. After years of slightly decreasing numbers, the number of people travelling to KZN for VFR purposes showed a gradual increase in from 2013, with a more significant increase of 4% in 2015, being the highest percentage over the whole period starting from 2007. This is largely a result of the continued tough economic climate prevailing in the country. Nevertheless, in general, the purpose of visit for all domestic visitors remained stable. Holiday is for both the domestic and the foreign market a rather important reason and made its significant increase in 2014 where after it dropped with 5% in 2015. Moreover, visiting the province for business purposes is more important to the foreign market rather than the domestic one. As can be seen in the figure above, where each year (from 2013 onwards) it dropped with 1 to 2%. 2012 experienced the highest peak in business travel in KZN. As a conclusion it can be said that KZN is a strong and popular domestic tourism and family destination.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Holiday/Leisure Business VFR Other

2012

2013

2014

2015

2012 2013 2014 2015

Holiday/Leisure 34% 33% 37% 32%

Business 12% 10% 9% 7%

VFR 49% 53% 54% 58%

Other 4% 4% 0.1% 3.0%

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4. Visitor Book types Currently, there are two parallel Visitor Book projects running, namely the Standard Visitor Book and the Hostel Visitor Book.

4.1 Standard Visitor Book The standard Visitor Book project, started at the beginning of 1998, has been running the longest. It is provided to publicity associations, museums, art galleries and a variety of other tourist attractions such as uShaka Marine World, a marine theme park, bird parks, cultural villages and comparable attractions throughout the province. The book is a carbon book providing copies for the facilities’ records and copies for TKZN to capture and analyze data.

4.2 Hostel Visitor Book The Hostel Visitor Book, running since July 2000, was developed for backpackers or youth hostels. The book works similar as the Standard Visitor Book, in that they collect basic data from those who make use of the amenities or facilities where such books are located. However, the Hostel Visitor Book has returned less data then the standard Visitor Book, as its participation rate is lower.

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5. Standard Visitor Book – Respondents Visitor Books are provided to a range of tourism facilities and attractions including publicity associations, information offices, museums, art galleries and bird parks. The figures below provide an indication of how many respondents filled in forms of the Visitor Books according to months and years at all participating establishments.

5.1 Responses The figures below provide an indication of the number of respondents who completed the Visitor Books according to months and years at all participating establishments.

Figure 20: Total respondents by month – Standard Visitor Book January 2002- to present

The months in which the most respondents filled in a Visitor Book vary greatly over each time period. In the beginning of this project, the highest participation was in the months July and August, the winter months. In 2002 to 2005, this changed to April and July, again, both months in which major

2002-2005 2006-2009 2010-2013 2014-present

Count % Count % Count % Count %

Jan 9 290 8.30% 14853 8.04% 6 058 12.20% 2617 9.51%

Feb 7 599 6.83% 17588 9.52% 6 338 12.40% 1943 7.06%

Mar 9 931 8.90% 21122 11.44% 6 726 13.50% 2171 7.89%

Apr 10 729 9.60% 21133 11.44% 4 454 8.90% 2257 8.21%

May 8 225 7.40% 16773 9.08% 4 395 8.80% 2123 7.72%

Jun 8 014 7.20% 13101 7.09% 4 664 9.40% 1917 6.97%

Jul 11 021 9.90% 12756 6.91% 5 019 10.80% 2423 8.81%

Aug 8 686 7.80% 14104 7.64% 4 517 9.10% 2138 7.78%

Sep 10 108 9% 14940 8.09% 3 451 6.90% 2614 9.50%

Oct 8 929 8% 12192 6.60% 1 538 3.10% 1683 6.12%

Nov 8 285 7.40% 14241 7.71% 752 1.50% 1982 7.21%

Dec 10 508 9.40% 11893 6.44% 1 891 3.80% 3637 12.22%

111 325 100% 184696 100% 49 803 100% 27505 100.00%

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holidays occur, including school holidays, and in 2006 this changed again to March and April. In 2010 to 2013, the completion of the Visitor Books were mostly in the months of February and March. The visitor book returns from 2014 to present indicated that January, September and December were the months where participating establishments were most visited. The fact that July has often been the month with the most respondents over time can be explained by the summer season in Europe when many people travel, but it is also a major school holiday period in South Africa. As December and January fall into the high season for tourism in South Africa, these months make up for a higher number of returns during the period 2014 to present. Moreover, there is a clear pattern of the month cluster March, April and September in terms of highest returns. With those months being the best wildlife viewing periods clarifies the number due to the fact that KwaZulu-Natal is rich of a variety of games reserves throughout the province.

Figure 21: Respondents by country of origin, domestic or foreign – Standard Visitor Book January 1998 – to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010-2013 2014-to present

Domestic 73.30% 74% 80% 82% 79%

Foreign 27% 26% 20% 18% 21%

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

The figure above indicates that in the period 2014-to present, around 79% of the respondents were domestic tourists. Noteworthy, is that the percentage of domestic respondents has increased in each time period but has decreased in the last time period. Consequently, this means an increase of the percentage of foreign respondents for the first time since the start of the Visitor Book.

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Figure 22: Domestic respondents by province of origin- Standard Visitor Book January 1998 – to present

The results shown in the figure above indicate that KZN was the largest source market in the last time period. This is not in line with the official statistics of TKZN, as their results indicated that Gauteng was the largest source market in 2015 (TKZN, 2016).Even so, comparing these statistics to last period it indicates that KZN saw a significant decline as it went from 85% to 66%. KZN was the largest source of respondents with 65.75%. Gauteng was the second largest source with 22.01%, presenting a clear difference from the percentage of KZN. Significantly fewer respondents appeared to have visited other provinces ranging from 0.30% to 2.88%. This could be a result of other travel purposes. It could be possible that these respondents from other provinces have as main purpose visiting friends and relatives, which makes it less likely for them to visit the participating tourism amenities. Furthermore, according to statistics released by TKZN, most of KZN’s tourists and visitors are from within the province itself, and from Gauteng, rather than from the other provinces and the graph reflects this situation.

1998 - 2001 2002 - 2005 2006 - 2009 2010 - 2013 2014-to present

Eastern Cape 1.40% 1.10% 0.96% 0.80% 1.55%

Free State 1.20% 0.90% 1.10% 0.80% 1.90%

Gauteng 14.90% 11.70% 12.57% 10.00% 22.01%

KwaZulu-Natal 77.20% 82.60% 79.86% 85.00% 65.75%

Limpopo 0.50% 0.20% 0.20% 0.50% 1.31%

Mpumalanga 1.30% 0.80% 0.53% 1.10% 2.41%

North-West 0.60% 0.30% 1.10% 0.90% 1.89%

Northern Cape 0.20% 0.10% 1.35% 0.30% 0.30%

Western Cape 2.60% 2.40% 2.33% 1.70% 2.88%

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Table 9: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Standard Visitor Book

January 1998- to present

With regard to the foreign market, the South African statistics indicated that Swaziland (33.4%), Germany (15.3%), and India (22%), Netherlands (16.8%) and France (16%), were the largest foreign tourism source markets of KZN in 2015 (SAT, 2016). The previous year, Zimbabwe came into the picture where after it disappeared again in the top 5 in 2016 (SAT 2015; SAT 2016). Another shift in numbers that stands out is that both the UK well as the USA were dismissed from the top in 2015 (SAT, 2016). This could be clarified by the new president of the USA, Trump as well as the Brexit in England and all of the changes accompanying these developments. On the contrary, the introduction of India into the top 5 of foreign source markets in 2015 does offer positive opportunities for the province. Looking into the number of visitors of KZN’s amenities, as shown in table 9, it can be seen that the foreign tourism picture consists of a great variety of countries. With only a few markets that stood out, there has not been much change over time. The UK, USA and Germany have been the top three source markets for years, followed by the Netherlands, and Australia. Other foreign countries which are represented in the top ten of main source markets are France, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Scotland and Belgium. India which has been introduced in the top 5 of foreign source markets to KZN (SAT, 2016) is not present in the top 10 of visitors of KZN amenities. In terms of African countries it is notable that Zimbabwe (55), Swaziland (16) and Lesotho (15), not included in the top 10 only provide a small percentage of visitors to the amenities of KZN. This may indicate that visitors from these countries are not interested in amenities, which could be explained by the fact that the vast majority of them are actually cross border shoppers, rather than business or leisure tourists. When comparing 2010-2013 and 2014 – the present we see that many of the countries percentage share increased, whereas the percentage share of the UK has decreased significantly. This might be possibly being a result of the Ebola epidemic in 2014. The recent Brexit could possibly have impacted the figure as well. Moreover, it is interesting to note that the percentage share of countries at the

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009

Count % Count % Count %

1 UK 4 929 30.12% 1 UK 10 199 37.51% 1 UK 12988 45.86%

2 Germany 1 937 11.84% 2 Germany 2 618 9.63% 2 USA 2885 10.19%

3 USA 1 499 9.16% 3 USA 2 155 7.93% 3 Germany 2848 10.06%

4 Netherlands 1 453 8.88% 4 Netherlands 2 040 7.50% 4 Netherlands 2402 8.48%

5 France 765 4.68% 5 Australia 1 201 4.42% 5 Eritrea 1894 7%

6 Australia 718 4.39% 6 France 1 185 4.36% 6 Australia 1455 5.14%

7 Belgium 440 2.69% 7 Belgium 683 2.51% 7 France 1407 4.97%

8 Canada 377 2.30% 8 Canada 637 2.34% 8 Canada 1064 3.76%

9 Scotland 358 2.19% 9 Ireland 491 1.81% 9 Belgium 717 2.53%

10 Italy 275 1.68% 10 Scotland 462 1.70% 10 Scotland 659 2.33%

2010-2013 2014-to present

Count % Count %

1 UK 2 711 43.52% 1 UK 784 24.76%

2 USA 846 13.58% 2 Germany 557 17.59%

3 Germany 653 10.48% 3 USA 460 14.53%

4 Australia 538 8.64% 4 Netherlands 364 11.50%

5 Netherlands 400 6.42% 5 Australia 331 10.45%

6 France 341 5.47% 6 France 275 8.69%

7 Canada 302 4.85% 7 England 256 8.09%

8 Norway 160 2.57% 8 Canada 144 4.55%

9 Belgium 152 2.44% 9 Belgium 99 3.13%

10 Switzerland 126 2.02% 10 Switzerland 96 3.03%

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bottom of the top 10 increased more than the top countries, decreasing the difference to one another. In terms of absolute numbers, the main markets significantly decreased. The main reason for the major markets to have slightly fewer visitors would appear to be the perceptions surrounding the Ebola virus, as well as certain economic strains experienced by those markets.

Figure 23: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Standard Visitor Book January 1998 – to present

Through time the top 5 have shifted, with Australia replacing France from 2002-2005 onwards. However, the UK has continued to be the number one overseas source of visitors into KZN. In terms of the pattern in percentages per period, as can be seen in figure 19 as well, the overseas markets fluctuated significantly over time. The USA experienced a decrease in the period of 2002-2005 followed by a slight increase. The UK, on the contrary, has noted a decrease in the the periods of 2010-2013 and 2014-to present while it increased in the periods of 2002-2005 and 2006-2009. Moreover, whereas Germany the USA and France have shown a steady increase over the last two periods presented in the table, the netherlands increased only in the last of those two periods.

1998 - 2001

2002 - 2005

2006 - 2009

2010- 2013

2014- to present

UK 30.12% 37.51% 45.86% 43.52% 24.76%

Germany 11.84% 9.63% 10.06% 10.48% 11.28%

USA 9.16% 7.93% 10.19% 13.58% 14.53%

Netherlands 8.88% 7.50% 8.48% 6.42% 11.50%

France 4.68% - - - -

Australia - 4.42% 5.14% 8.64% 10.45%

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Figure 24: Respondents by length of stay – Standard Visitor Book January 1998 – to present

* Please note that due to data capturing problems, day visitors and 1 night visitors were not able to be separated and therefore had to be stated together as one figure for the time periods 2006-2009 and 2010-2013.

Most of the Visitor Book respondents stayed in the province for one or two nights, and this has not changed over time as can be seen in the table above. This partly can be explained by the big share of domestic visitors visiting those amenities, where most of them are day visitors. However, the number of day visitors and the ones staying for 1 night did decrease from the time period 2010-2013 to 2014-present while the number of visitors staying 3 nights or more increased. This is a positive sign for the province as this will mean that more money is spent per visitor. It possibly is the result of the increase in foreign visitors as compared to the domestic visitors since they often stay longer on average.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present

Count % Count % Count % Count % Count %

*[1]Unspecified 26 387 40.90% 25 323 22.70% 3293 1.78% 1 654 3.30% 3106 11%

Day visit 21 247 32.90% 41 828 37.60% 168818 91.40% 45 958 92.30%

5626 19.94%

1 night 7 143 11.10% 31 274 28.10% 12718 45.07%

2 nights 2 621 4.10% 3 834 3.40% 4222 2.29% 643 1.30% 1073 3.80%

3 nights 1 507 2.30% 2 177 2.00% 2026 1.10% 402 0.80% 754 2.67%

4 nights 1 063 1.70% 1 504 1.40% 1337 0.72% 258 0.50% 702 2.49%

5 nights 773 1.20% 1 142 1.00% 1016 0.55% 161 0.30% 603 2.14%

6 nights 386 0.60% 431 0.40% 536 0.29% 111 0.20% 392 1.39%

7 nights 1 091 1.70% 1 309 1.20% 1298 0.70% 239 0.50% 1387 4.92%

8-14 nights 1 430 2.20% 1 505 1.40% 1543 0.84% 291 0.60% 1858 6.58%

15 nights + 879 1.40% 1 036 0.90% 620 0.34% 89 0.20% 682 2.42%

64 527 100% 111 363

100% 184709 100% 49 806 100% 28219 100%

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Figure 25: Respondents by communication influence – Standard Visitor Book

January 1998 – to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present

Count % Count % % % Count % Count %

Advertisements 1 559 3.30% 1 559 2.70% 3850 3.53% 885 4.11% 466 3.43%

Brochure/guide 14 431 30.30% 14 367 24.70% 19454 17.85% 6290 29.18% 2032 14.95%

Fax on demand 19 0.00% 9 0.00% - - 0 0.00% 2 0.01%

History books 1 512 3.20% 4 444 7.70% 6223 5.71% 1143 5.30% 545 4.01%

Information sign 1 274 2.70% 1 372 2.40% 514 0.47% 277 1.28% 373 2.74%

Other 3 210 6.70% 1 504 2.60% 36735 33.70% 631 2.93% 2245 16.52%

Print ad 38 0.10% 74 0.10% 6 0.01% 19 0.09% 10 0.07%

Radio advertisement

24 0.10% 84 0.10% 102 0.09% 34 0.16% 5 0.04%

Road sign / sign post

1 250 2.60% 1 167 2.00% 922 0.85% 287 1.33% 239 1.76%

Tourism info office 1 950 4.10% 2 748 4.70% 462 0.42% 163 0.76% 126 0.93%

TV advertisement 10 0.00% 234 0.40% 997 0.91% 195 0.90% 20 0.15%

Web site / internet 305 0.60% 739 1.30% 1831 1.68% 888 4.12% 1724 12.68%

Word-of-mouth 22 061 46.30% 29 776 51.30% 37917 34.78% 10746 49.85% 5806 42.51%

47 643 100% 58 077 100% 109013 100% 21558 100% 13593 100%

As can be seen in the figure above word-of-mouth is the most relevant communication influence, followed by brochures and guides. This has been the case for many years. However, in the time period 2014 to present, the influence of brochures and guides has halved as websites and internet is became way more influential which is noted by the significant increase from 4.12% to 12.68%. A further increase for website and internet usages via computers as well as tablets, smartphones and other devices can be expected in the future. Moreover, word of mouth did continue to be the most important medium, making KZN highly depend on this media channel with regard to tourism. Word-of-mouth is based on both positive and negative experiences people had during their stay. It is very important that the positive stories are spread so that other people can be motivated to visit the province as well. In order to achieve this

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goal, it is of utmost importance to provide all visitors with unique experiences when visiting amenities as well as to anticipate on complaints when needed. It was noted at a workshop in KZN (Tourism Master Plan, May 2011), that the service levels in KZN were reported as being the lowest – i.e. the worst - in the country. TKZN (and other) service providers will have to work hard to increase service levels to acceptable- and above acceptable levels, to stimulate positive word-of-mouth communication. The category ‘other’ includes both the answers of ‘’local knowledge’’ and ‘’other’’ in the time period 2006-2009. the category’s high percentage for this period (2006-2009) is the result of the large number of respondents that filled in local knowledge as their communication influence. For the time periods 1998-2001, 2002-2005 and 2010-2013 it is not clear whether the answer category ‘’other’’ is combined with other answer categories such as ‘’local knowledge’’ to come to the final figure. In the period 2014-to present, only the answer category ‘’other’’ has been used due to the fact that it is more useful to see the answer‘’other’’ split into the other ‘’named answer categories’’ shown in the table abovesmaller onto which can be anticipated by marketing departments. The category ‘’other’’ has been increased significantly in the last period, meaning that it qualitative research should be done into what the ‘other’’ communication influence is.

