As the 2025/26 festive season draws to a close, KwaZulu-Natal's tourism sector shows signs of a mixed performance, with industry leaders confirming the province has not yet reached pre-COVID highs.
Official pre-season forecasts projected one to 1,1 million domestic trips and 34 000 international arrivals in December, generating R13 billion in revenue.
But industry leaders who spoke to Tourism Update this week were less upbeat about the sector’s actual performance and highlighted shorter stays, regional variations, and economic pressures that were squeezing the spend of middle-income travellers.
“This is not just another tourism season, but this is a season of return, a season of confidence, and a season of bold new steps forward,” said Musa Zondi, MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, at the summer launch when the official forecast was released.
Zondi based the data on early-year momentum.
“Between January and May (last year), Durban alone recorded over 2,8 million domestic trips and 186 000 international visitors, injecting more than R5 billion into the local economy.”
Optimism vs reality
However, hospitality insiders report differing results over the December/January festive season.
James Seymour, Chair of the uThukela-Drakensberg Tourism Cluster, described the Drakensberg’s performance as inconsistent.
“It's been a bit of a mixed performance for the Drakensberg. Some of the resorts have done very well. Champagne Sports Resort and the Drakensberg Sun have indicated that they were doing really good business. But then some other venues were indicating that the season was relatively flat.”
He said some resort managers in the northern Drakensberg and in the Champagne Valley indicated that they felt the season started late.
Seymour noted challenges like poor road conditions affecting access.
“One of the core challenges for the Drakensberg is still the roads … the potholes are particularly bad at the moment.”
Shorter stays, mixed results
Federated Hospitality Association KZN Chair, Brett Tungay, painted a broader provincial picture marked by regional variations and economic strain that still hindered resorts catering for the lower- and middle-income segments.
“The South African trade re-embraced the South Coast. There are very good numbers out of there. Richards Bay was definitely down on last year. And in the Drakensberg, those roads are really starting to have an impact,” said Tungay.
“Durban central and Umhlanga hotels generally experienced much flatter (occupancy) with a bit of a mixed bag of mostly around 75-85%.”
Tungay highlighted a shorter season and reduced stays.
“If you speak to the restaurants, the spend wasn't there this year. But that's because it was a shorter season as well. High-end properties did well but those in the mid-level slightly decreased. And we definitely saw a lot of shorter stays.”
He said speaking to tourism businesses in Cape Town, the trend of high-end properties performing at full capacity with the mid-level being flat, was also repeated there this season.
Tungay said KZN had still not recovered to pre-COVID levels, despite the initial optimism.
However, Durban beaches were full, with eThekwini Municipality reporting that there were 609 950 bathers and about 853 190 people on the promenade on January 1.
Beach water quality improved significantly, boosting coastal appeal. As of December 31, eThekwini Municipality reported 22 beaches open and safe, with only Laguna Beach closed after heavy rains. All other central, south, and north beaches remained unaffected.
Tungay said the city had repaired much of its coastal waste water treatment works but there was still work to be done.
“A lot of the issues have been sorted out ... even with the increased rainfall, we actually had a good season on the coast.”
This progress comes as a December 2025 court ruling mandated weekly e.coli reporting and sewer repairs.
Upcoming tourism projects, like the recently announced R1 billion Golden Mile amusement park – scheduled for completion in 2027 – with attractions including the Lightning Roller Coaster and a 1 500sqm virtual reality park, as well as more than 66 cruise arrivals bringing 111 000 passengers until June 2026, signal the city’s tourism potential.
But Tungay has called for the province to take an international focus in its marketing endeavours, as the domestic sector, while still flocking to KZN as the favoured destination for locals, continues to struggle financially.
“We need to really try and change the game in terms of the foreign market ... we've lost virtually all our market share. To get it back we need to try and get the buy-in of government and business, to try and drive the foreign market back into the province.
“We also need the government's buy-in in terms of infrastructure. The northern Natal roads in the Drakensberg are in a horrendous condition,” he said.
