Durban air deal opens doors to German tourists

GERMAN tourists are set to flock to Durban over the festive season, with the temporary introduction of 26 flights from Frankfurt to Durban International Airport. According to a report in the Natal daily, The Mercury, Tourism KZN and Thompsons South Africa recently persuaded one of the world's biggest airline charter operator, Neckermann, to fly in about 4 800 German tourists over the period. The economic benefit to Durban could be substantial, according to TKZN's Jane Seymour, as each foreign tourist spends about R1 2000 a day when holidaying there. According to Thompsons managing director, Linda Pampallis, the German charters represent a huge opportunity not only to earn foreign exchange, but to transform and grow the hospitality sector. If all goes according to plan, Neckermann has arranged to send a flight a week to Durban for 26 weeks running from June next year. The planes will have a passenger capacity of 270 a flight. This translates into R42m spent in the KZN economy, reports The Mercury. Durban International will feature as a long-haul international flight. (Natalia Thomson)