Figure 26: Respondents by purpose of visit – Standard Visitor Book January 1998 – to present

* Please note that the category VFR consist of ‘’Visit’’ and ‘’VFR’’, category business consist of ‘’2x peace corp.’’, ‘’business’’, ‘’study’’, work’’ and ‘’conference’’, category holiday consists of ‘’art’’, ‘’café’’, ‘’camping’’, ‘’comrades’’, ‘’coffee/tea’’, ‘’concert’’, ‘’en route’’, ‘’excursion’’, ‘’history/battlefield tour’’, information’’, ‘’interest’’, ‘’lunch’’, ‘’open day’’, ‘’passing through’’, restaurant/café’’, ‘’weekend/overnight’’; and other of ‘’peace corp.’’,’’local knowledge’’, live in area’’ and ‘’other’’.

1998-2001

2002-2005

2006-2009

2010- 2013

2014-to present

Business 8.22% 7.64% 4.42% 1.88% 4.99%

Holiday 73.21% 69.17% 69.34% 51.04% 69.09%

VFR 18.57% 23.20% 21.20% 46.36% 20.10%

Other - - 5% 0.71% 5.82%

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During the latest period (2014-to present) the vast majority of respondents visited the area for the purpose of holiday which accounted for about 69% of the respondents. The purpose of VFR increased when comparing the 2006-2009 period to that of the 2010-2013 periods. VFR declined once again in the 2014- the present period to be comparable with the earlier periods. KZN receives many domestic visitors every year, and especially visitors from within the province. This could be one of the main reasons why the purpose holiday has a higher percentage in this project, as the people who will visit friends and family in KZN will not visit the tourist amenities. An increase in the percentage of people visiting KZN for business purposes can be noted as well in 2014-to present, after it dropped significantly in the period before to a 1.88%

5.2 Museums and Art Galleries An investigation into facilities that use Visitor Books and the findings related specifically to visits to museums and art galleries revealed the following findings. According to the data collected by TKZN, 16% of all domestic visitors to KZN visited museums, art galleries or historical buildings in 2015 compared to 30% in 2014. In 2015, 19.3% of the African air departure tourists and 4.5% of the land departures visited cultural, historical or heritage attractions compared to 37.4% of African air departure tourists and 13.9% of land departures the year before, meaning a significant decrease has taken place from year to year (SAT, 2015/16).

Figure 27: Total respondents by month – Museums and Art Galleries


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The months with the highest percentage of respondents varies highly over the years. For the period 2014-to present, the months of September and July have proven to be the most popular months in which respondents visited museums and art galleries whereas in the year before, February and March were the most popular months. In 2006 to 2009, most respondents visited the museums and art galleries in the months March and May and from 2002 to 2005, the highest percentage of respondents was in April and July. Due to the high variations in percentages over the years, it is difficult to draw conclusions from this data. The present high incidence of visits to museums and art galleries in September may well be due to people taking day trips to such facilities rather than spending more on an overnight visit, but still wanting to enjoy what is on offer. Moreover, the increased accessibility and use of online information might have as well caused a change.

Figure 28: Respondents by country of origin, domestic to foreign – Museum and Art Galleries January 1998 – to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010 - 2013 2014- to present

January 3% 8.40% 7.07% 11.20% 7.43%

February 5.20% 6.30% 10.18% 13% 6.18%

March 8% 9.10% 12.79% 15% 7.30%

April 7.30% 11.20% 11.10% 8.40% 6.88%

May 7% 9% 10.25% 9.30% 7.99%

June 9.30% 8.10% 7.36% 9% 7.82%

July 10.40% 9.10% 6.65% 11% 10.26%

August 14% 7% 7.93% 10% 9.42%

September 11% 8% 7.83% 7.20% 13.65%

October 10% 8% 6.13% 2.10% 4.72%

November 7.10% 7% 7.89% 0.80% 7.93%

December 9% 9.30% 4.83% 4% 10.41%

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009

2010 - 2013

2014- to present

Domestic 45% 45% 86% 89% 81%

Foreign 55% 55% 14% 11% 19%

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Whereas in the first two time periods of the visitor book, the numbers of domestic and foreign visitors has been close, foreign tourism plummeted to 14% accompanied by a significant increase in domestic visitors. From 2006-2009 onwards the domestic visitors have by far been the largest majority of the respondents in museums and art galleries. In the last period (2014-to present), 81% of all respondents of museum and art galleries were domestic visitors and the remaining number made up the foreign visitors, being only 19%. The increase in foreign visitors could be the result of the Rand its weakened value during the most recent years, among many other factors that played a role during this period.

Figure 29: Domestic respondents by province of origin – Museum and Art Galleries January 1998 – to present

Mirroring the findings from the total respondents for the Visitor Books from all amenities, the majority of the respondents were from within the province, followed by Gauteng and to a lesser extent by the Western Cape that experienced its peak in 2006-2009. Looking at the absolute numbers KZN dropped dramatically. Nevetheless, over the years, the provinces of KZN and Gauteng always have stood out as the leading provinces due to the extensive art and history on offer within these areas. However, efforts should be made to encourage visitors of the other provinces to visit

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010-2013

2014- to present

Count % Count % Count % Count % count %

Eastern Cape 253 1% 353 0.70% 472 0.46% 127 0.40% 132 1.46%

Free State 126 0.50% 160 0.30% 306 0.30% 56 0.10% 66 0.73%

Gauteng 1 336 5.30% 2 297 4.50% 3880 3.78% 878 3% 1027 11.39%

KwaZulu-Natal

22 550 91% 46 973 93% 96027 94% 29

070 95%

7307 81.02%

Limpopo 62 0.20% 47 0.90% 157 0.15% 47 0.10% 49 0.54%

Mpumalanga 131 0.50% 172 0.30% 401 0.39% 73 0.24% 111 1.23%

North-West 40 0.20% 65 0.10% 214 0.21% 78 0.20% 73 0.81%

Northern Cape

28 0.10% 12 0.20% 70 0.07% 19 0.60% 8 0.09%

Western Cape

289 1.20% 644 1.20% 1080 1.05% 243 0.80% 246 2.73%

24 815 100% 50 723 100% 102607 100%

30 591

100% 9019 100.00%

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museums and art galleries in KZN as well. Hotspots such as as airports, tourist junctions and information offices are capable of playing a leading role in catering for marketing of these museums and art galleries in KZN throughout the other provinces. Special offers and cross selling to visitors could also result in a higher share of visitors of other provinces.

Moreover, museums and art galleries should increasingly make use of the internet, their own website, an app and other websites, as the importance of this media channel has been increasing over the last years and will increase more in the future. This will increase interest in the KZN museums and art galleries which will make help them more significant and attractive.

Table 10: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Museum and Art Galleries January 1998 – to present

The foreign visitors table reveals a variety of countries that visited museums and art galleries however only few stood out as main sources of visitors to museums and art galleries as can be seen below. Foreign visitors of Museums and Art Galleries have decreased significantly from 2006-2009 onwards, pointing to less interest in these amenities from the foreign market. The UK has always been the top market but dropped dramatically as well in 2014-to present. France, Germany, the Netherlands and the USA are the ones that share the rest of the top 5.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009

Count % Count %

Count %

1 UK 1409 27% 1 UK 3563 31% 1 UK 5851 43%

2 USA 556 11% 2 Germany 1200 10% 2 USA 1509 11%

3 Germany 509 10% 3 Netherlands 1034 9% 3 Germany 1364 10%

4 Netherlands 479 9.10% 4 USA 1008 9% 4 Netherlands 1263 9%

5 France 345 7% 5 France 735 6.40% 5 France 874 6.48%

6 Australia 235 4.40% 6 Australia 536 5% 6 Eritrea 641 5%

7 Belgium 161 3% 7 Belgium 352 3% 7 Australia 685 5%

8 Canada 129 2.40% 8 Norway 316 3% 8 Canada 470 3%

9 Italy 117 2.20% 9 Canada 284 2.40% 9 Norway 421 3.12%

10 Ireland 84 2% 10 Ireland 205 2% 10 Belgium 401 2.97%

2010- 2013 2014-to present

Count %

count %

1 UK 1 167 39% 1 UK 380 23.14%

2 USA 432 14.40% 2 Germany 262 15.96%

3 Germany 356 12% 3 USA 209 12.73%

4 France 222 7.40% 4 Netherlands 187 11.39%

5 Netherlands 188 6.20% 5 France 174 10.60%

6 Australia 186 6.20% 6 Australia 142 8.65%

7 Belgium 127 4.20% 7 England 114 6.94%

8 Canada 124 4.10% 8 Norway 69 4.20%

9 Norway 123 4.10% 9 Belgium 57 3.47%

10 Sweden 72 2.40% 10 Canada 48 2.92%

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Figure 30: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Museum and Art Galleries January 1998 – to present

1998 - 2001

2002 - 2005

2006 - 2009

2010- 2013

2014 - to present

UK 30.12% 37.51% 45.86% 43.52% 23.14%

Germany 11.84% 9.63% 10.06% 10.48% 15.96%

USA 9.16% 7.93% 10.19% 13.58% 12.73%

Netherlands 8.88% 7.50% 8.48% 6.42% 11.39%

France 4.68% 4.36% 4.97% 5.47% 10.60%%

Respondents who filled in the Visitor Books at museum and art galleries were mainly from the UK, Germany, USA, the Netherlands and France, which is not surprising, as these constitute the major overseas markets for KZN. The UK remained the largest overseas source market with 23%, followed by Germany (16%) and the USA (13%), which shows a small change, as the two time periods before the USA used to have the second highest percentage of respondents and German the third place. The large decreases in respondents from the UK, as well as the other figures mirror the findings from the standard Visitor Book.

Figure 31: Respondents by communication influence – Museum and Art Galleries January 1998 – to present

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1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014- to present


Advertisements 671 3% 613 3% 744 2.26% 154 2% 97 1.82%

Brochure/guide 9 216 34.30% 6 893 29% 9129 27.67% 2 713 29.40% 1035 19.41%

Fax on demand 4 0.10% 4 0.20% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 1 0.02%

History books 529 2% 1 460 6% 2640 8.00% 227 2.46% 352 6.60%

Information sign 759 3% 562 2.30% 195 0.59% 99 1% 146 2.74%

Other 1 315 5% 894 4% 5095 15.44% 162 2% 847 15.89%

Print ad 21 0.80% 30 0.12% 151 0.46% 220 2.30% 7 0.13%

Radio advertisement 7 0.30% 44 0.18% 8 0.02% 6 0.70% 2 0.04%

Road sign / sign post 472 2% 474 2% 254 0.77% 448 5% 148 2.78%

Tourism info office 1 247 5% 1 042 4.30% 241 0.73% 68 0.74% 81 1.52%

Tv advertisement 2 0.10% 37 0.15% 32 0.10% 34 0.37% 11 0.21%


Word-of-mouth 12 477 47% 11 835 49% 13988 42.40% 4 878 53% 2069 38.81%

26 830 100% 24 113 100% 32993 100.00% 9 210 100% 3600 100.00%

Word-of-mouth remains the most influential source of information for museums and art galleries, despite the large decrease from 53% in the time period 2010 - 2013 to only 38.8% in 2014- to present. The second most influential communication channel was brochures and guides with 19.4% in the last time period. This means of influencing people to visit such facilities has declined since the project was initiated, indicating the increased use of mobile technology – Smart phones, tablets and Apps. As with the findings for the standard Visitor Book the websites and the internet is becoming more influential for museums and art galleries as well. In 2006 – 2009 only 1.56% of the respondents stated that they were influenced by websites or the internet, while in the time period 2014- to present, already 10% stated this. This can definitely be identified as a trend in the communication methods that are being used by tourists. The visits by tourists to museums and art galleries must be a unforgettable experience as positive word-of-mouth can quickly turn an unknown or unpopular museum or art gallery into a worldwide sensation and negative word-of-mouth can devastate a museum or art gallery, whether it's based on reality or not. The communication channel of word-of-mouth is very important for KZN and the province strongly depends on word-of-mouth communication. For that reason, positive experiences are paramount.

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Figure 32: Respondents by purpose of visit – Museum and Art Galleries January 1998 – to present

A large amount of the respondents to museum and art galleries who filled in the Visitor Book were visiting for purposes of holiday remained steady compared to other years, consisting of almost 59% of the total respondents in the latest period. The next most important group consisted of those visiting friends and relatives, followed by business. However, the purpose for VFR has been decreasing since 2013, while business as a purpose has grown after its significant drop in 2010-2013. This offers opportunities in terms of accommodation and tourist amenities as they will be used more if less people visit friends and relatives. The category ‘’other’’ increased as well, which makes it important to find out what other purposes people have. KZN is a significant business tourism province. Bustling Durban is the hub of the province’s business and industry and pulses with all the energy of a major port city. Museums and art galleries could target this business market even more. Leisure facilities could be of great value for the business market as they could make use of them to relax before or after work or a conference.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010 - 2013

2014-to present

Business 7.60% 8.10% 5.92% 1.88% 4.16%

Holiday 63.70% 61.20% 60.61% 50% 58.69%

VFR 28.70% 30.70% 28.33% 47% 31.07%

Other - - 5.14% 1% 6.09%

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6. Hostel Book – Respondents Global trends show that the hostels, youth hostels or backpackers markets are continuously growing. Figure 29 shows the growth in youth travel worldwide from 2002 to 2010 and gives a prospect for 2020. According to the UNWTO, youth travel will increase to almost 300 million international trips per year by 2020 (UNWTO).

Figure 33: International arrivals in the youth travel industry

2002 – 2020

The South African backpacker market is, in comparison to other markets, such as the Australian backpacker market, still an unfamiliar and developing market. This encouraged TKZN to collect data of this particular market to be able to track its development and trends. This is done both through its consumer surveys and more recently through the use of the Hostel Visitor Books designed specifically for hostels. In the beginning Hostel Visitor Books were disseminated through the South African Backpackers Association and then directly to each hostel. The first books were distributed during July 2000, which means that over 15 years of data has been collected to date. Visitor Books have been supplied to 18 hostels through time. Out of these, the majority of the establishments have returned forms but far fewer continue to do so. Moreover, some of the hostels have only recently joined the project. Noteworthy as well is that many hostels appear to have started a business, but went out of business a short time later.

