Polish tourists descend on KZN

Partnership between Tourism KZN and Rainbow Tours bears fruits

Last week Thursday a partnership spearheaded by Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) has seen 250 Polish tourists arrive at Durban's King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) for a unique two-week Zulu Kingdom experience. Tourism KZN CEO, Mr Ndabo Khoza, was there to receive the Polish charter flight carrying the tourists when it touched down at KSIA. The tourists are the first of 10 groups of tourists who will visit the coastal province for the next five months.

Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) has sealed a deal with Rainbow Tours, a leading tour operator in Poland, to bring tourists on charter flights directly to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Ten air charter flights, each carrying 250 Polish tourists, will land at King Shaka International Airport every two weeks until the end of March 2015.

Welcoming the tourists in true Zulu Kingdom style, which included a performance by ululating Zulu dancers, Ndabo Khoza said, "We are very excited to have sealed the deal with such a reputable operator. This is part of our ongoing strategy to develop and grow new international markets, thus bringing more international tourists to our region."

"We are hopeful that this is the first of many charter flights to come to KZN and this will begin to position King Shaka International Airport as a true gateway, not only to KZN, but to our neighbouring countries as well." MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Mr Mike Mabuyakhulu said that through the partnership between Rainbow Tours and TKZN, KZN has the potential to attract a lot more tourists from Eastern Europe who are looking for a warm, sunny destination where they can escape their bone-chilling winter weather, "Looking at the current booking forecast, this partnership will bring over 17 500 extra bed nights in KZN over the next 5 months," he added.

Commenting on behalf of Tsogo Sun, Mr Mike Jackson, Director of Operations for the KZN Region, said, "Tsogo Sun is delighted to be hosting the guests in our hotels for the summer months. Rainbow tours were blown away with what they saw when they conducted a site inspection of Durban and we are certain that the Polish guests will have a fantastic time in Durban and KwaZulu-Natal. This shows that KZN's fantastic warm weather and the best beaches are certainly noticed and appreciated the world over. The success of this initiative is proof that so much can be achieved when government and the private sector work together."

KZN currently receives close to 900 000 international tourists per year and 15% of them come from Europe. Most come from the United Kingdom and Germany. International visitors spend over a R1 000 a day when visiting KZN, and spend an average of a week in the province. The total market value of this is estimated to be in the region of R6.7 Billion.