Durban is to undergo a complete facelift and transform its main beaches into Miami-style tourist hubs in an attempt to uncover the city’s ‘wow’ factor, a spokesperson for the eThekwini Municipality has confirmed to Tourism Update.
Sohana Singh, Municipality Spokesperson, remained tightlipped about the details of the city’s plans, saying: “The Municipality is still in the process of consolidating some of these plans. Once we have completed this exercise, we will definitely engage with the media.”
She did however confirm that information published in the Durban-based Mercury newspaper earlier this month was correct. The newspaper mentioned the development of a giant theme and water park, a complete overhaul of the cruise terminal and the transformation of the beaches into Miami-style hubs. These developments will take place in phases with the first phase to be completed by 2016, and the second phase by 2019.
Naledi Moyo-Ndwandwe, the Deputy City Manager for Sustainable Development and City Enterprises, was quoted as saying: “The improvement to uShaka will blow you away… and we are looking at making the cruise ship terminal close to uShaka. The whole Point precinct will become a key theme/water park attraction.”
The promenade and main beaches will also be restructured, and will feature outdoor restaurants and music, while the beach will be divided into sections, like the beaches of Miami and Rio. Moyo-Ndwandwe adds that the beaches will feature umbrellas as well as different sections. These will include a section with hip hop music and dancing, somewhere to have manicures, and a section with an ‘African/bazaar’ vibe.
Moyo-Ndwandwe added the city would also improve the swimming pool and transport at Moses Mabhida, and make the precinct more pedestrian-friendly. “It needs to be all about lifestyle and sport,” she said.