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6.1 Total

It was most interesting to note for what reasons people, who made use of backpacker hostels, visited the province of KZN. The results are supplied in the table below. In the figure below, it is evident that the profile and behavior of tourists who stay either at backpacker lodges or hostels are similar in comparison to the “standard visitor”, who completed the standard visitor book. The vast majority of respondents (88%) in KZN were in the province for holiday purposes. Hostels generally tend to attract budget tourists, who may spend smaller amounts of money a day, but stay for longer periods at their destinations. VFR tourists, like the name indicates, tend to stay with their family and friends while visiting the province.

Figure 34: Respondents by purpose of visit- Hostel Visitor Book July 2000 - to present

2000-2003 2004-2006 2007-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Business 1370 10.80% 260 4.70% 765 6.51% 1497 10.44% 943 9.67%

Holiday 11028 86.60% 4955 88.90% 9024 76.85% 11728 82% 8574 87.95%

VFR 94 0.70% 5 0.10% 21 0.18% 38 0.27% 20 0.21%

Other 245 1.90% 353 6.30% 1933 16.46% 1071 7% 212 2.17%

12737 100% 5573 100% 11743 100% 14334 100% 9749 100.00%

As you can see in the table, the purpose ‘holiday’ remained consistently over the years but experienced a peak in the period of 2004-2006 as well as 2014-to present. The purpose of ‘business’ significantly increased in the last two time periods whereas the category ‘’other’’ descreased. This is a positive change since it is hard to track what ‘’other’’ means and thus as a hostel owner use this information to ones advantage.

Hostel respondents use different methods to find out about the various different hostels at the destination. The results are shown in the figure below.

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Figure 35: Respondents by communication influence – Hostel Visitor Book July 2000 - to present

Information is obtained in various ways. Unlike the standard Visitor Book respondents, the ‘’website/internet’’ (47.7%) is used most by hostel book respondents. Especially in the last two periods there has been a massive increase in the use of the internet, which has taken over the first place from ‘’word of mouth’’. This trend simply follows the international trend with more and more people using smart phones and tablets to access information on the move. The second most important is word-of-mouth-communication, with a share of 23% of the respondents. However the time period before (2010-2013) experienced a higher figure of the use of brochure/guide, taking the second place. Nowadays, online resources are both a popular booking method and media influencer. Hostels should therefore make use of online resources to promote their establishments to potential visitors as this method of communication has become increasingly popular through time. Moreover, social media websites are already a significant influence on the decision making process of young people and will only increase in importance. According to a report in the European Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 35% of all youth travelers add travel content to their social media pages (Dionysopoulou & Mylonakis, 2013). Of this 35% half of them actually organized their trip through these pages. Moreover, more than a half makes use of offers given online by travel

2000-2003 2004-2006 2007-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Advertisements 63 0.50% 22 0.40% 74 0.65% 116 0.76% 27 0.26%

Brochure/guide 8 022 61% 3 948 65% 6098 53% 5113 33% 1925 18.51%

History books 7 0.05% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 2 0.01% 21 0.20%

Information sign 9 0.07% 5 0.08% 1 0.01% 2 0.01% 1 0.01%

Other 118 1% 37 0.61% 144 1.26% 673 4.40% 369 3.55%

Print ad 5 0.04% 0 0.00% 1 0.01% 18 0.12% 3 0.03%


Road sign / sign post 65 0.50% 1 0.02% 0 0.00% 8 0.05% 4 0.04%

Tourism info office 210 1.60% 34 0,56% 67 0.58% 136 0.89% 55 0.53%


Web site / internet 348 2.70% 513 8.40% 1883 16% 5856 38% 4957 47.65%

Word-of-mouth 4 291 33% 1 517 25% 3196 27.88% 3320 22% 2437 23.43%

13 152 100% 6 087 100% 11465 100% 15280 100% 10402 100.00%

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companies. Of all youth travelers making use of websites and the internet, 27% visits the social media pages of the national tourism organization. Moreover, 69% of the respondents in this survey admitted that the organization of their trip was influenced by audiovisual material uploaded by friends on social media (Dionysopoulou & Mylonakis, 2013). In total 40% visited friends from social media in their own country or abroad, 42% shared their travel experiences with friends on social media during their trip and 74% shared their experiences on social media with friends after their trip. Recent research carried out by Blitz (lonely plane, 2016) revealed that 84% of millennials and 73% of non-millennials are likely or very likely to plan a trip based on someone else’s vacation photos or social media updates. This means that the importance of social media increased over the years and remained to be a huge impact in influencing travel.

Figure 36: Respondents by country of origin, domestic or foreign - Hostel Visitor Book July 2000 - to present

2000-2003 2004-2006 2007-2009 2010 – 2013 2014-to present


Domestic 2 246 19% 1 067 18.70% 3514 28% 5563 28% 4365 38%

Foreign 9 826 81% 4 627 81.30% 9142 72% 14191 72% 6995 62%

12 072 100% 5 694 100% 12656 100% 19754 100% 11360 100%

Large proportions (62%), of the respondents were from foreign countries. This is different from the Standard Visitor Book respondents, which only shows a share of 21% of foreign respondents. Over the years, the domestic share has increased, with a significant peak in the latest period (2014-to present). It could be possible that the domestic market is becoming aware of the hostels and its possibilities. During the tough economic times, hostels are an affordable alternative for both foreign visitors and domestic visitors. Moreover, hostels offer a large variety in entertainment especially for youth tourists, which makes it a more attractive accommodation option to the youth. Visitors making use of hostel accommodation emanate from a variety of countries. These countries are shown below.

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Table 11: Foreign visitors by country or origin - Hostel Visitor

July 2000 - to present

2010 – 2013 2014-to present

Count % Count %

1 Germany 3294 31.80% 1 Germany 2214 38.07%

2 UK 1840 18% 2 Netherlands 780 13.41%

3 Netherlands 1365 13% 3 UK 749 12.88%

4 USA 1324 13% 4 USA 697 11.98%

5 France 635 6.13% 5 France 384 6.60%

6 Australia 488 5% 6 Switzerland 241 4.14%

7 Canada 461 4.45% 7 Austria 240 4.13%

8 Switzerland 407 4% 8 Canada 214 3.68%

9 Belgium 324 3% 9 Belgium 176 3.03%

10 Sweden 221 2.13% 10 Sweden 130 2.24%

The main foreign markets that visited the hostels throughout KwaZulu-Natal have been the Germany, The Netherlands, UK, USA followed by France and Australia. However, it is since 2014 to present that Australia made place for Switzerland to be number six in the top 10. Moreover, whereas Germany peaks in the last two year periods, the following foreign markets are close to each other in numbers. Except for Germany to be on the first place, the top 5 is comparable to the results of the Standard Visitor Book.

Figure 37: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin - Hostel Visitor Book July 2000 - to present

2000-2003 2004-2006 2007-2009


1 UK 2 638 27% 1 UK 1 126 24.30% 1 UK 1896 27%

2 Germany 2 089 21.20% 2 Germany 819 18% 2 Germany 1514 21.80%

3 Netherlands 870 9% 3 USA 422 9.10% 3 USA 823 12%

4 USA 613 6.20% 4 Netherlands 377 8.10% 4 Netherlands 1030 15%

5 France 495 5% 5 France 279 6% 5 Australia 380 5.47%

6 Australia 479 4.90% 6 Australia 194 4.10% 6 France 419 6.03%

7 Ireland 310 3.10% 7 Switzerland 158 3.40% 7 Canada 293 4%

8 Canada 239 2.40% 8 Canada 153 3.30% 8 Switzerland 233 3.36%

9 Belgium 206 2.10% 9 Ireland 113 2.40% 9 Ireland 189 2.72%

10 Switzerland 202 2% 10 Belgium 106 2.20% 10 Sweden 167 2.40%

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2000 - 2003

2004 - 2006

2007 - 2009

2010 - 2013

2014 - to present

UK 27% 24.30% 27% 18% 11.98%

Germany 21.20% 18% 21.80% 31.80% 38.07%

Netherlands 9% 8.10% 15% 13% 13.41%

USA 6.20% 9.10% 12% 13% 11.98%

France 5% 6% - 6.13% 6.60%

Australia - - 6.03% - -

The three major source markets are Germany, the Netherlands and the UK and USA, sharing the 3rd place. Noteworthy, is the increase in German visitors in the hostels. In the time period 2010 – 2013 Germany was already the largest source market with 31.8%, but in the latest time period (2014 to present) it is highest of all other markets with 38% of all visitors in hostels being German. Moreover, the UK experienced a decrease again from 18% in 2010 – 2013 to only 12% in the 2014 – to present period. In terms of length of stay in hostels there are some interesting observations to note. Visitors who stay at hostels tend to stay longer at one place than “standard visitors”. Although the average length of trip has fallen, from an average of 63 days in 2002 to 53 days in 2007, it is still an important market (Mintel, 2010). According to the Department of Trade and Industry (the DTI), the total average length of stay for a backpacking trip to South Africa was 42 days in 2006, with most backpackers staying for between 22 and 31 days (The Department of Trade and Industry South Africa). This means the average is highly influenced by a couple of backpackers staying a very long time. The DTI also stated that the average length of stay of backpackers in Cape Town was 6-7 days, whereas this was only 2 nights in destinations across KZN (The Department of Trade and Industry South Africa). This market is a valuable market for KZN and has potential to grow further in the future. Please note that no new data has been published on this market in South Africa after 2007.

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7. Regional Analyses KwaZulu-Natal This section of the Visitor Book report provides analyses of the respondents of the standard Visitor Book per tourism region. The amenities and accommodation facilities are grouped according to the region in which they are located.

7.1 South Coast

Figure 38: Respondents by purpose of visit – South Coast January 1998 - to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010 – 2013 2014 – to present


Business 215 5% 57 4% 66 2% 51 1.54% 86 1.38%

Holiday 4 024 91% 1 377 85% 2828 86% 2913 88% 5615 89.81%

VFR 196 4.40% 190 12% 350 10.67% 272 8% 302 4.83%

Other - - - - 36 1.10% 73 2% 249 3.98%

4 435 100% 1 624 100% 3280 100% 3309 100% 6252 100%

It is evident from the figure above that almost all of the respondents travelled to the South Coast for holiday purposes. The South Coast is one of the most important holiday destinations in KwaZulu-Natal for domestic tourists. Sub-tropical forests, blue lagoons, golden beaches, rocky caves, the warm Indian Ocean and sunny weather make KZN’s South Coast a popular year-round holiday resort for both local and international visitors.

It is also interesting to know how these respondents found out about a particular area or facility, or what media channel influenced them in their decision to travel to the South Coast. In the figure below this information is provided.

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Figure 39: Respondents by communication influence – South Coast January 1998 - to present

The figure above indicates that most of the respondents of the Visitor Book project to the South Coast, obtained their information either by word-of-mouth or “other”. The category “other” can be a great variety of communication channels, such as local knowledge or “have been here before”. During the latest period it should be noted that the category “web site/internet” increased significantly. This could be due to the fact that the internet is easy to use and you can find virtually every piece of information on the internet, being just one click away. Furthermore, many people have and use mobile technology in the form of smart phones and tablets to access the internet for information.

. 1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010 – 2013 2014-to present


Advertisements 233 7% 62 5% 151 6.83% 98 4.30% 143 3.54%

Brochure/guide 731 21% 192 15% 525 23.74% 541 23.74% 441 11%

Fax on demand 1 0.03% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0%

History books 21 0.60% 42 3.30% 5 0.23% 2 0.09% 19 0.47%

Information sign 160 5% 52 4.10% 38 1.72% 69 3.03% 117 2.92%

Other 415 12% 17 1.30% 5 0.23% 228 10.00% 871 21.73%

Print ad 5 0.10% 3 0.20% 3 0.14% 3 0.13% 1 0.02%

Radio ad 3 0.09% 6 0.47% 2 0.09% 1 0.04% 1 0.02%

Road sign/ sign post

402 11.40% 54 4.20% 101 4.57% 58 2.54% 8 0.10%

Tourism info office

72 2.04% 39 3.04% 16 0.72% 22 0.97% 31 0.39%

Tv advertisement

0 0.00% 0 0.00% 1 0.05% 3 0.13% 1 0.02%

Web site/ internet

29 0.80% 21 1.60% 68 3.08% 140 6.14% 559 6.9%

Word-of-mouth 1 453 41.20% 797 62% 1296 58.62% 1114 48.88% 1816 22.65%

3 525 100% 1 285 100% 2211 100% 2279 100% 4008 100%

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Figure 40: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – South Coast January 1998 - to present

When looking at the division between domestic and foreign tourists, it can be concluded that the domestic market is the biggest tourism market and at the same time the most important one for South Africa. This is easy to explain for South Coast as this is a popular tourist destination for domestic tourists. In 2014 to present the domestic group increased even further.

Figure 41: Domestic respondents by province of origin – South Coast

January 1998 - to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014- to present


Domestic 3 243 74% 1 202 77% 2674 81% 2 672 78% 3031 84%

Foreign 1 159 26% 353 23% 611 19% 733 22% 565 16%

4 402 100% 1 555 100% 3285 100% 3 405 100% 3596 100%

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The provinces Gauteng and KZN are the biggest source of domestic respondents in the past years, as has been the case historically for decades. Unlike the overall domestic source markets of the province in the most recent time period, Gauteng shows a bigger share than KZN. This could indicate that Gauteng respondents favour the South Coast particularly as a tourism destination within the province.

Over the years, the provinces of KZN and Gauteng have stood out as leading provinces. However, efforts should be made to encourage visitors from the other provinces to visit the South Coast region. Airports, tourist junctions and information offices should play a leading role in marketing the South Coast region. Moreover, online marketing efforts should be encouraged as websites and the internet are of increasing influence on tourists.

Table 12: Foreign visitors by country of origin – South Coast January 1998 - to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009

Count

% Count

% Count %

1 UK 319 27,52% 1 UK 108 30,59% 1 UK 181 40.04%

2 Germany 202 17,43% 2 Germany 43 12,18% 2 Germany 67 14.82%

3 Netherlands 175 15,10% 3 USA 26 7,37% 3 USA 62 13.72%

4 USA 51 4,40% 4 Netherlands 18 5,10% 4 Canada 38 8.41%

5 Australia 43 3,71% 5 Australia 16 4,53% 5 Netherlands 29 6.42%

6 Canada 36 3,11% 6 Zimbabwe 14 3,97% 6 Australia 15 5.75%

7 Zimbabwe 36 3,11% 7 Scotland 13 3,68% 7 France 15 3.32%

8 Belgium 31 2,67% 8 Canada 12 3,40% 8 Scotland 26 3.32%

9 France 30 2,59% 9 France 12 3,40% 9 New Zealand 11 2.43%

10 Switzerland 30 2,59% 10 New Zealand 9 2,55% 10 Austria 8 1.77%

The foreign respondents provided only a small number of tourists to the South Coast. A reason for the lower number of foreign tourist numbers could be that there are other beach destinations closer to their home country, or that they went to more well-known beach destinations such as Durban.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010-2013 2014-to present


Eastern Cape 68 2.40% 22 2.10% 71 2.72% 36 1.38% 65 1.80%

Free State 108 3.80% 53 5.10% 135 5.16% 116 4.44% 173 4.78%

Gauteng 1 346 47.30% 538 51.30% 1 146 43.82% 1 008 38.55% 1728 47.79%

KwaZulu-Natal 1 010 35% 319 30.40% 826 31.59% 740 28.30% 1111 30.72%

Limpopo 35 1.20% 10 1.00% 57 2.18% 57 2.18% 110 3.04%

Mpumalanga 90 3.20% 50 5% 142 5.43% 127 4.86% 174 4.81%

North-west 76 2.70% 17 1.60% 149 5.70% 148 5.66% 170 4.70%

Northern Cape 16 1% 5 0.50% 19 0.73% 23 0.88% 20 0.55%

Western Cape 98 3.40% 35 3.30% 70 2.68% 75 2.87% 65 1.80%

2 847 100% 1 049 100% 2 615 100% 2 330 100% 3616 100%

2010 – 2013 2014-to present

Count % Count %

1 UK 77 29.73% 1 Germany 112 26.05%

2 Germany 52 20.08% 2 UK 100 23.26%

3 USA 33 12.74% 3 England 54 12.56%

4 Netherlands 21 8.11% 4 Netherlands 38 8.8%

5 Canada 19 7.34% 5 Australia 32 7.44%

6 Australia 19 7.34% 6 Switzerland 23 5.35%

7 Sweden 15 5.79% 7 Zimbabwe 19 4.42%

8 Ireland 11 4.25% 8 USA 18 4.19%

9 Italy 7 2.70% 9 Sweden 17 3.95%

10 Norway 5 1.93% 10 Scotland 17 3.95%

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With the current economic situation many people choose to travel nearby. Another reason could be that the South Coast still is an unfamiliar tourism destination for the foreign tourists and are not aware of all the attractions the South Coast has to offer, such as the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve, the golf courses and whale watching. Another drawcard are the events which occur on the South Coast such as the Ugu Jazz Festival, the Africa Bike week and the Sardine Festival, all of which draw people to the area. Division-wise, the main foreign markets that visited the South Coast have been the UK, Germany, The Netherlands and USA for years followed by Canada and Australia. However, it is since 2014 to present that the UK made place for Germany to be the number one foreign market. Whereas the UK appeared in the top 3 for the first time, the USA dropped down significantly to the 8th place. Better promotion of the region as well as good accessibility and transport possibilities from bigger cities nearby could have a positive impact on the foreign visitor numbers. More advertisements in brochures, travel guides and websites could contribute to this. Word-of-mouth can be improved as well by marketing the unique selling points of the South Coast region. It would also be a possibility to offer one day or multiple day tours to the South Coast, leaving from accommodation facilities in, for example, Durban. To attract more youngsters and backpackers, the South Coast could set up social media campaigns in which they start a competition. For instance the person that posts the nicest/craziest/funniest/prettiest beach picture with a hashtag to the South Coast social media page will win a weekend away to the South Coast for two.

Figure 42: Top 5 overseas visitors by country or origin – South Coast January 1998 – to present

In figure 42 it can be seen that the top 5 have shifted, with Canada and the UK making their way into the top 5 in the last three time periods eliminating Australia and the USA. Therefore more than 5

1998 - 2001 2002 - 2005 2006 - 2009 2010 - 2013

2014 - to present

UK 27.52% 30.59% 40.04% 29.73% 35.82%

USA 4.40% 7.37% 13.72% 12.74% -

Australia 3.71% 4.53% - 7.34% 7.44%

Netherlands

15.10% 5.10% 6.42% 8.11% 8.8%

Canada - - 8.41% 7.34% -

Germany 17.43% 12.18% 14.82% 20.08% 26.05%

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overseas markets have been included in both the graph and the table. In the period of 2010-2013, Australia and Canada both take the 5th place. Moreover it is evident that Germany is a growing source market for the South Coast, just like it is the case for the hostel industry. This could be an indication that the international visitors are mostly youth travelers; however this cannot be concluded with certainty. The UK being the leading source market increased in 2014-to present after a drop in the period 2010-2013. The Australian source market increased slightly in the time period 2014 to present, while The figure of The Netherlands and Germany have both been added up with 6 to 7%.

7.2 Drakensberg The purpose of visit of respondents visiting the Drakensberg region can be seen in the figure below.

Figure 43: Respondents by purpose of visit – Drakensberg January 1998 - to present

Respondents of the Visitor Book project that visited the Drakensberg region were mainly visiting the area for a holiday. In the latest period, the number increased slightly, to almost 78%. VFR and business both dropped. Consequently, it can be concluded that the Drakensberg is mainly a holiday and leisure destination. A great number of people visit the Drakensberg to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life and to enjoy the scenic mountain range and the tranquil natural environment. The inspiring Drakensberg region, just by virtue of its topography, is an adventure paradise and offers a wide variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling and horse riding. The Drakensberg is also a World Heritage Site which adds to its popularity and the wider range of people the area attracts. While, it is not as popular as metropolitan areas for business travel, it does have the potential to attract this market as it already has some conference regions in the area such as the Champagne Sports Resort that can host up to 700 delegates. With its tranquil environment, plenty of leisure activities and its conference venues it could cater specifically to the MICE market as well.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010-2013 2014-to present


Business 319 7.40% 422 5.60% 175 2% 465 5% 143 3.04%

Holiday 3 665 85% 5 753 76.20% 5775 80% 7254 75% 3703 78.65%

VFR 335 7.80% 1 377 18.20% 1093 15% 1819 19% 592 12.57%

Other 190 3% 184 2% 270 5.73%

4 319 100% 7 552 100% 7233 100% 9722 100% 4708 100%

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1998-2001 %

2002-2005 %

2006-2009 %

2010-2013 %

2014- to present %

It is interesting to analyze how respondents were influenced in their choice to visit the Drakensberg region. This data is provided in figure below.

Figure 44: Respondents by communication influence – Drakensberg January 1998 - to present

About 38.5% of the respondents were most influenced by word-of-mouth communication in the latest period. This is an indication that those who have had a positive holiday experience in the Drakensberg are telling friends and relatives. The second most important media channel was, as expected, brochures and travel guides (24%). This media channel has decreased, when compared to the previous periods. After word-of-mouth (39%) and brochures and travel guides (24%), the communication influence of websites and internet use (11%) was noted which has grown in importance over the years. An

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Advertisements 142 3.80% 97 1.50% 130 2.24% 171 2.63% 58 2.23%

Brochure/guide 1065 28.60% 1516 22.90% 1624 27.95% 1710 26.31% 628 24.13%

Fax on demand 1 0.03% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 1 0.04%

History books 95 2.60% 275 4.20% 137 2.36% 195 3.00% 86 3.30%

Information sign 113 3% 347 5.20% 79 1.36% 125 1.92% 77 2.96%

Other 362 9.70% 85 1.30% 9 0.15% 338 5.20% 324 12.45%

Print ad 4 0.10% 31 0.50% 1 0.02% 9 0.14% 5 0.19%

Radio advertisement

0 0.00% 10 0.15% 2 0.03% 3 0.05% 0 0.04%


160 4.30% 279 4.20% 115 1.98% 158 2.43% 91 3.50%

Tourism info office

84 2.30% 572 9% 43 0.74% 87 1.34% 36 1.38%


Web site / internet

36 1% 132 2% 342 5.89% 528 8.12% 291 11.18%

Word-of-mouth 1 663 45% 3 277 49.40% 3318 57.11% 3171 48.78% 1003 38.53%

3 725 100% 6 629 100% 5810 100% 6500 100% 2603 100%

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increase in the number of people using and being influenced by the internet in the future is highly likely, as the use of internet has been growing drastically over the last decades. Consequently, the Drakensberg area should adapt to this trend and ensure they increasingly use internet options to provide information and promote the area as well as social media for people to post their pictures on. An environmentally friendly sign ‘’#The Drakensberg’’ could already stimulate this. Social media contests on sharing the most beautiful picture of experience in this area with a weekend getaway for two as a reward could be a good way to anticipate on the current trends as well.

Figure 45: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – Drakensberg January 1998 - to present

As The Drakensberg is a World Heritage Site, it’s likely that the site is widely known both nationally and internationally. Many people travel specifically to World Heritage Sites all over the world and it is thus likely that the Drakensberg attracts such a niche market sector of tourists also. The Drakensberg remained by far the most favorite destination of domestic tourists, with 78% of the visitors to the area, who filled in Visitor Books, being domestic respondents in the latest period.

Figure 46: Domestic respondents by province of origin – Drakensberg January 1998 - to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013

2014-to present


Domestic 3 460 78% 5 590 74% 6672 76% 7802 77% 2452 78%

Foreign 980 22% 1 969 26% 2077 24% 2387 23% 626 22%

4 440 100% 7 559 100% 8749 100% 10189 100% 3078 100%

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As with most of the other regions of the KZN province mentioned in this chapter, KZN (64%) was the biggest domestic source market, followed by Gauteng (22%), which can be related to the fact that these are the closest provinces to the area. Over the years the results and percentages have remained relatively stable. Over all time periods KwaZulu-Natal continued to be the main domestic source market and looking at the latest results it is highly likely it will continue to be the largest domestic source market in the time periods to come.

Table 13: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Drakensberg


The main foreign markets that visited Drakensberg have been the UK, Germany, The Netherlands, USA and Australia. However, it is since 2014 to present that the France entered the top 5 of the list. Moreover, Switzerland slowly dropped to the bottom in the last period. Looking into the overall picture of all countries and its pattern it can be noted that the number of visitors per country that signed the visitor book in the Drakensberg plummeted after the period 2010-2013. This may be due to the provision of information on the internet with regard to hikes and best places to see in this

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Eastern Cape 141 5% 325 7% 296 5% 249 3% 100 3%

Free State 53 1.70% 81 1.60% 162 2% 108 1% 39 1%

Gauteng 751 24.30% 1 092 22% 1 805 27% 1 636 22% 655 22%

KwaZulu-Natal 1 928 62.30% 3 112 63% 3 505 53% 4 534 62% 1893 64%

Limpopo 5 0.16% 4 0.08% 46 1% 56 1% 36 1%

Mpumalanga 15 0.48% 7 0.14% 148 2% 131 2% 54 2%

North-West 22 0.71% 11 0.22% 133 2% 129 2% 52 2%

Northern Cape 45 1.45% 58 1.17% 38 1% 32 0% 6 0%

Western Cape 133 4.30% 283 5.70% 432 7% 407 6% 131 4%

3 093 100% 4 973 100% 6 565 100% 7 282 100% 2966 100%

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009


1 UK 221 23% 1 UK 507 32% 1 UK 522 31%

2 Germany 212 22% 2 Germany 330 21% 2 Germany 336 20%

3 Netherlands 125 13% 3 Netherlands 277 17% 3 Netherlands 269 16%

4 USA 67 7% 4 Australia 102 6% 4 USA 125 7%

5 Australia 47 5% 5 USA 97 6% 5 Australia 110 7%

6 Switzerland 30 3% 6 France 86 5% 6 France 104 6%

7 France 28 3% 7 Belgium 66 4% 7 Belgium 71 4%

8 Belgium 27 3% 8 Switzerland 50 3% 8 Switzerland 62 4%

9 Scotland 22 2.20% 9 Canada 39 2% 9 Canada 53 3%

10 Zimbabwe 21 2.10% 10 Scotland 39 2% 10 Scotland 37 2%

2010- 2013 2014-to present

Count % count %

1 UK 405 26% 1 UK 144 22.22%

2 Germany 376 24% 2 Germany 131 20.22%

3 Netherlands 225 15% 3 Netherlands 85 13.12%

4 Australia 111 7% 4 Australia 62 9.57%

5 USA 117 8% 5 France 60 9.26%

6 France 102 7% 6 USA 52 8.02%

7 Belgium 69 4% 7 England 43 6.64%

8 Switzerland 68 4% 8 Canada 25 3.86%

9 Canada 50 3% 9 Belgium 23 3.55%

10 Spain 25 2% 10 Switzerland 23 3.55%

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natural area, enabling people to find things out for themselves or due to not being as many visitor books in the region as before

Figure 47: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Drakensberg


The top five overseas source markets showed some similarities with the statistics of SAT of tourists to South Africa overall as the difference between Germany and UK became less. The Drakensberg region being a world heritage site attracts a large variety of foreign visitors, mainly from the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. Furthermore, it can be seen that the top 5 has only made a shift in the last time period replacing the USA market with France. For that reason France, being the extra market has been included in both the graph and the table. Moreover, The UK taking the first place year after year has been decreasing from 2006 onwards as well as the Netherlands while Australia made a slow but steady increase over the years. Germany remained quite steady through time with some little ups and downs.

1998 - 2001 2002 - 2005 2006 - 2009 2010 - 2013

2014 - to present

UK 23% 32% 31% 26% 22%

USA 7% 6% 7% 8% -

Australia 5% 6% 7% 7% 10%

Netherlands

13% 17% 16% 15% 13%

Germany 22% 21% 20% 24% 20%

France - - - - 9%

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7.3 North Coast Due to the small number of responses received from the North Coast Visitor Books in the last two time periods, the figures of the last year presented in some of the tables and graphs below are statistically invalid and have been indicated in the text per topic. The purpose of visit, for those who filled in the Visitor Books in the North Coast, was analyzed, and the results are shown in the table below. Unfortunately, there was not enough data received for the last time periods (2014 to present), making it statistically invalid compared to the first three time periods but can still be compared among the two (2010-2013 and 2014 to present) to get an impression of the ongoing trend.

Figure 48: Respondents by purpose of visit – North Coast January 1998 – to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010 - 2013 2014-to present


Business 68 8.30% 206 10.50% 61 2.28% 27 10% 27 9.57%

Holiday 702 85.90% 1 529 85.00% 2262 84.50% 205 76% 220 78.01%

VFR 47 5.80% 235 13.60% 354 13.22% 25 9% 21 7.45%

Other - 14 5% 14 4.96%

817 100% 1 970 100% 2677 100% 271 100% 282 100%

Respondents of the Visitor Book project from the North Coast region were mainly visiting the area for a holiday. In the latest period, the number increased slightly with 2% to 78% in the last period but still did not reach the figure of 85% of the first three time periods. This indicates that it is mainly a holiday destination with potential for the business market as well since it is the area next to the EThekwini metropolitan, where most businesses are located. It is also useful to find out what influenced these respondents in their decision to travel to this region. This data is provided below.

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Figure 49: Respondents by communication influence – North Coast


There was not enough data captured, to be able to update and give reliable information in the time period 2014- to present. In the last time period available (2010 – 2013) brochures, travel guides and word-of-mouth were the most popular communication channel. This might mean that the North Coast is already well promoted in those brochures and guides. There was also a notably increase in the purpose website/internet which had almost doubled during the last reporting period. As mentioned earlier in this chapter, this is an ongoing trend and the number of internet users will only increase further.

0%

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20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

1998 - 2001

2002 - 2005

2006 - 2009

2010 - 2013

2014 - to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010 - 2013 2014-to present


Advertisements 15 2% 37 2% 72 3% 7 3% 0 0%

Brochure/guide 138 19% 393 22% 573 27% 46 22% 4 31%

Fax on demand 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%

History books 111 15% 122 7% 287 13% 1 0% 2 15%

Information sign 6 1% 29 2% 18 1% 4 2% 1 8%

Other 147 20% 27 2% 2 0% 36 17% 0 0%

Print ad 0 0% 2 0% 1 0% 0 0% 0 0%

Radio advertisement

0 0% 1 0% 3 0% 0 0% 0 0%


21 3% 29 2% 68 3% 0 0% 0 0%

Tourism info office 22 3% 59 3% 28 1% 4 2% 0 0%

Tv advertisement 1 0% 6 0% 12 1% 0 0% 0 0%

Web site / internet 2 0% 36 2% 72 3% 16 8% 2 15%

Word of mouth 274 37% 1049 59% 1022 47% 92 45% 4 31%

737 100% 1790 100% 2158 100% 206 100% 13 100%

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Figure 50: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – North Coast January 1998 – to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010 - 2013 2014-to present


Domestic 559 50.0% 1 249 69.2% 2081 69.3% 142 52.2% 21 100%

Foreign 567 50.4% 557 31.0% 921 30.7% 130 47.8% 0 0%

This figure could not be updated for the most recent period, due to the fact that insufficient data has been received from Visitor Books in this region.

Figure 51: Domestic respondents by province of origin – North Coast January 1998 – to present

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Domestic Foreign

1998 - 2001

2002 - 2005

2006 - 2009

2010 - 2013

2014 - to present

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1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010 - 2013 2014-to present


Eastern Cape 7 1.40% 28 2.50% 28 1.37% 2 2% 0 0.00%

Free State 12 2% 33 3% 38 1.86% 4 4% 0 0.00%

Gauteng 175 36% 470 41.30% 843 41.32% 35 31% 7 33.30%

KwaZulu-Natal 239 49% 517 45.40% 892 43.73% 53 46% 13 62%

Limpopo 1 0.20% 1 0.09% 33 1.62% 2 2% 0 0.00%

Mpumalanga 10 2.10% 17 1% 84 4.12% 5 4% 0 0.00%

North-West 2 0.40% 10 1% 44 2.16% 5 4% 0 0.00%

Northern Cape 18 4% 34 3% 5 0.25% 0 0% 0 0.00%

Western Cape 24 5% 29 3% 73 3.58% 8 7% 1 5%

488 100% 1139 100% 2040 100% 114 100% 21 100%

Efforts should be made to encourage visitors from the other provinces to visit the North Coast region. (Online) marketing initiatives and special tour prices should be made to encourage visitors to the North Coast region. It should also be noted, however, that the small number of returns is also due to the small number of participants from the North Coast area in the visitor book project.

Table 14: Foreign visitors by country or origin – North Coast

January 1998 - 2013

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010 - 2013

Count % Count % Count % Count %

1 UK 76 22% 1 UK 121 21% 1 UK 183 26% 1 Germany 30 30%

2 USA 57 17% 2 Germany 96 17% 2 Germany 174 25% 2 UK 26 26%

3 Germany 50 15% 3 Netherlands 66 12% 3 Netherlands 98 14% 3 USA 13 13%

4 Netherlands 37 11% 4 USA 66 12% 4 USA 92 13% 4 Netherlands 8 8%

5 Zimbabwe 14 4% 5 Australia 22 4% 5 Switzerland 30 4% 5 France 6 6%

6 Canada 13 4% 6 France 22 4% 6 Australia 30 4% 6 Switzerland 5 5%

7 France 9 3% 7 Italy 20 4% 7 France 25 4% 7 Canada 4 4%

8 Australia 8 2% 8 Switzerland 13 2% 8 Canada 22 3% 8 Austria 4 4%

9 Italy 7 2% 9 Zimbabwe 11 2% 9 Zimbabwe 20 3% 9 Australia 2 2%

10 Zambia 5 1% 10 Belgium 10 2% 10 Scotland 19 3% 10 Zimbabwe 2 2%

* Please note that due to insufficient data, the time period 2014-to present could not be included and updated in the table above.

As compared to other tourist regions, North Coast seems not to have been visited by many foreign visitors from the time period 1998-2001 to 2010-2013. The numbers also significantly decreased from the time period 2006-2009 to 2010-2013. Of the African countries, north coast is clearly most visited by Zimbabwe but did drop in number through time. It could be that north coast is not that well known among foreign tourists due to the fact that other areas such as Drakensberg and Elephant Coast draw away visitors to their UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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Figure 52: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – North Coast


1998 - 2001

2002 - 2005 2006 - 2009 2010 - 2013 2014 - to present

UK 22% 21% 26% 26% -

USA 17% 12% 13% 13% -

Australia - 4% - - -

Netherlands 11% 12% 25% 8% -

Germany 15% 17% 14% 30% -

France - - - 6% -

Switzerland - - 4% - -

Canada 4% - - - -

* Please note that due to insufficient data, the time period 2014-to present could not be included and updated in both the table and graph.

The top 5 of overseas markets has shifted significantly over the years and therefore more than 5 markets are included in the table and graph. Whereas the UK, USA, The Netherlands and Germany have continued to be in the top 5, the 5th one shifted from Canada in the first time period to Australia, Switzerland and France in the last three time periods noted. In terms of patterns, the UK and USA have both increased from since 2006-2009 whereas Germany and The Netherlands increased and decreased interchangeably over time.

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7.4 Battlefields The figure below shows why the respondents who filled in the Visitor Books in the Battlefields region visited this particular area.

Figure 53: Respondents by purpose of visit – Battlefields


The main purpose for visiting the region was for a holiday. This profile is similar to that of the Drakensberg region with a high number of respondents in the holiday category. The purpose “business” showed a significant increase after years of decrease, whereas VFR showed a decrease from 28% to 18%. The figure below shows which media channels influenced the respondents in their decision to visit the Battlefields region.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013

2014-to present


Business 660 8% 1 395 5% 604 2% 437 3% 424 11%

Holiday 7 012 86% 22 325 84% 20 052 82% 10 450 67% 2395 63%

VFR 476 6% 2 936 11% 3911 16% 4 396 28% 692 18%

Other - - 1 0% 282 2% 282 7%

8 148 100% 26 656 100% 24 568 100% 15 565 100% 3793 100%

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Figure 54: Respondents by communication influence – Battlefields January 1998 - to present

Word-mouth (45%) has an important role in the decision making process, as is the case in other regions. Unlike in the other areas, however, history books (12%) are really important for the Battlefields region which could be explained by the Battlefield its rich history. After reading history books at school, home or libraries, many people feel like adding a picture to the story and experience the area for themselves. It is highly possible that this is one of the reasons why people want to visit the area.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Advertisements 407 6% 471 2% 428 2% 128 1% 38 2%

Brochure/guide 1 572 24% 4 482 24% 4 251 22% 2 034 22% 138 7%

Fax on demand 4 0% 4 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%

History books 845 13% 2 969 16% 5 251 27% 2 088 23% 252 13%

Information sign 127 2% 353 2% 160 1% 149 2% 111 6%

Other 621 9% 241 1% 80 0% 304 3% 323 16%

Print ad 3 0% 15 0% 31 0% 1 0% 0 0%

Radio advertisement

1 0% 14 0% 7 0% 2 0% 3 0%


102 2% 294 2% 214 1% 174 2% 68 3%

Tourism info office 201 3% 666 3% 114 1% 51 1% 18 1%

Tv advertisement 1 0% 111 1% 25 0% 10 0% 3 0%

Web site / internet 48 1% 218 1% 393 2% 384 4% 144 7%

Word-of-mouth 2 632 40% 9 228 48% 8 203 43% 3 845 42% 880 45%

6 564 100% 19 066 100% 19 157 100% 9 170 100% 1978 100%

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Figure 55: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – Battlefields January 1998 - to present

A larger share of domestic respondents is noticeable, with a significant increase from 64% to 85% in the last period. The foreign share showed a slight decrease in 2010-2013 followed by another more significant decrease in the last period. Over the years it can be noticed that the foreign picture has a significant proportional percentage which is due to the fact that many Europeans, especially the British people, have a historical connection with South Africa, and therefore are more interested in this historically rich region. However, this does not count for the last time period 2014 to present, as this period has a very high percentage of domestic tourists. It has also been reported by some tourist’s guides in the Battlefields area that many of their clients are now domestic tourists, rather than foreign ones. This is supported by the graph above.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Domestic 6 220 57% 12 906 54% 1 9026 53% 10 817 64% 2971 85%

Foreign 4 608 43% 11 089 46% 17 173 47% 6 058 36% 537 15%

10 828 100% 23 995 100% 36 199 100% 16 875 100% 3508 100%

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Figure 56: Domestic respondents by province of origin – Battlefields January 1998 - to present

With KZN contributing 73% of the visitors to this area, in terms of those who filled in Visitor Books, it remained by far the largest domestic source of respondents, followed by Gauteng, with 16%. The Battlefields region showed similar results to the Drakensberg region in terms of percentages of share of domestic source markets. The fact that both the Battlefields area and the Drakensberg area do not have a high percentage of respondents from Gauteng, might indicate that the tourists from Gauteng are strongly attracted to beach destinations.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Eastern Cape 89 2% 177 2% 262 1% 114 1% 26 1%

Free State 70 1.30% 204 2% 353 2% 175 2% 38 1%

Gauteng 1 159 22% 2 874 25% 4132 23% 1978 20% 413 16%

KwaZulu-Natal 3 501 66% 7188 64% 11215 63% 6782 68% 1892 73%

Limpopo 19 0.40% 16 0.10% 115 1% 66 1% 13 1%

Mpumalanga 38 0.70% 40 0.40% 550 3% 342 3% 93 4%

North-West 31 0.60% 70 0.60% 271 2% 155 2% 27 1%

Northern Cape 180 3.40% 198 2% 71 0% 26 0% 7 0%

Western Cape 237 4% 539 5% 902 5% 350 4% 74 3%

5 324 100% 11 306 100% 17871 100% 9988 100% 2583 100%

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Table 15: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Battlefields January 1998 - to present

Over the years, the UK managed to stay at the top, being the largest market that visited the Battlefield area. They are followed by the USA, Netherlands, Australia and Germany, interchanging over time. Moreover, just like with the other provinces, the number of foreign arrivals dropped in 2014 to present as compared to other time periods. In terms of new markets, it should be noted that Ireland, Bahrain, Eritrea and Poland have worked their way to the top 10 which could possibly be a result of those groups their interest in history when visiting other countries.

Figure 57: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Battlefields


1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009


1 UK 2 280 50% 1 UK 6 149 55% 1 UK 8473 59%

2 USA 369 8% 2 USA 705 6.40% 2 Eritrea 1779 12%

3 Netherlands 355 8% 3 Netherlands 668 6.00% 3 USA 916 6%

4 Germany 283 6.10% 4 Australia 491 4.30% 4 Netherlands 810 6%

5 Australia 229 5% 5 Germany 480 4.30% 5 Australia 628 4%

6 Scotland 135 2.90% 6 Belgium 287 3% 6 Germany 540 4%

7 France 123 2.70% 7 Bahrain 279 2.50% 7 Scotland 336 2%

8 Belgium 123 2.70% 8 Scotland 213 1.90% 8 Canada 303 2%

9 Canada 80 1.70% 9 Canada 198 1.80% 9 France 256 2%

10 Ireland 76 1.70% 10 France 193 1.70% 10 Belgium 279 2%

2010-2013 2014-to present

Count % Count %

1 UK 2964 67.53% 1 UK 127 29.88%

2 USA 301 6.86% 2 Netherlands 60 14.12%

3 Australia 290 6.61% 3 Germany 53 12.47%


5 Germany 179 4.08% 5 England 43 10.12%

6 France 103 2.35% 6 USA 34 8.00%

7 Canada 93 2.12% 7 France 24 5.65%

8 Ireland 92 2.10% 8 Scotland 16 3.76%

9 Belgium 62 1.41% 9 New Zealand 14 3.29%

10 Scotland 58 1.32% 10 Poland 11 2.59%

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1998 - 2001

2002 - 2005 2006 - 2009 2010 - 2013

2014 - to present

UK 50% 55% 59% 67.53% 29.88%

USA 8% 6.40% 6% 6.86% -

Australia 5% 4.30% 4% 6.61% 10.12%

Netherlands 8% 6% 6% 5.63% 14.12%

Germany 6.10% 4.30% 4% 4.08% 12.47%

England - - - - 10.12%

The Battlefields is a historical area where wars were fought by the Zulu warriors, the British army and the Boers. Because of the history a lot of visitors from the UK used to be attracted to this area; however the visitors from the UK have shown a large decrease in the last time period (from 2014 onwards). This mirrors the results of the standard Visitor Book. However, the table showing six overseas markets, can be explained by the fact that a shift has taken place during the in 2014-to present, replacing the USA with England. Despite the decrease in UK visitors, all of the other source markets, including Germany, the Netherlands, and Australia, have shown an increase.

7.5 Zululand and the Elephant Coast

Zululand, the home of Zulu culture and the Elephant Coast, home of the beautiful game reserves and marine protected areas, are combined and analyzed in this chapter. The main purposes of visit to both regions are provided in the figure below.

Figure 58: Respondents by purpose of visit – Zululand and Elephant Coast


1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Business 935 14.40% 1 014 8.20% 730 4.50% 687 6.21% 190 7%

Holiday 5 099 78.40% 9 501 77.20% 11918 73.49% 7670 69.37% 1667 61.38%

VFR 470 7.20% 1 794 14.60% 2647 16.32% 2523 22.82% 538 19.81%

Other - - - - 923 5.69% 177 1.60% 321 11.82%

6 504 100% 12 309 100% 16218 100% 11057 100% 2716 100%

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The majority of the respondents, around 61%, visited the area for holiday purposes, which shows a slight decrease from the previous year. This is followed by VFR, business and, finally other. VFR showed a decrease in the last time period whereas other showed a significant increase. The percentage of respondents answering business as a purpose increased slightly. Despite the fact that the Elephant Coast and Zululand is an extremely appealing holiday destination, known for the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, the St. Lucia estuary (which is part of one of the two KZN World Heritage Sites) and its beautiful beaches, the percentage of respondents visiting this area for holiday has been decreasing for years now. The fact that the economic situation has been improved slightly may be the cause for the decrease in VFR, since visitors are able to stay in hotels instead of staying at their relatives. The following figure provides data on the media channel which affected the respondents in their decision to visit Zululand and the Elephant Coast.

Figure 59: Respondents by communication influence – Zululand and Elephant Coast January 1998 - to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010-2013 2014-to present


Advertisements 156 2.90% 89 0.90% 155 1.29% 121 1.46% 16 1.01%

Brochure/guide 1 917 35.50% 3 415 35.20% 4 463 37.14% 3 383 40.76% 326 20.48%

Fax on demand 6 0.10% 4 0.04% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00%

History books 99 1.80% 383 4.00% 407 3.39% 236 2.84% 69 4.33%


Other 425 7.60% 107 1.10% 29 0.24% 404 4.87% 329 20.67%

Print ad 7 0.10% 4 0.04% 1 0.01% 21 0.25% 1 0.06%

Radio advertisement

3 0.10% 15 0.20% 6 0.05% 10 0.12% 0 0.00%


111 2.10% 116 1.20% 284 2.36% 140 1.69% 6 0.38%

Tourism info office

179 3.30% 617 6.40% 126 1.05% 80 0.96% 10 0.63%

Tv advertisement 3 0.06% 20 0.20% 20 0.17% 3 0.04% 4 0.25%

Web site / internet

57 1.10% 118 1.20% 380 3.16% 403 4.86% 193 12.12%

Word-of-mouth 2 356 43.60% 4 669 48.10% 6 061 50.44% 3 434 41.38% 622 39.07%

5 407 100% 9 702 100% 12 016 100% 8 299 100% 1 061 100.00%

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Over 39% of the respondents were influenced by word-of-mouth communication which is comparable with the other regions. However, this percentage has only decreased from 2006 until present, which might indicate a new trend. About 27% of respondents were influenced by brochures and travel guides which is the second strongest communication influence in the region according to the respondents. However, website and internet already come very close to that with 11%. None of the respondents made use of fax and also advertising in general showed a small percentage of respondents. The Zululand and Elephant Coast could improve their marketing initiatives, such as advertising more in newspapers, magazines, radio, on television and online, to influence certain markets to visit the region.

Figure 60: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – Zululand and Elephant Coast January 1998 - to present

In the figure above it can be seen that more domestic (60%) than foreign (40%) tourists visited the Zululand and Elephant Coast in the last time period (2014 to present). The number of foreign visitors is quite high compared to other areas in KZN and can be explained by the popularity of the UNESCO World Heritage site: Isimangaliso Wetland Park in St. Lucia. In general, the park has had more domestic respondents than foreign respondents. In the last period there is even a slight decrease in foreign visitors to Zululand and Elephant Coast whereas the domestic visitors have increased. When looking at the different time periods, the percentages of source markets have remained quite stable over the years; at least the domestic market was always in the majority.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010-2013

2014- to present


Domestic 3 835 55.40% 5 756 47.30% 9392 57.56% 6618 58.03% 1543 60%

Foreign 3 092 44.60% 6 423 52.70% 6926 42.44% 4786 41.97% 1008 40%

6 927 100% 12 179 100% 16318 100% 11404 100% 2551 100%

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Figure 61: Domestic respondents by province of origin – Zululand and Elephant Coast


With almost 76%, KZN contributed the largest share of respondents to Zululand and the Elephant Coast. Gauteng is the second largest source market with more than 14% of the share in domestic respondents. Other provinces only showed a small percentage of respondents visiting the region all under 4%.

Overall there has been little change over the years, KZN and Gauteng are the two largest source markets, with KwaZulu-Natal generating the majority of the respondents.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Eastern Cape 49 1.40% 64 1.20% 92 1.01% 73 1.20% 14 1%

Free State 35 1.00% 65 1.20% 99 1.09% 67 1.10% 10 0.71%

Gauteng 505 14.80% 929 17.70% 1610 17.66% 1010 16.55% 201 14.33%

KwaZulu-Natal 2 600 75.90% 3 810 72.60% 6567 72.05% 4394 72.02% 1066 75.98%

Limpopo 9 0.30% 5 0.10% 65 0.71% 41 0.67% 13 0.93%

Mpumalanga 14 0.40% 26 0.50% 198 2.17% 147 2.41% 35 2.49%

North-West 11 0.30% 34 0.70% 88 0.97% 75 1.23% 14 1%

Northern Cape 62 1.80% 71 1.40% 18 0.20% 16 0.26% 0 0.00%

Western Cape 139 4.10% 241 4.60% 378 4.15% 278 4.56% 50 3.56%

3 424 100% 5 245 100% 9115 100% 6101 100% 1403 100.00%

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Table 16: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Zululand and Elephant Coast


Over the years, the UK managed to stay at the top, being the largest market that visited the Zululand and Elephant coast area. They are followed by Germany, the USA, The Netherlands and France. Moreover, just like with the other provinces, the number of foreign arrivals dropped in 2014 to present as compared to other time periods. In terms of new markets, it should be noted that a lot of other European countries beside the UK, The Netherlands and Germany are making their way into the top ten such as Norway, Switzerland and Belgium. This tourist area is probably well known among various foreign markets due to the fact that it includes both the Elephant Coast in which the Isimangaliso UNESCO World Heritage Site is located and Zululand. Therefore it is hard to track down how many and which countries have visited Zululand.

Figure 62: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Zululand and Elephant Coast January 1998 - to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009


1 UK 628 20.30% 1 UK 1 571 24.50% 1 UK 1467 27%

2 Germany 409 13.20% 2 Germany 786 12.20% 2 USA 837 15%

3 Netherlands 341 11.00% 3 France 610 9.50% 3 Germany 732 13%

4 USA 330 10.70% 4 USA 589 9.20% 4 Netherlands 655 12%

5 France 323 10.50% 5 Netherlands 574 8.90% 5 France 569 10%

6 Australia 131 4.20% 6 Norway 300 4.70% 6 Norway 352 6%

7 Belgium 107 3.40% 7 Australia 265 4.10% 7 Australia 247 5%

8 Italy 95 3.00% 8 Italy 190 3% 8 Canada 241 4%

9 Canada 81 2.60% 9 Belgium 164 2.60% 9 Belgium 183 3%

10 Switzerland 56 1.80% 10 Canada 157 2.40% 10 Italy 173 3%

2010- 2013 2014-to present

Count % Count %

1 UK 817 21.84% 1 UK 172 21.23%

2 Germany 592 15.82% 2 Germany 122 15.06%

3 USA 529 14.14% 3 USA 118 14.57%

4 France 424 11.33% 4 France 102 12.59%

5 Netherlands 361 9.65% 5 Netherlands 85 10.49%

6 Norway 339 9.06% 6 Norway 56 6.91%


8 Sweden 168 4.49% 8 England 45 5.56%

9 Canada 149 3.98% 9 Belgium 34 4.20%

10 Belgium 138 3.69% 10 Italy 26 3.21%

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1998 - 2001

2002 - 2005 2006 - 2009 2010 - 2013 2014 - to present

UK 20.30% 24.50% 27% 21.84% 21.23%

USA 10.70% 9.20% 15% 14.14% 14.57%

France 10.50% 9.50% 13% 11.33% 12.59%

Netherlands 11% 8.90% 12% 9.65% 10.49%

Germany 13.20% 12.20% 13% 15.82% 15.06%

The largest overseas source market of the Zululand and Elephant Coast is the UK with over 21% in the last time period. In 2014 to present, Germany was the second largest overseas source market with over 15%. All overseas source markets have remained relatively stable and did not show many differences.

7.6 Durban and Surrounds Respondents from Durban and surrounds travelled to the region for the following purposes:

Figure 63: Respondents by purpose of visit – Durban and surrounds January 1998 - to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014- to present


Business 921 8.90% 826 8.90% 260 1.09% 803 4.47% 245 7.40%

Holiday 8 559 82.80% 7 129 82.80% 20402 85.28% 12477 69.51% 2451 74.03%

VFR 856 8.30% 1 392 8.30% 3019 12.62% 4261 23.74% 425 12.84%

Other - - - - 242 1.01% 408 2.27% 189 5.71%

10336 100% 9 347 100% 23923 100% 17949 100% 3310 100.00%

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The majority (74%) of the respondents to Durban were in the area for holiday purposes during the latest period of analysis. Durban has one of the highest percentages of holiday purposes compared to other regions in KZN. Durban is marketing itself as a holiday destination and as South Africa’s sports and events capital. Durban is the gateway to other areas of the province and many of its visitors start their holiday in Durban before heading off to other provincial destinations. This behavior is aided by the existence of the King Shaka International Airport and the main train and bus station in Durban, as well as the N3 from Gauteng which ends in Durban. In terms of business, there has been a small dip in 2010-2013 but increased to 7.40% in 2014-to present again. Even though the area does cater for this market with its conference facilities and business hotels, holiday is by far the most popular purpose to travel to Durban. This might be due to the fact that Johannesburg is the main business engine of the country. The following figure provides data on the media channels which affected the respondents in their decision to visit Durban and surrounds.

Figure 64: Respondents by communication influence – Durban and Surrounds


1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Advertisements 378 4.40% 257 3.20% 2457 13.06% 1185 8.40% 150 8.34%

Brochure/guide 2 124 24.90% 1 778 21.90% 2556 13.58% 3322 23.54% 286 15.91%

Fax on demand 4 0.05% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 1 0.06%

History books 39 0.50% 122 1.50% 39 0.21% 142 1.01% 8 0.44%


Other 791 9.30% 98 1.20% 4 0.02% 748 5.30% 156 8.68%

Print ad 9 0.10% 3 0.00% 51 0.27% 24 0.17% 1 0.06%


Road sign / sign post 105 1.20% 121 1.50% 25 0.13% 7 0.05% 1 0.06%

Tourism info office 306 3.60% 472 5.80% 53 0.28% 127 0.90% 9 0.50%



Word-of-mouth 4 539 53.10% 4870 60.00% 12192 64.79% 7528 53.34% 851 47.33%

8 544 100% 8118 100% 18817 100% 14114 100% 1798 100.00%

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Word-of-mouth had the largest influence on the decision-making process according to 47% of the respondents who visited the Durban area. This was followed by internet with almost 18% and brochures and guides with almost 16%. Like with most other areas in KZN the use of internet and websites showed a significant increase over all the years and especially in the last time period. This indicates that internet is a good marketing tool for the future and is growing in importance.

Figure 65: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – Durban and Surrounds


Over the past few years the proportion of domestic as compared with foreign respondents who filled in Visitor Book returns in the Durban area have remained fairly stable and consistent. There has been a two-third/one-third spilt. Moreover, Durban and surrounds could improve its marketing and online marketing to attract more foreign visitors.

Figure 66: Domestic respondents by province of origin – Durban and surrounds


1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Domestic 6 428 61.40% 5 510 60.90% 18774 78.35% 12996 69.52% 2265 64.26%

Foreign 4 035 38.60% 3 541 39.10% 5188 21.65% 5699 30.48% 1260 35.74%

10 463 100% 9 051 100% 23962 100% 18695 100% 3525 100.00%

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Both Gauteng and KZN account for a large share of domestic respondents. From 2006-2009 the share of domestic respondents from KZN started to decrease whereas from 2010-to present it has recovered to be around 45%. Gauteng on the other hand, increased in 2006-2009 but sligtly decreased to be around 33% in the last two periods. The big share of Gauteng and KZN respondents could be partly explained by its being the nearest beach destination and the availability of infrastructure. However, please note that the figures of 2014- to present are based on relatively small amounts of data compared to other time periods.

Table 17: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Durban and Surrounds


1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009


1 UK 880 21.80% 1 UK 931 26.30% 1 UK 1349 39.58%

2 USA 456 11.30% 2 Germany 413 11.70% 2 USA 445 13.06%

3 Germany 455 11.30% 3 USA 349 9.90% 3 Germany 342 10.04%

4 Netherlands 225 5.60% 4 Netherlands 170 4.80% 4 Australia 231 6.78%

5 Australia 175 4.30% 5 Australia 146 4.10% 5 Canada 234 6.87%

6 France 165 4.00% 6 France 127 3.60% 6 India 190 5.58%

7 Zimbabwe 108 2.70% 7 Ireland 97 2.70% 7 Zimbabwe 169 4.96%

8 Canada 107 2.70% 8 Canada 96 2.70% 8 Netherlands 191 5.60%

9 Ireland 94 2.30% 9 Zimbabwe 90 2.50% 9 France 137 4.02%

10 Argentina 84 2.00% 10 Italy 71 2.00% 10 New Zealand

120 3.52%

2010 – 2013 2014-to present Count % Count %

1 UK 961 26.26% 1 USA 183 22.99%

2 USA 954 26.07% 2 UK 171 21.48%


4 Canada 298 8.14% 4 Germany 70 8.79%

5 India 204 5.57% 5 Netherlands 57 7.16%

6 Germany 316 8.63% 6 Canada 56 7.04%

7 Brazil 144 3.93% 7 England 48 6.03%

8 Netherlands 168 4.59% 8 Botswana 36 4.52%

9 France 141 3.85% 9 France 36 4.52%

10 New Zealand 93 2.54% 10 India 27 3.39%

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Table 17: Foreign visitors by country of origin – Durban and Surrounds January 1998 - to present

Whereas the UK was taking the first place in the top ten in the first periods of time, the USA took over in 2014 to present, followed by Germany, the Netherlands and Australia. Moreover, just like with the other provinces, the number of foreign arrivals dropped in 2014 to present as compared to other time periods. In terms of new markets, it should be noted that Botswana, Zimbabwe and India are part of the top ten for the area of Durban and Surrounds. This area is a well-known city among foreigners and easily accessible. Therefore it is often included in foreigners’ itineraries when travelling through Africa, increasing the number and variety of foreign markets.

Figure 67: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Durban and Surrounds January 1998 - to present

1998 - 2001

2002 - 2005 2006 - 2009 2010 - 2013 2014 - to present

UK 21.80% 26.30% 39.58% 26.26% 21.48%

USA 11.30% 9.90% 13.06% 26.07% 22.99%

Netherlands 5.60% 4.80% - - 7.16%

Germany 11.30% 11.70% 10.04% - 8.79%

India - - - 5.57% -

Canada - - 6.87% 8.14% -

Australia 4.30% 4.10% 6.78% 10.41% 14.07%

As the top 5 has shifted through time, more than five countries have been included in the table and chart to present the changes. When analyzing the overseas visitors by country of origin, a large number of respondents originated from western European countries. Both the UK and the USA generated between 21% and 23%, each of all overseas visitors to Durban and surrounds. The percentage of UK respondents has significantly decreased over the last time periods, whereas the percentage of respondents from the USA has risen to 26% in 2010-2013 where after it dropped to 23%. India made it into the top 5 as well but dropped all the way to the bottom in the following time period.

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7.7 Pietermartizburg and Midlands

The following figure shows the purpose of visit to the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands area according to the respondents.

Figure 68: Respondents by purpose of visit – Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands January 1998 - to present

In the latest period (2014-to present) it is evident that majority, 52%, of the respondents who filled in Visitor Books were in the region for VFR purposes followed by holiday and business. It clearly seems as that the VFR visitor behaves differently compares to other regions in KZN. In 2010-2013 VFR even surpassed holiday as a purpose to visit in Pietermaritzburg and Midlands. There are many activities that can be enjoyed with friends and family in the Midlands. However, as visitor books are signed at attractions, VFR visitors do not seem to go there. The respondents were influenced by the following media channels in their decision to visit Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands area.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Business 1 220 6.30% 2 142 5.70% 6 506 7.35% 230 0.55% 99 2.03%

Holiday 10 515 54.10% 21 365 56.60% 50 793 57.38% 13 834 33.26% 2110 43.29%

VFR 7 710 39.70% 14 279 37.80% 28 878 32.62% 27 356 65.77% 2537 52.05%

Other - - - - 2350 2.65% 171 0.41% 128 2.63%

19 445 100% 37 786 100% 88 527 100% 41 591 100% 4 874 100.00%

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Figure 69: Respondents by communication influence – Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands January 1998 - to present

Word-of-mouth, as in other regions, remained the most popular media channel with almost 43% of the respondents being affected by this media channel to make their travel decisions. Internet even surpassed brochures and travel guides with 15.5%, taking the second place. This reveals that internet grew in importance during the latest period, like in the other areas. All tourism and tourism-related companies in the area should take note of this development and ensure that their websites/apps are the best possible and as effective as possible. Please note that the figures of 2014- to present are based on relatively small amounts of data compared to other time periods.

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Advertisements 201 1.10% 507 5.60% 440 3.35% 217 4.33% 51 5.21%

Brochure/guide 6 825 36.80% 2 171 24.00% 1867 14.21% 1308 26.13% 142 14.50%

Fax on demand 2 0.01% 1 0.01% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00%

History books 213 1.20% 166 1.80% 51 0.39% 83 1.66% 37 3.78%


Other 399 2.20% 247 2.70% 5084 38.70% 293 5.85% 107 10.93%

Print ad 10 0.05% 7 0.08% 118 0.90% 86 1.72% 1 0.10%

Radio advertisement

2 0.01% 21 0.20% 2 0.02% 5 0.10% 0 0.00%


280 1.50% 186 2.10% 59 0.45% 53 1.06% 37 3.78%

Tourism info office 1 081 5.80% 136 1.50% 72 0.55% 25 0.50% 21 2.15%



Word-of-mouth 8 853 47.70% 5 333 59.00% 5235 39.85% 2634 52.62% 418 42.70%

18 549 100% 9 038 100% 13136 100% 5006 100% 979 100.00%

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Figure 70: Respondents by origin, domestic or foreign – Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands


1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Domestic 20 005 90.70% 42 478 94.00% 87364 95.64% 39819 95.36% 4367 92.99%

Foreign 2 132 9.60% 2 700 6.00% 3979 4.36% 1936 4.64% 329 7.01%

22 137 100% 45 178 100% 91343 100% 41755 100% 4696 100.00%

The above figure indicates that around 93% of all respondents were domestic, which means only 7% of the respondents were foreign. The large share of domestic respondents may well be due to the strained economy of South Africa where people choose to stay closer to home or stay with friends and relatives inland. For foreign visitors Pietermaritzburg might not be as well-known and popular among them as most people just drive through on their way to Drakensberg or Durban. To attract foreigners the two areas just mentioned are great places to market Pietermaritzburg and midlands as they will pass it anyway.

Figure 71: Domestic respondents by province of origin – Pietermaritzburg and surrounds January 1998 - to present

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In all time periods KZN was almost the only source market generating domestic tourists to the Midlands and Pietermaritzburg. This is followed Gauteng which has been decreasing from 2006 onwards; however, this is insignificant compared with the large amount of people coming from KZN. Tourism organizations and businesses should try to attract tourists from other provinces as well to increase tourist arrivals. Please note that the figures of 2014- to present are based on relatively small amounts of data compared to other time periods.

Table 18: Visitors by country or origin – Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands

January 1998- to present

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009 2010- 2013 2014-to present


Eastern Cape 88 0.50% 70 0.20% 87 0.10% 52 0.13% 18 0.41%

Free State 60 0.30% 52 0.10% 85 0.10% 43 0.11% 12 0.27%

Gauteng 713 3.70% 930 2.20% 834 0.95% 472 1.19% 128 2.89%

KwaZulu-Natal 18 400 94.10% 40 815 96.70% 85874 98.33% 38870 97.96% 4191 94.67%

Limpopo 22 0.10% 9 0.02% 47 0.05% 26 0.07% 8 0.18%

Mpumalanga 38 0.20% 13 0.03% 44 0.05% 36 0.09% 11 0.25%

North-West 29 0.20% 23 0.05% 37 0.04% 17 0.04% 5 0.11%

Northern Cape 41 0.20% 36 0.09% 16 0.02% 5 0.01% 2 0.05%

Western Cape 166 0.90% 255 0.60% 311 0.36% 160 0.40% 52 1.17%

19 557 100% 42 203 100% 87335 100.00% 39681 100% 4427 100.00%

1998-2001 2002-2005 2006-2009

Count % Count %

Count %

1 UK 520 24.40% 1 UK 651 24.10% 1 UK 722 24.89%

2 Germany 337 15.80% 2 Germany 394 14.60% 2 Germany 633 21.82%

3 Netherlands 184 8.60% 3 USA 270 10.00% 3 USA 390 13.44%

4 USA 162 7.60% 4 Netherlands 193 7.20% 4 Netherlands 329 11.34%

5 France 86 4.00% 5 Saudi Arabia

152 5.60% 5 France 290 10.00%

6 Australia 83 3.90% 6 Australia 140 5.20% 6 Canada 169 5.83%

7 Belgium 80 3.80% 7 Canada 120 4.40% 7 Australia 169 5.83%

8 Scotland 56 2.60% 8 France 119 4.40% 8 Italy 71 2.45%

9 Canada 46 2.20% 9 Belgium 70 2.60% 9 Switzerland 64 2.21%

10 Switzerland 35 1.60% 10 Sweden 52 1.90% 10 Scotland 64 2.21%

2010- 2013 2014-to present

Count % Count %

1 UK 310 20.92% 1 Germany 47 18.95%

2 Germany 276 18.62% 2 USA 41 16.53%

3 USA 227 15.32% 3 UK 40 16.13%

4 France 195 13.16% 4 France 24 9.68%


6 Australia 105 7.09% 6 Netherlands 21 8.47%

7 Canada 95 6.41% 7 Brazil 15 6.05%

8 Brazil 57 3.85% 8 England 14 5.65%

9 Belgium 48 3.24% 9 Canada 12 4.84%

10 Switzerland 48 3.24% 10 New Zealand 10 4.03%

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Whereas the UK was taking the first place in the top ten in the first periods of time, Germany took over in 2014 to present, followed by USA, the Netherlands, France and Australia. Moreover, just like with the other regions, the number of foreign arrivals dropped in 2014 to present as compared to other time periods. In terms of new markets, it is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia has entered the top 5 of foreign markets in 2002-2005. As this is very odd for KwaZulu-Natal, there must have been some special event that took place during this time period. When looking at the numbers, this area seems to be the least visited by foreign markets together with North Coast. As it is in the near vicinity of Durban, which is very well known and visited by a larger number, it has the potential to grow its foreign numbers when marketed in the right way.

Figure 72: Top 5 overseas visitors by country of origin – Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands January 1998 - to present

1998 - 2001

2002 - 2005 2006 - 2009 2010 - 2013 2014 - to present

UK 24.40% 24.10% 24.89% 20.92% 16.13%

USA 7.60% 10.00% 13.44% 15.32% 16.53%

Netherlands 8.60% 7.20% 11.34% 8.16% -

Germany 15.80% 14.60% 21.82% 18.62% 18.95%

France 4.00% - 10.00% 13.16% 9.68%

Australia - - - - 9.68%

Saudi Arabia

- 5.60% - - -

As the top 5 has shifted through time, more than five countries have been included in the table and chart to present the changes. In the most recent time period (2014- to present) Germany has become the main overseas source market, consisting of 19%. Moreover, in 2014 to present both the UK and USA generated between 16% and 17% of the overseas respondents respectively. Looking at the pattern over the years, a significant decrease in the UK market can be seen whereas the USA has experienced an increase from the beginning onwards. What stands out is that Saudi Arabia entered the top overseas in 2002-2005 as this market has not been noted in any of the other KZN regions as an oversea or foreign top market. Furthermore, in 2014 to present the Netherlands is replaced by Australia. To anticipate on marketing effort of this tourist region in the future in order to attract more overseas markets, there should be looked into the trends more in depth so that possible opportunities can be taken.

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8. Seasonality

Like many other tourism destinations, South Africa faces the challenge of seasonality in domestic and foreign arrivals, as indicated by SAT in figure 69. Domestic travelers travel mainly during school, religious and traditional holidays, with strong peaks at the end of year, and Easter. Easter also migrates between March and April, so the holiday period is not fixed. These periods coincide with the longer holiday periods. Foreign travelers mostly travel in the European winter season, which mostly results in strong peaks in South Africa and KZN, starting in October and continuing to the end of February. However, foreign arrivals in the months August and September have been increasing. This coincides with the end of the hot European summer period, and also when travel is a bit less expensive as it is not the peak travel season. Traditionally, the winter months constitute South Africa’s low season in terms of foreign tourism arrivals, but this is somewhat balanced by high numbers of domestic tourists during this time. In order to get an understanding of the seasonality in KZN, tables and graphs have been used to indicate seasonality for each different region. The figures show seasonality behavior for both foreign and domestic visitors.

8.1 South Coast

Figure 73: Foreign holiday visitors by month, South Coast


As the graph indicates, seasonality showed some strong peak periods, as well as some low peak periods. The most popular months for foreign travelers to visit the South Coast is the summer period in South Africa, especially the months November to March. In 2014-to present, the month December was the most popular month to travel to the South Coast. The South Coast is mainly a beach and domestic family holiday destination, and the hot summer months are perfect weather conditions for this type of activity.

Formatted: Heading 2, Justified

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The domestic seasonality showed some similarity compared to the foreign seasonality. Throughout time periods the month of December showed a high peak, explainable because of the school holidays. This could indicate that domestic travelers prefer to travel during the longer holiday periods. In the 2014-to present time period the months March, April, January and December peaked, with the latter one being the most popular month for visitors. This is normally not the trend for domestic visitors to the South Coast. Nevertheless, with some exceptions the trend is clear, in that the summer and Easter periods, and September holiday period, as the peaks, whereas winter is the main trough for this region. The graph below indicates the seasonality of both domestic and foreign visitors to the South Coast of the period January 1998 – to present.

Figure 75: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, South Coast January 1998 – to present

When comparing the seasonality of the domestic and foreign respondents of the entire period, there are not too many differences. For both domestic and foreign respondents the South African summer months were the most popular months to travel to the South Coast region. Interesting to see is that December is the most popular month to travel amongst both domestic as foreign tourists. This is

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followed by the month April for domestic tourists, whereas the foreign tourists prefer the month March as second place. The winter months showed a decrease for both groups, especially in the months of May, June and July. The foreign market experienced its dip in June while the domestic market plummeted in August. This indicates the South Coast is a popular destination in the summer period.

8.2 Drakensberg

Figure 76: Foreign holiday visitors by month, Drakensberg January 1998-to present

Most foreign respondents visited the Drakensberg area during the summer months, October to March. Winter is a less popular season as it is cold in the Drakensberg, with the lowest visitor numbers in August to October. Foreign visitors are likely to be seeking sunshine and warmth, and an escape from the winter chill of the northern hemisphere. However, in the latest period, June showed a slight increase same as in September. This could be due to the fact during winter it is even more special, because there is the chance of seeing snow which is rare in South Africa. The trend, however, is that the Drakensberg is a very seasonal destination, with peaks in the summer, particularly in January/February and from November onwards, and troughs during the winters. Those troughs are, however, evened out somewhat by domestic visitors to the Drakensberg in winter, curious to see the snow as this is very rare in South Africa.

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The figure below shows an indication of the seasonality of domestic visitors to the Drakensberg.

Figure 76: Domestic holiday visitors by month, Drakensberg January 1998-to present

Domestic respondents, in comparison to foreign respondents, seemed to be more attracted by the winter period, during which the Drakensberg is often covered with snow. In the current period (2014-to present), June showed a peak, together with July as well as in January. The high percentage of visitors in the winter months can be explained by the school holidays. These change from year to year, between June and July. With regard to the period of school returns in January, the number of visitors also alternate amongst provinces so as not to have too much congestion on the roads. The graph below indicates the seasonality of both domestic and foreign visitors to the Drakensberg in the entire period of January 1998 to present.

Figure 78: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, Drakensberg


Overall, South African respondents seemed to be more attracted to the Drakensberg region during the winter period and the foreign respondents during the summer period. For foreign respondents, the months October till March, in other words, the summer months, are the most popular months to travel to the Drakensberg area. This behavior corresponds with the cold European winters, where South Africa is far warmer and even the mountains provide hot sunshine and an escape from the European winter cold.

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For domestic respondents, winter is the most popular time to visit this area, possibly due to the possibility of seeing snow which is a rarity in South Africa and in KZN, but also because many people with children have the time due to the school holidays. There are thus different travel patterns between the domestic and foreign visitors which help to reduce seasonality. For example, May and June showed lower levels of foreign visitors, but higher levels of domestic visitors, while February, October and November showed higher levels of foreign visitors, but lower levels of domestic visitors.

8.3 North Coast For the North Coast region there is still insufficient data for the latest period 2014-to present to give reliable statistics. This Section has thus not been able to reliably update the graph with the latest figures. The figure below gives an indication of the seasonality of foreign visitors to the North Coast.

Figure 79: Foreign holiday visitors by month, North Coast


In the case of the North Coast, the domestic holiday visitors made the most use of the area in April, May and December in 2010 - 2013. Large peaks in other regions occurred during the school holidays in December. However the influx of tourists during this long holiday is extremely lower in the region of North Coast. The years before from 2006 – 2009, visitors showed the same pattern with except for the shift in peak from March to April. December, on the other hand shows an extreme trough. However, this could once again have been due to the small number of returns received.

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The figure below gives an indication of the seasonality of domestic visitors to the North Coast.

Figure 80: Domestic holiday visitors by month, North Coast January 1998 – to present

In case of the North Coast, the domestic holiday visitors made the most use of the area in April, May and December in 2010 - 2013. Large peaks occurred during the school holidays in December, similar to the other regions. The years before from 2006 – 2009, visitors were distributed more evenly throughout the year, except for December, which shows an extreme peak. However, this could once again have been due to the small number of returns received. This might also mean that the North Coast has become a very popular holiday destination in December which perhaps can be explained by the fact the due to the economic global crisis, people are only able to travel once a year and choose a beach destination in summer. The long school holiday in December is the best choice to plan this once-in-a-year trip. The figure below indicates the seasonality of both domestic and foreign visitors to the North Coast in the entire period January 1998- December 2013.

Figure 81: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, North Coast January 1998 – to present

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For foreign respondents the month August showed a strong peak, while for domestic visitors this was the month December. During the rest of the year the domestic and foreign seasonality showed similarities in a more even distribution. From this graph it could be concluded that the summer months are the most popular months to visit the North Coast region for domestic tourists. For foreign tourists, the months Augusts and March are most popular to visit the North Coast.

8.4 Battlefields The graph below indicated the seasonality of foreign visitors to the Battlefields.

Figure 82: Foreign holiday visitors by month, Battlefields


For foreign respondents, February was the most popular month to visit the Battlefields region in the latest time period, while the months March, April, as well as from July onwards showed an off peak which can be explained by the upcoming winter period. Surprisingly, June showed a peak as well in the last period. The summer months in that part of KZN are extremely hot so many people prefer to travel outside of the main summer months. The high numbers of anniversaries that are held at the end of January in the battlefield region, of which the Battle of Isandlwana and Rorkes Drift are popular during this time, also contribute to the increase in people visiting during the summer months. Looking at all time periods the pattern does reveal that the summer period is more popular, indicated by just a slight difference. In 2014-to present, the months January, February, and June were popular. The peak in May could be explained by the fact that it is cooler and more affordable to travel during this off peak time. It is also a lot more pleasant weather-wise, as it is less hot and humid. Furthermore, this area is visited by history-scholars as well as business people because of its history and therefore the off season travelling could be clarified. They often go specifically for that, meaning that they do not have a need for sunny weather as they are not there for leisure time.

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The graph below indicated the seasonality of domestic visitors to the Battlefields.

Figure 83: Domestic holiday visitors by month, Battlefields


While in previous years the autumn and winter periods were popular months for domestic respondents, in the latest period the months January to April showed a high peak. The month of April became more important through time, which is probably because of the public holidays in that month as well as the fact that the weather is much cooler and drier. For this period there was more data available so comparing the data to the previous period (2013), might be slightly misleading. The graph below indicates the seasonality of both domestic and foreign visitors to the Battlefields in the entire period of January 1998 – to present.

Figure 84: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, Battlefields January 1998 – to present

From June to October both domestic as well as foreign tourists follow the exact same, steady path. In February there is a little peak for the foreign market, whereas December experiences a peak on the domestic side, both months in South Africa’s summer season. August and September are summer holiday months in the UK and the Netherlands, which are the two main market sources of the Battlefields area. The public holiday (including December) is the most popular periods for domestic tourists, because then they have time to travel.

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8.5 Zululand and the Elephant Coast The figure below shows an indication of the seasonality of foreign visitors to Zululand and the Elephant Coast.

Figure 85: Foreign holiday visitors by month, Zululand and the Elephant Coast January 1998 – to present

In the latest period (2014-to present), February was popular with foreign respondents, as well as the month of August. It should be noted that the inclusion of February is a new trend though, as in the years before most foreign visitors preferred the months in winter and spring from July to November. This is largely due to the weather being less cold, but not yet the heat and humidity of the KZN summers. The graph below shows an indication of the seasonality of domestic visitors to Zululand and the Elephant Coast.

Figure 86: Domestic holiday visitors by month, Zululand and the Elephant Coast


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For domestic respondents the months March, April, and May are the most popular months to travel to Zululand and the Elephant Coast region. Again, these are the months with public holidays, and therefore remain a popular period to visit the region. The latest period peaked significantly in April. December also shows a peak which can be explained by the summer season and public holiday. There is also a slight peak, strongest during 2002-2005 in July which is the winter season.

However, these two areas are often the destinations of choice for a weekend or a long weekend where people or families enjoy a trip to the game reserves or the World Heritage Site area. This also explains the popularity of the latter half of the year. It is a period when the vegetation is less, so one sees more game, and also the heat has not yet built up to the summer highs.

The graph below gives an indication of the seasonality of both domestic and foreign visitors to Zululand and the Elephant Coast in the entire period of January 1998 – to present.

Figure 87: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, Zululand and the Elephant Coast January 1998 – to present

Both markets showed lower visitor percentages in May and June, which can be seen in the other regions as well. August is a very popular month to travel to Zululand and the Elephant coast for the foreign visitors, which could be due to the summer holidays in Europe and the USA in this month. For domestic visitors the months April and December are important, probably because of the public and school holidays. February, for domestic visitors, is just too hot, and they perhaps have other options.

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8.6 Durban and Surrounds The figure below shows an indication of the seasonality of foreign visitors to Durban and surrounds.

Figure 88: Foreign holiday visitors by month, Durban and surrounds


As can be seen from the graph, the popular period for foreign holiday visitors to visit Durban and surrounds was April, with the strongest peak, and winter going into spring in the last time period, which is similar to the seasonality of other regions in KZN. This could be due to the holiday summer period in Europe and the USA, as the UK and the USA are the largest overseas source markets of the Durban and surrounds area. Moreover, April is a month with many public holidays as well. Looking at all periods July till September seems to be the most popular on average. Durban and surrounds have some of the most popular beaches, and many foreigners come for sunbathing and other beach-related activities. However, such activities are not that strongly related to seasonality, as the Durban climate is conducive to outdoor and beach activities all year round. The figure below gives an indication of the seasonality of domestic visitors to Durban and surrounds.

Figure 89: Domestic holiday visitors by month, Durban and Surrounds


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In the current period, the month December was the most popular month for domestic holiday visitors, especially in the time period 2014-to present. This was followed by the month July. Durban, being a popular beach destination, attracts lots of beach visitors. Peak season in Durban is in the summer when the weather is hot, which makes it a perfect beach destination. The secondary peaks are in the mild winter period, during the long school holidays in that season, and also in April for the same reason. The figure below gives an indication of the seasonality of both domestic and foreign visitors to Durban and surrounds in the entire period of January 1998 – May 2015.

Figure 90: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, Durban and surrounds January 1998 – to present

According to the figure above, Durban and surrounds is most popular to visit in August for foreign visitors and in December, January and July for domestic respondents. January and December are popular months for domestic visitors. Durban is a perfect beach destination and many domestic visitors travel to Durban for this purpose. December and January are great months to visit the beach as hot, summer weather can be enjoyed. The domestic visitors mostly visit the area during the school and public holidays. The same applied for foreign visitors, who visited the area mostly in August, during their school holiday.

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8.7 Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands

The figure below gives an indication of the seasonality of foreign visitors to Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands.

Figure 91: Foreign holiday visitors by month, Pietermaritzburg and Midlands January 1998 – to present

It can be seen from above that the major peaks are the months December, followed by January, October and August in the latest time period. The high number of foreign visitors in August can be explained by summer holiday in both Europe as the USA. The months December and October are summer months in South Africa, which could be a reason for foreigners to come in this period, as it will be very sunny and warm. The pattern in general is quite stable through time. The figure below gives an indication of seasonality of domestic visitors to Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands.

Figure 92: Domestic holiday visitors by month, Pietermaritzburg and Midlands


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As can be seen from the graph, there was a high percentage of domestic visitors during the months of July and December. In both cases this can be explained by national school holidays. However, the high peak has never been as high as in the last time period. This area is also a very important one for VFR travelers and many of these take advantage of the school holiday periods to visit their friends and relatives in this area. The figure below shows an indication of the seasonality of both domestic and foreign visitors to Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands in the entire period January 1998 – May 2015.

Figure 93: Domestic and foreign holiday visitors by month, Pietermaritzburg and Midlands January 1998-January 2015

Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands shows a very low degree of seasonality, with no real peaks or troughs in terms of visitor numbers through the year. However, the area was visted by slightly more respondents during the months January and August. A lot of domestic respondents also visited the region in December, in which South Africans have a school holiday. This is also a popular time for visiting friends and relatives, one of the main reasons for travel in this area. The domestic respondents remained fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, with one low peak in November and a high peak in December. Overall, both foreign and domestic visitor arrivals did not show strong seasonality.

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9 Conclusion and Recommendations

The Visitor Book project provides valuable information for the tourism facilities involved as well as for TKZN. The information collected from this particular project has been proven most useful, and the intention is to continue this project. Furthermore, the intention is also to extend it and include as many tourism amenities, facilities and information offices in this project as possible. In this way, an increasingly clear picture of visitors to amenities and facilities in KZN will be built up, allowing far more effective and efficient marketing and promotion measures as well as campaigns to be developed.

For establishments it is important to know for what reason their visitors are staying in or visiting South Africa, or any of the provinces, or even destinations within those provinces.

Figure 94: Respondents by purpose of visit all regions January 2014 – to present*

*NB for the North Coast there is still insufficient data available to give reliable statistics

As can be concluded from the figure above, the main purpose for respondents of the Visitor Book project visiting KZN is for a holiday. Only the area Pietermaritzburg& Midlands area shows an exception, with VFR being the main purpose to visit. This shows once again that in most cases VFR’s do not visit tourism attractions. The South Coast and Durban and Surrounds are known as popular beach and family holiday destinations and this could be the reason for the large number of holiday makers. Battlefields followed by North Coast have the highest number of visitors with business as a purpose. However, as mentioned before there was still insufficient data available to give reliable statistics for the North Coast, so no conclusions can be drawn from these results. VFR is the highest for Zululand & Elephant Coast and Battlefield, after Pietermaritzburg, who is the leader. This purpose has been increasingly important since the last time period (2010 – 2013). Other regions, namely the Battlefields and Drakensberg, showed a high percentage of holiday makers as well. The Battlefields area is visited particularly by many tourists for its historical sites.

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It is also important for these amenities to know where the visitors got their information from, in other words, what influenced them in making their decision to visit a certain destination. The results indicate how each of the destinations are marketed and to whom, or to which markets or market sectors.

Figure 95: Respondents by communication influence, all regions

January 2014 – to present *

*NB there is still insufficient data available for the North Coast to give reliable statistics Word-of-mouth communication remained the most common in terms of media channels. This showed again the major importance of word-of-mouth communication for the province, and the related exceptional experiences which result in positive word-of-mouth reports. Thus it should be taken into consideration in market campaigns throughout the province. The visitor is the most important ambassador for any facility and if the visitor is treated to an above average experience, positive word-of-mouth promotion will have an increasingly positive effect on visitor numbers. Furthermore, brochures and travel guides were also important media channels, especially in the Drakensberg, the South Coast, North Coast and the Zululand and Elephant coast areas. This means visitors appreciate and are positively influenced by printed information. Brochures and travel guides should thus meet the needs and wants of the tourists and so it must be carefully compiled. It was very important to note the increase in the use of internet and websites to communicate information. In the areas Durban & surrounds and Pietermaritzburg &Midlands it even surpassed the use of Brochures and Travel Guides. More and more people world-wide are seeking information in this way. This indicates that internet is an increasingly important information provision or marketing tool for the future. When looking at the overseas source markets from 2014 to the present, a slight increase in visitors from the UK could be noticed, whereas the other overseas source markets are still decreasing over time. Moreover, attention should be given to the growing Chinese market, this because the new visa regulations have made it easier for Chinese travelers to visit South Africa again. Data concerning backpacker hostels also provided a lot of information and creates a basis to fully understand the operation of this sector of accommodation. It could therefore help to develop

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marketing campaigns specifically aimed at the backpacker hostel consumer. From the previous years it could be concluded that backpacker hostels increased in importance, with a high average length of stay. Direct marketing could help to fully make use of the opportunities in this market. Another interesting fact was the high increase in the communication influence of the internet and websites, from 38% in the time period 2010 – 2013, to 48% in the latest time period. The younger markets and those likely to make use of backpacker hostels are highly likely to be making use of mobile devices to obtain information on what to do and where to go around their selected destination. For that reason, destination and product websites must be fresh, up-to-date, and easy to access on such devices. Tourism amenities targeting young tourists/backpackers should take this trend into consideration and should make extensive use of the internet and websites to be able to reach this market. Although the share of the foreign market is still larger than the domestic share for backpacker hostels, the domestic market is rapidly increasing in importance and is therefore a development that must be taken notice of. This indicates that more can be done to expose the younger domestic market to this niche market. Besides the regular Visitor Book data, specific analyses were done on data only on museums and art galleries. Museums and art galleries were mostly visited by domestic visitors. The high number of domestic visitors within KZN could be due to that many people are aware of these museums and art galleries. The majority of the domestic visitors were from within the province (81%). Consequently, more online and offline advertising should be done to increase awareness. This will enable museums and art galleries in KZN to attract visitors from other provinces. Furthermore, seasonality seemed to be an important issue in the province of KZN and especially in the Battlefields area and the South Coast. Marketing campaigns in lower peak and towards lower peak months need to be developed. There are different travel patterns of domestic and foreign visitors which may help with seasonality. Domestic visitors mostly travel during school and public holidays while foreign visitors tend to travel during the European winter time and their summer holiday. In conclusion, there are a lot of opportunities for KZN to develop its backpacker hostel market, which, according to global trends, continues to grow. Word-of-mouth was showed to be the biggest communication influence, followed by brochures and travel guides. Websites and the use of internet is becoming more and more popular, especially for the backpackers market, and should be included in the marketing campaign as well. Due to different travel patterns of domestic and foreign visitors, seasonality is more spread over the year, but special marketing campaigns could be designed to improve seasonality even more, especially in the month of June, which is the low season KZN.

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Appendices

Appendix 1 - Visa Regulations changes 2016

New visa rules will facilitate tourism growth

(...............) For information of travel operators and all tourism stakeholders, the changes announced by the Department of Home Affairs last week are detailed here for clarity: • Passport holders of the People’s Republic of China, whose travel arrangements are facilitated through an accredited tourism company, will no longer be required to apply for a visa in person. • The biometrics of arriving tourists will now be captured at ports of entry, starting with OR Tambo International Airport, Lanseria International Airport, King Shaka International Airport and Cape Town International Airport. • Long-term multiple-entry visitors’ visas have been introduced for up to three years for frequent travelers, business people and academics. • Ten-year multiple entry visas will be granted to business people and academics from Africa. • Travelers in transit through Lanseria, King Shaka, Cape Town and OR Tambo international airports will no longer require transit visas. With respect to SA children: • School principals will now be allowed to confirm permission for South African children to travel abroad on school tours, in lieu of individual parental consent forms. A standardized template for the process of confirming permission to travel is available on the Department of Home Affairs website. • The parental consent affidavit has been extended to six months for South African children who are travelling unaccompanied or with one parent. The Department of Home Affairs has indicated that further changes in immigration requirements decided by Cabinet will be announced as soon as they are finalized. Travelers and tour operators should also be aware of immigration regulations which have not yet changed: • Children travelling to South Africa from visa exempt countries will still need to carry their unabridged birth certificates (UBC), and other supporting documentation as required by the existing regulations, until the changes to those regulations have been effected and announced. The Department of Tourism is in intense discussions with the Department of Home Affairs to implement the Cabinet decision that children from visa-exempt countries will no longer be required to carry UBCs but rather, where both parents or guardians do not accompany the child traveler, be strongly advised to carry proof of the relationship and consent from the absent parent/s or guardian/s. The Department of Home Affairs has indicated that the revision of regulations regarding the UBC is underway. • Original birth certificates or certified copies must continue to be submitted as part of the visa application process for inbound travelers from countries which require visas to visit South Africa. The commitment of the Department of Home Affairs to consider a visa waiver for India, China, Russia and other countries, and to consider issuing visas on arrival for travelers to South Africa who have valid visas for the UK, USA and Canada, or any other country that applies stringent checks on visitors to their countries, is welcomed. Source: http://www.tourism.gov.za/AboutNDT/Ministry/News/Pages/New_visa_rules_will_facilitate_tourism_growth.aspx

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Appendix 2 – Participating Establishments (Standard Book) The following is a list of all tourism establishments and facilities which were provided with Tourism KwaZulu-Natal Visitor Books.

1. Albizia House B&B 2. Amafa 3. Amanzimtoti Publicity 4. Ayer Rock Guesthouse 5. Babanango Tourism/Hotel 6. Balele Resort/Caravan Park – Utrecht 7. Bat Centre Trust 8. Baynesfield Estate Museum 9. Butterflies for Africa 10. Comrades Marathon Museum 11. Corby Hill Guest House 12. Crocodile Creek 13. Dolphin Coast Publicity 14. Drakensberg Tourism association 15. East Griqualand Museum, Kokstad 16. Ebenezer Palms B&B 17. East Griqualand Outdoors Info Center 18. Ekhaya B&B 19. Eshowe Tourism and Publicity 20. Fort Durnford Museum 21. Ghost Mountain Inn 22. Glencoe Information Bureau 23. Greytown Publicity 24. Groundcover 25. Hibiscus Coast, Port Shepstone

(Enzinqoleni Tourism) 26. Hibiscus Coast, Port Edward, Umtamvuna 27. Hibiscus Coast, Southbroom 28. Hibiscus Coast, Margate 29. Hibberdene Publicity 30. Hilton Meander 31. Himeville Museum 32. Hluhluwe Tourism/Elephant Coast 33. Imvubu Lodge 34. Inkwazi Into Hub Uthungulu 35. Inanda Heritage Route 36. Inn Zululand Guest Lodge 37. Joz Inn B&B 38. Kamberg Valley Tourism 39. Kwadukuza (Heritage KZN-Amafa

Akwazulu) 40. KwaMuhle Museum 41. Ladysmith Emnambithi Tourism 42. Ladysmit Colenso Information Office 43. Lilani Hotsprings 44. Lucas Meyer Museum- vrijheid 45. Makhaya Belle Guesthouse 46. Macrorie House Museum 47. Maritime Museum – Port Natal 48. Melmoth Information centre 49. Midlands Meander Association 50. Millgate art centre

51. Minitown 52. Montrose Tourist Office 53. Mpofana tourism Info Office 54. Mpofini Game Lodge Vryheid 55. Mtonjaneni Museum/Lodge 56. Mvula House 57. Natal Herbarium 58. Natal Museum, Pmb 59. Natural Science Museum, Durban 60. Newcastle Publicity 61. Ncome Museum & monument complex 62. Nodwengu 63. Nottingham Road Publicity 64. NSA Gallery 65. Okhahlamba Drakensberg Tourism

Association 66. Old Court House Museum 67. Old House Museum 68. Phansi Museum 69. Phezulu Safari Park 70. Pietermaritzburg tourism 71. Pongola Publicity and tourism 72. Rain Farm Game & Lodge 73. Richmond Byrne and District Museum 74. Riverbend Crocodile Farm 75. Rorke’s Drift 76. Seabreeze 77. Seaworld/uShaka Marine World 78. Seige Museum, Ladysmith 79. Shakaland 80. Southern Drakensberg – Sani Saunter 81. Sparkling Star B&B 82. Talana Museum 83. Tatham Art Gallery 84. The Gorgez View 85. Thousand Hills Tourism 86. TKZN Sandton Office 87. Tourism Dundee 88. Twin Palms 89. Umgeni Valley Reserve 90. Umlalazi Tourism Eshowe 91. Umtshezi Tourism (Estcourt) 92. Utrecht Museum 93. Utrecht Publicity 94. Vigaries B&B, Ulundi 95. Voortrekker Museum 96. Vryheid Information Bureau 97. Vryheid Museum 98. Vukani Museum 99. Weenen Museum 100. Winterton Publicity 101. Zululand

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102. Zululand Birding Route Info Office 103. Zululand Historical Museum 104. Zulu Mphopomeni Experience 105. Zululand Inn GH 106. 10 Woodlands Rd B&B

(Add in Shelley Center and Scottburgh tourism

offices for Hibiscus Coast – Ugu South Coast

Tourism. Check entire list of participants as per

Visitor Book Tracking sheet 13, in Admin)

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Appendix 3 – Participating Visitor Hostels The following is a list of all Visitor Hostels which were sent Tourism KwaZulu-Natal Hostel Visitor Books. Please note that information from all of the participating hostels may not yet have been captured even if the Visitor Book information pages have been returned.

1. African Tale Backpackers 2. Ansteys Beach Backpackers 3. Banana Backpackers 4. Battlefields Backpackers International 5. Bibs St Lucia 6. Happy Hippo 7. Hippo Hide 8. Inkosana Lodge 9. Isinkwe 10. Khotso Backpackers 11. Khumbulani Lodge 12. Kuboboyi River Lodge & Backpackers 13. Leisure Bay PB 14. Mbizi Backpackers 15. Mangosuthu Backpackers Huts 16. Nomads 17. Prince Alfred St BP 18. Smith’s Cottage 19. Sunduzi 20. The Blue Sky Mining 21. Tekweni 22. Spot Backpackers, Umtentweni 23. Umphiti BP 24. Zululand Backpackers, Eshowe

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